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adventurous
emotional
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:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoy Jennifer A. Nielsen's historical fiction and I especially love books about the Titanic, so ICEBERG was right up my alley. I've been excited to read it ever since I heard about it. Did it live up to my expectations? Mostly yes.
The story ICEBERG tells isn't anything original, but I liked that the plot included a mystery (or two) in addition to the familiar tale of the ship's sinking. Hazel is a sympathetic heroine who's likable, relatable, and admirable. She and her friends are all root-worthy characters that I hoped would survive their ordeal at sea. I listened to this book on audio and didn't really pay attention to its length until I started thinking it was feeling a little long. At almost 400 pages (almost 9 hours of listening time), it is longer than a typical MG book. The story does drag quite a bit in places, although it never got dull enough that I wanted to abandon it. On the whole, I enjoyed the novel for the historical setting, likable characters, and (mostly) engaging plot.
A note on the audio: ICEBERG is narrated by Rosie Jones, a British actress. She did a nice job voicing a 12-year-old girl and capturing Hazel's unique personality. Some of the other voices were less smooth, but I liked her performance for the most part.
If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.
The story ICEBERG tells isn't anything original, but I liked that the plot included a mystery (or two) in addition to the familiar tale of the ship's sinking. Hazel is a sympathetic heroine who's likable, relatable, and admirable. She and her friends are all root-worthy characters that I hoped would survive their ordeal at sea. I listened to this book on audio and didn't really pay attention to its length until I started thinking it was feeling a little long. At almost 400 pages (almost 9 hours of listening time), it is longer than a typical MG book. The story does drag quite a bit in places, although it never got dull enough that I wanted to abandon it. On the whole, I enjoyed the novel for the historical setting, likable characters, and (mostly) engaging plot.
A note on the audio: ICEBERG is narrated by Rosie Jones, a British actress. She did a nice job voicing a 12-year-old girl and capturing Hazel's unique personality. Some of the other voices were less smooth, but I liked her performance for the most part.
If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
A young adult book set aboard the Titanic. Hazel Rothbury is poor. Her mother's only hope is that Hazel can go to America, live with her aunt, and work in a garment factory and send all of the money home to Hazel's family so they can eventually also come to America. When Hazel attempts to buy a ticket aboard Titanic, she doesn't have enough money, so she hides and sneaks her way on. While on board, Hazel encounters several characters who impact her journey, including a porter, a young girl in first class, an older woman whose origins are quite mysterious, and a couple with nefarious plans. Weaved throughout are the descriptions of the ship, Hazel's unending curiosity about the ship, lifeboats, icebergs, and other questions. Hazel wants to be a journalist, so she is endlessly taking notes, investigating, eavesdropping, and asking questions. Inevitably, Titanic is doomed, as we all well know. The intrigue in the story is a bit far-fetched, but as a young adult book, it was really enjoyable and I know my students will like it.
I read this with my Titanic obsessed son. We both loved it! It had a perfect mix of facts (which my son loves) and drama (which I love). I will definitely be checking out her other books to see if she has similar options for us to read next.
This book was interesting and explores many issues with the ship that were avoidable, all in the context of a fast-paced adventure. The author does a good job of making you feel pained by the sadness and loss of the Titanic. It's light and heavy at the same time.
An issue I've been especially aware of with Jennifer A. Nielsen's books is how the bad guy (or girl) always turns good in the end/is forgiven, sometimes immediately after threatening death, etc. Can the villains just be villains sometimes?
An issue I've been especially aware of with Jennifer A. Nielsen's books is how the bad guy (or girl) always turns good in the end/is forgiven, sometimes immediately after threatening death, etc. Can the villains just be villains sometimes?
What an excellent story of the Titanic. I've been anticipating reading this newest book by Jennifer A. Nielsen and I was not disappointed!
When I was in high school I was fascinated with understanding and learning about the tragedy that was the sinking of the Titanic. I read every book I could get my hands on, reading numerous stories and accounts and details of how the "unsinkable" ended up at the bottom of the ocean. How almost 1,500 lives were lost at sea because of pride, ignorance and want of planning. The sinking of the Titanic still feels so incredibly preventable whenever I think over the decisions, details and facts of what was the most incredible ship to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
Having read other historical fiction written by Jennifer, I knew this story would be well-researched and have very specific intentions in how she told the story we all know the ending to. I was not disappointed! There was a varied cast of characters, which created a lot of interest in the story and also dimension.
Hazel, the main character is curious, determined and stubborn. At times, she felt a little too determined, breaking rules constantly and pushing the boundaries which resulted in consequences for others and herself. I appreciated elements of mystery in the plot and a few twists in the plot as well, especially Jennifer's attention to the facts and details of the progression of events that led to the sinking of the Titanic. She includes details I had never known which was even more tragic to process people's decisions or lack thereof which led to this awful tragedy.
We all know that the Titanic will perish, and with it, over half of its crew and passengers. You are unsure which characters will survive, and who will not, which was a bit heartrending, but I appreciated how delicately and simply, Jennifer wrote about something so tragic and horrible. You felt the sadness, you felt the fear and the horror of it all, but it wasn't exploited either which felt honouring to the story.
Five stars for this poignant perspective of arguably the most famous ship to ever sail and never reach its destination.
Note: Hazel sneaks onto the Titanic and often lies or disobeys orders or rules.
When I was in high school I was fascinated with understanding and learning about the tragedy that was the sinking of the Titanic. I read every book I could get my hands on, reading numerous stories and accounts and details of how the "unsinkable" ended up at the bottom of the ocean. How almost 1,500 lives were lost at sea because of pride, ignorance and want of planning. The sinking of the Titanic still feels so incredibly preventable whenever I think over the decisions, details and facts of what was the most incredible ship to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
Having read other historical fiction written by Jennifer, I knew this story would be well-researched and have very specific intentions in how she told the story we all know the ending to. I was not disappointed! There was a varied cast of characters, which created a lot of interest in the story and also dimension.
Hazel, the main character is curious, determined and stubborn. At times, she felt a little too determined, breaking rules constantly and pushing the boundaries which resulted in consequences for others and herself. I appreciated elements of mystery in the plot and a few twists in the plot as well, especially Jennifer's attention to the facts and details of the progression of events that led to the sinking of the Titanic. She includes details I had never known which was even more tragic to process people's decisions or lack thereof which led to this awful tragedy.
We all know that the Titanic will perish, and with it, over half of its crew and passengers. You are unsure which characters will survive, and who will not, which was a bit heartrending, but I appreciated how delicately and simply, Jennifer wrote about something so tragic and horrible. You felt the sadness, you felt the fear and the horror of it all, but it wasn't exploited either which felt honouring to the story.
Five stars for this poignant perspective of arguably the most famous ship to ever sail and never reach its destination.
Note: Hazel sneaks onto the Titanic and often lies or disobeys orders or rules.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes