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Reviews
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: The Graphic Novel by Georgia Ball, Lauren Tarshis
rknuttel's review
3.0
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for a review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.
I'm going to admit something...I have never read an I Survived bool before! I know, I know, shame on me. I have a gazillion of them in my classroom and even though they are a bit on the easy end for 5th grade, they are always popular! You know what else is always popular? Graphic novels. Can't keep the dang things on my shelves. So what do you get when you cross a popular historical adventure series with the most popular format of a book? GENIUS, that's what you get. Whoever came up with this idea, I hope they are paying you well.
The I Survived books are short to begin with, and the graphic novel format makes it an even quicker read. It probably took me 30 min in one sitting to get through this whole book. A student cold definitely read through this whole book in one independent reading block, but I can easily see it being read over and over again, as I know graphic novel fans (and kids in general) tend to return to their favorites. I really enjoyed the blend of high stakes adventure and historical information in this book. Even though all the major characters make it to the end of the book, you still had a real feeling that some of them might. It wrapped up pretty neatly, but when you remember who the target audience is, injury is a great way to convey the seriousness of the event without bringing it to too dark of a place. I loved seeing the gorgeous illustrations of the Titanic, and the information about the building of the chip was great to read too. The description of the many decks on the ship gently introduces the disparities between socio-economic class, and when George discovers that the lower deck passengers have been locked in while the wealthier passengers were ushered to the top deck for safety, it's a staggering moment. I loved seeing the relationship George built with Enzo and his father - it was adorable.
As per usual with graphic novels and short books, I would have enjoyed more! But I always want more. Luckily, there is a wealth of knowledge about the Titanic out there, including children's books! Hopefully this will inspire students to read more about the Titanic and more historical fiction!
I'm going to admit something...I have never read an I Survived bool before! I know, I know, shame on me. I have a gazillion of them in my classroom and even though they are a bit on the easy end for 5th grade, they are always popular! You know what else is always popular? Graphic novels. Can't keep the dang things on my shelves. So what do you get when you cross a popular historical adventure series with the most popular format of a book? GENIUS, that's what you get. Whoever came up with this idea, I hope they are paying you well.
The I Survived books are short to begin with, and the graphic novel format makes it an even quicker read. It probably took me 30 min in one sitting to get through this whole book. A student cold definitely read through this whole book in one independent reading block, but I can easily see it being read over and over again, as I know graphic novel fans (and kids in general) tend to return to their favorites. I really enjoyed the blend of high stakes adventure and historical information in this book. Even though all the major characters make it to the end of the book, you still had a real feeling that some of them might. It wrapped up pretty neatly, but when you remember who the target audience is, injury is a great way to convey the seriousness of the event without bringing it to too dark of a place. I loved seeing the gorgeous illustrations of the Titanic, and the information about the building of the chip was great to read too. The description of the many decks on the ship gently introduces the disparities between socio-economic class, and when George discovers that the lower deck passengers have been locked in while the wealthier passengers were ushered to the top deck for safety, it's a staggering moment. I loved seeing the relationship George built with Enzo and his father - it was adorable.
As per usual with graphic novels and short books, I would have enjoyed more! But I always want more. Luckily, there is a wealth of knowledge about the Titanic out there, including children's books! Hopefully this will inspire students to read more about the Titanic and more historical fiction!
justanothergirlreads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
atlanticgiantpumpkin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
okiecozyreader's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading through the graphic novel of the I Survived book. I compared the two and the copy is very similar, but where actions or descriptions are listed in the book, they are told through the pictures in the graphic novel.
cariad_llyfr's review
4.0
A great insight into the Titanic and the disaster. It was quite overwhelming, I could feel the fewr of those on board and I felt the author depicted it all really well and on a great level for children.
dredre36's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jay_mack9712's review
4.0
I loved this book. Really I love anything to do with Titanic !! It is my favourite disaster in history! The illustrations are quite pretty and as always the story was quite good !!
jenbebookish's review
4.0
Read 08/12/2020
This was Titanic JR. Except instead of a romance between Kate and Leo, there was the love between a young brother and sister, Georgie and Phoebe. This little graphic novel novella so closely mirrored that of the movie Titanic that there was even a door used as a floating device at the end. Except here in Titanic Jr. at least the companion wasn’t forced to dangle unnecessarily in the freezing cold water, dropping precious degrees by the minute when there was plenty of room for him on the door as well. In this, Marko has his own floatation device.
3.5 stars. Cute for what it was despite there being nothing original about this whatsoever. But I don’t judge them too harshly on that fact considering Titanic is a topic that has been romanticized and revisited countless times, there’s only so much that can be expanded on. That wasn’t even the point, the point was to make this relatable to a younger audience, a feat which Lauren Tarshis undertook and accomplished successfully. Woot woot. It was a little young for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
<3
This was Titanic JR. Except instead of a romance between Kate and Leo, there was the love between a young brother and sister, Georgie and Phoebe. This little graphic novel novella so closely mirrored that of the movie Titanic that there was even a door used as a floating device at the end. Except here in Titanic Jr. at least the companion wasn’t forced to dangle unnecessarily in the freezing cold water, dropping precious degrees by the minute when there was plenty of room for him on the door as well. In this, Marko has his own floatation device.
3.5 stars. Cute for what it was despite there being nothing original about this whatsoever. But I don’t judge them too harshly on that fact considering Titanic is a topic that has been romanticized and revisited countless times, there’s only so much that can be expanded on. That wasn’t even the point, the point was to make this relatable to a younger audience, a feat which Lauren Tarshis undertook and accomplished successfully. Woot woot. It was a little young for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
<3