Titanic Crossing

This was a fantastic book. The ending surprised me which was good because it showed how Albert learned what it was like to be a man and to be ready on a moment's notice to make the most critical decisions of his life as well as for his family and his future. It also realistically showed how younger siblings really do act in public. Barbara William doesn't sugar coat the siblings like most authors do by making them unrealistic.

Thirteen-year-old Albert Trask is going home to America--on the "Titanic!" Albert's bossy grandmother is forcing his widowed mother to return from England, where she took her chidren after their father died. Neither Mother nor Virginia, Albert's spoiled little sister, is very happy about the voyage. But nobody can dampen Albert's enthusiasm about sailing on the biggest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built--not even Emily, a know-it-all girl who thinks the ship doesn't have enough lifeboats. Everyone knows the "Titanic" is unsinkable!Albert can't wait to see his friends back home, play baseball, and have fun. But when the "Titanic" hits an iceberg and begins to sink, he suddenly faces adult decisions. Can he save Virginia's life---and show more his own...? show less

This is a great Titanic story discussing what it is to be a man and the difficulties in that space between childhood and adulthood.

Albert is leaving England on the Titanic to return to America, but between family problems and a bratty younger sister he hardly has any time to enjoy the ship or sketch. When the ship sinks with his mother and uncle missing, it’s up to him to save his sister and try to save himself. He ends up in the ocean with a concussion, but is saved by strangers. With both parents and his uncle now gone, he is now in charge of his sister, and he finally begins to assert himself as an adult.

This book is about a young boy who experiences survival skills during the sinking of the Titanic. I enjoyed this book because describes to children what happened during that time but on their level. I would recommend this book for grades 3-6.

Thirteen-year-old Albert Trask, his widowed mother, his uncle Clay and his six-year-old sister are returning from England to their grandmother's home in Washington, D.C. aboard the ill-fated Titanic. Barbara Williams' novel (Dial, 1995) gives young listeners a first-hand account of what it was like to be a passenger on the ship. Albert's explorations of the ship, conversations he overhears, and his conflicts with his uncle add to the drama. The use of day and hour to introduce each of the 24 chapters adds realism. At the end of the narration, the author explains her use of actual historic figures such as the Astors and Captain Smith, and how she based the main character on a 13-year-old boy who was at first denied access to the show more lifeboats because he was considered a man.
-Amazon.com

Another young reader book that might be helpful if you need to get an idea of what the Titanic was like. show less

sad but descriptive. I love it!