March 25, 2012

Titanic Tragedy lives on in CanLit

 Image created using Textorizer
 
When the RMS Titanic left Southampton, England on April 10, 1912 for her maiden voyage to New York City, she was lauded as a marvel in design and size, being the largest ship afloat at the time.  When Titanic hit an iceberg less than 400 km from Newfoundland just minutes before April 15, she sadly secured a record as one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters of all time.

The 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy is due to be commemorated on April 15, 2012, with a variety of memorial cruises, dive expeditions, special movie and audio broadcasts, documentaries, and publications. To provide a comprehensive look at the RMS Titanic and her tragedy, through the words of Canadian authors and publishers, as well as through illustrations, explore this list of titles which includes picture books, novels, and non-fiction, for use in the classroom or for personal interest.

 
PICTURE BOOKS

Polar the Titanic Bear
by Stone Spedden and Daisy Corning
Illustrated by Laurie McGaw
Little, Brown / Madison Press
978-0316806251
1994

Narrated by Polar, a stuffed polar bear, Polar the Titanic Bear, illustrated by Canadian Laurie McGaw, tells the true story of the Spedden family's travels, including their voyage on the Titanic.  Photographs and memorabilia add to the story of the family's survival after the collision with the iceberg.

 EASY READER

Canadian Flyer Adventures #14: SOS! Titanic! 
by Frieda Wishinsky 
Illustrated by Jean-Paul Eid 
Maple Tree Press
978-1897349786
2010

Travelling by their amazing Canadian Flyer sled back to the afternoon of April 14, 1912, Matt and Emily land on the Titanic.  While they enjoy meeting new friends, they also realize that they have only a few hours before the massive ship will hit an iceberg.  Can they do anything to stop the collision or save their new friends?  Should they?


HISTORICAL FICTION

The Mariner’s Curse
by John Lunn
Tundra Books
978-0-88776-672-2
2004
 
Rory, who adores reading all things oceanic, is thrilled to get to travel on a luxury cruise ship, even if it is with his mother and her new husband.  When he meets the elderly Mr. Morgan, Rory is convinced there is something mysterious about the man, who could have been a passenger on the Titanic


The Danger Beneath (A Wordsy and Jess Adventure)
by David Boyd
Napoleon Publishing
978-0-921156-17-0
1999

In The Danger Beneath, while Wordsy travels back to April 12, 1912 and onto the Titanic, Jess must rescue her kidnapped cousin Tim from bank thieves he videotaped accidentally.


No Moon 
by Irene Watts 
Tundra  
978-0887769719
2010
 
Fourteen-year-old Louisa, who works as a nursemaid to a London family, accompanies them on their trip to New York aboard the Titanic.  While she tends to her young charges diligently, the sinking of the Titanic brings forth tragic memories of the drowning of Louisa's young brother, Johnny.


That Fatal Night: The Titanic Diary of Dorothy Wilton, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1912 (Dear Canada series)
by Sarah Ellis 
Scholastic Canada 
2011

One month after the sinking of the Titanic, twelve-year-old Dorothy Wilton shares the details of her ordeal on board the sinking ship, as the means to explain her recent inappropriate actions at school. (CanLit for LittleCanadians review)



Deadly Voyage: R.M.S. Titanic, Jamie Laidlaw, April 14, 1912 (I Am Canada series)
by Hugh Brewster
Scholastic Canada
978-1-4431-0465-4
2011

Returning to Montreal with his parents, Jaime Laidlaw, 14, comes of age while exploring the opulent ship and then enduring its collision with an iceberg. (CanLit for LittleCanadians review)



Ghosts of the Titanic 
by Julie Lawson 
Scholastic Canada  
978-1443100410
2011

Kevin and his family travel to Halifax to claim an old house they've mysteriously inherited.  While exploring, Kevin finds some old photographs and such and begins to have scary dreams about needing to help someone.  One night, he tries to answer the plea for help, and finds himself in a flooded corridor aboard the Titanic



Titanic Book One: Unsinkable 
by Gordon Korman 
Scholastic Canada
978-0545123310
2011

Titanic Book Two: Collision Course 
by Gordon Korman
978-0545123327
2011

Titanic Book Three: S.O.S.  
by Gordon Korman  
978-0545123334  
2011 

Gordon Korman's trilogy, Titanic, focuses on four young passengers aboard the grand ship: Paddy, who is a stowaway; Sophie, whose mother has been arrested; Juliana, whose wealthy father shows bizarre eccentricities; and Alfie, who is hiding a secret that would get him kicked off the Titanic.  The lives of these four young people become intertwined and they must work together to solve some hidden mysteries if they are to survive the voyage and the disaster.


