SOS Titanic

April 1, 1996
A dread sense of the inevitable drives this taut disaster story-and makes it nearly impossible to put down. Only moments after 15-year-old Barry O'Neill boards the Titanic in Queenstown, Ireland, the final port of call before the Atlantic crossing, he learns that the ship narrowly missed a collision at Southampton-a "bad omen," says a fellow passenger. Watley, Barry's steward in first class, claims intuitive knowledge that the voyage is ill-fated, while another uneasy passenger notes the shortage of lifeboats and refers to a novel written years earlier about an eerily similar ship called the Titan that sinks after colliding with an iceberg. Barry, understandably, is on edge-and so is the reader. When disaster finally strikes, Bunting (Spying on Miss Muller) unfolds the terrifying events in gripping climactic chapters. Barry acts nobly, risking his own life to save Pegeen, a girl from steerage class with whom he has fallen in love, and her brother, a ruffian with a longstanding grudge against Barry and his wealthy family. It's well-wrought historical fiction, but lest anyone forget, a brief afterword reminds readers of the horrifying and very real toll of the tragedy. Ages 12-up.

April 1, 1996
Gr 6-9-Readers fascinated by the lore surrounding the sinking of the Titanic will likely enjoy this exciting, suspenseful, and romantic version of the tragedy. Fifteen-year-old Barry, a privileged, upper-class Irishman raised by his grandparents while his parents were off in China, is bound for America to join them at last. Class conflict comes aboard, too, in the form of Frank and Jonnie Flynn, who blame Barry's grandfather for their forced departure from Ireland via steerage. Frank's threats of revenge add a layer of fear to Barry's on-again, off-again relationship with their sister, Pegeen, as the plot steams steadily toward its inevitably icy climax. The final hundred pages of the book describe post-collision confusion that escalates toward chaos, including Barry's gallant attempt (in vain) to save Frank's life. He does succeed in saving Pegeen, and the two of them end up on the overturned inflatable life raft and are among those few rescued the next morning by the Carpathia. Lots of foreshadowing and hints of the supernatural (Watley, Barry's first-class steward, was born in a caul, which is said to have given him second sight) add interest, as does an interesting range of supporting characters.-Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA

March 15, 1996
Gr. 6^-9. Fifteen-year-old Barry O'Neill is traveling from Ireland to New York on the "Titanic." He is heartsick about leaving the beloved grandparents who raised him for the last 10 years and apprehensive about rejoining his parents, who have been in China. He's also worried about the Flynn brothers, arch enemies traveling in steerage who have threatened to throw him overboard. Foreshadowing of impending disaster winds through the early narrative: a psychic steward tells Barry of visions, and a superstitious passenger counts and re-counts the lifeboats. What sets this tale apart from other recent novels about the disaster (for example, "Titanic Crossing" ) is Barry's growing awareness of the injustice of the class system that ultimately doomed most of the steerage passengers. With so many characters, most are reduced to a few identifying quirks, but Bunting accurately and dramatically describes the ship's sinking and, at the same time, immerses readers in the many human tragedies. Perfect for middle school, this fast-paced story will satisfy readers looking for the human element in the "Titanic"'s history. ((Reviewed March 15, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)

April 1, 1996
Gr. 6^-9. Fifteen-year-old Barry O'Neill is traveling from Ireland to New York on the "Titanic." He is heartsick about leaving the beloved grandparents who raised him for the last 10 years and apprehensive about rejoining his parents, who have been in China. He's also worried about the Flynn brothers, arch enemies traveling in steerage who have threatened to throw him overboard. Foreshadowing of impending disaster winds through the early narrative: a psychic steward tells Barry of visions, and a superstitious passenger counts and re-counts the lifeboats. What sets this tale apart from other recent novels about the disaster (for example, Williams' "Titanic Crossing" ) is Barry's growing awareness of the injustice of the class system that ultimately doomed most of the steerage passengers. With so many characters, most are reduced to a few identifying quirks, but Bunting accurately and dramatically describes the ship's sinking and, at the same time, immerses readers in the many human tragedies. Perfect for middle school, this fast-paced story will satisfy readers looking for the human element in the "Titanic"'s history. ((Reviewed April 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)