Reviews

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: The Graphic Novel by Georgia Ball, Lauren Tarshis

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

_morgueann's review

4.0

I think fans of I Survived will LOVE graphic novel adaptations of their favorite I Survived novels. I am not the target audience for this book, but I know lots of kids who I'll recommend it to!

indigo_book_dragon's review against another edition

informative sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

kateteaching7and8's review

4.0

George Calder and his sister, Phoebe, are aboard the Titanic with their aunt. George is a pretty mischievous young man who always seems to be finding trouble. On April 15, 1912, George sneaks out of his room after his aunt and sister fall asleep to locate the cargo hold and see if the rumors of a mummy are true. While he's out, the Titanic hits an iceberg. Now, it's a race to see if he, his family, and his new found friends will be able to escape the ship and the survive the icy waters.

I'm a huge fan of the I Survived series as many of my striving readers find the series captivating and it encourages them to read. I was super excited to see that the series was going to also be made into graphic novels as my students love them as well. The topic of the Titanic is something that many students find fascinating. I found the graphic novel to be a very quick read (I finished it in less than a half hour). George is fun character and offers the reader a glimpse into life on the Titanic. The story develops and concludes rather quickly and didn't seem to have a lot of depth. My favorite part of the graphic novel was actually the section after the narrative that offered the reader more facts about the Titanic, its passengers, and its sinking. The illustrations are well done and I like the color palette which is full of golds and blues, simultaneously emphasizing the richness of the ship and many of its passengers as well as the darkness and icy coldness of their surroundings. I think my students will love this novel. I can't wait to share it with them and see what topic is next in the series.

emilymorgan20's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

g_krueger's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: The Graphic Novel is written by Lauren Tarshis and illustrated by Haus Studio.  This book was published in 2020.  This book is about a boy named George and his adventure aboard the "unsinkable" ship, the Titanic.  He is on the boat with his sister and aunt as they sail back to the United States after their vacation to London.  While on board they meet some immigrants from Italy.  When only women and children are allowed to go in the life boats, George must figure out how to survive the sinking of the Titanic.   This is a great book for students who are in 2nd through 3rd grade.  This book could be used as a book club book or as an independent book.  This book keeps the reader engaged and the story is told through the graphics well.  <graphic novel> <historical fiction> <Titanic>

bookishcb_21's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was my first read out of the I Survived series and being that it was in GN format, it was really good. Today is National #TitanicRemembranceDay and I thought I’d finally pick this book up - I’m so glad that I did. You even get a few pages at the very end that talks about some of the real people on board the Titanic, along with some facts about the ship and what happened.

briannabookly's review

4.0

This is the first graphic novel adaptation of a book from the I Survived series that I have read. I think these books are perfect to adapt as graphic novels because they are full of action. This is a great way to reach reluctant readers and give them a way to learn about important events in history, such as the sinking of the Titanic.

This was a quick read, but powerful. I enjoyed the fictional characters and felt that their story gave me an emotional and human connection to the reality of what happened on that fateful day in 1912. I'm so glad that I have included this book in my school library collection and look forward to discussing it with my students and encouraging my teachers to incorporate it into their curriculum.

pages_and_procrastination's review against another edition

adventurous informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

mldavisreads's review against another edition

4.0

Middle grade historical fiction graphic novel. This is the first in a new series of graphic novels based on the popular I Survived series of chapter books. George is a 10 year old boy traveling on the Titanic with his sister Phoebe and their Aunt Daisy. George is a curious explorer, so he winds his way through as much of the boat as possible. The night of the crash that knowledge comes into good use as he has to find his sister and then make his way back up to the main floor. The family also meets Enzo and his dad Marco who are traveling from Italy. As the title implies, George survives the incident. A great introduction to not only the accident but also the time period as the drawings show details such as period dress. Back matter includes primary source photographs as well as more facts and additional reading. As the original series has been quite popular and many readers love graphic novel, this seems like a winning combination.