NON-FICTION

The Ship That Voted No and Other Stories of Ships and the Sea
by Tony Keene
Lancelot Press
978-0-88999-588-5
1995

This collection of twelve Canadian tales of the sea includes one of the rescue efforts to find survivors of the Titanic.


On Board the Titanic: What it was like when the great liner sank 
by Shelley Tanaka 
Scholastic Canada
978-0590248952
1997

Told from the perspectives of a first-class passenger and the ship's wireless operator, On Board the Titanic presents a rich and child-appropriate introduction to this tragedy.



Titanic Halifax 
by Rob Gordon and Alan Jeffers 
Nimbus
978-1551092751
1998
 
Halifax reporter, Rob Gordon, with his personal connections to the tragedy, provides a guide to Halifax's connection to the Titanic, including artifacts unearthed by Alan Jeffers.


 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic 
by Hugh Brewster and Laurie Coulter 
Illustrated by Ken Marschall
Scholastic Canada
978-0439042963
1999

Fact-filled book about all things Titanic, including quizzes, trivia, photographs and the personal stories of survivors.


Inside the Titanic: A Giant Cut-Away Book
by Ken Marschall
Text by Hugh Brewster
Little, Brown & Company
1997
978-0316644303

The stories of real children are used to personalize the amazing illustrations that show the inside layout of the great ship.


Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships
by Robert D. Ballard and Rick Archbold 
Illustrated by Ken Marschall
Scholastic Canada
978-0590124522
1999

Robert Ballard, oceanographer, recounts his discovery and exploration of the Titanic seventy years after her disappearance, as well as details other ships disasters of the 20th century, like the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in the St. Lawrence River.


Titanic Remembered: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax
by Alan Ruffman
Formac
978-0887804670
1999

The author, a marine geologist and historian, details in text and numerous photographs, the city of Halifax's response to the tragedy in archiving the evidence and mourning the victims of the Titanic's sinking.



Titanic
by Jim Pipe
Firefly Books
978-1-55407-303-0
2007

Told from the perspective of a reporter on board, Titanic reveals all aspects of the ship and recounts the dramatic events of its tragedy.



Titanic: The Canadian Connection (Amazing Stories) 
by Lanny Boutin
Altitude Publishing
978-1-55439-126-4
2007 

This collection of short stories reveals the Canadian connections with the sinking of the Titanic.
Case Files: 40 Murders and Mysteries Solved by Science
by Larry Verstraete
Scholastic Canada
978-1-4431-0000-7
2011

The sinking of the Titanic is covered in this intriguing collection of historical mysteries, which emphasize the approaches and methodologies used by scientists in solving them.

 

Voyage of the Iceberg: the Story of the Iceberg that Sank the Titanic
by Richard Brown
James Lorimer
978-1459400870
2012 (Third ed.)

Looking at the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic at the turn of the twentieth century, Richard Brown's tale tells of the voyage of the iceberg and the animals and ships that cross its path, until its collision with the Titanic.

RMS TITANIC: Gilded Lives on a Fatal Voyage
by Hugh Brewster
HarperCollins Canada
978-1443405300
March 2012

While published as an adult book, young adults fourteen years of age and older will enjoy reading the personal narratives of some of the famous victims and survivors of the Titanic, especially because of Hugh Bewster's exhaustive research and attention to detail (including rarely seen photographs).

Titanic Lives: On Board, Destination Canada 
by Rob Rondeau
Formac Publishing
978-1459500198
April 2012

Marine archaeologist Rob Rondeau focuses on the fascinating stories of ten Titanic passengers, both famous and not.


n.b. Teachers or book-buyers who would like a pdf of this posting can download one here from scribd

No comments:

Post a Comment