The Dear America series was a favorite of mine while growing up and exploring the world of historical fiction. Each book is written in the style of a young woman’s diary during a significant period in American history. Written by Ellen Emerson White and published in 1998, the Voyage on the Great Titanic chronicles the story of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Margaret Ann Brady is an orphan who is hired as a companion to an American, Mrs. Carstairs. She hopes to remain in Mrs. Carstairs’ service until she can earn enough money to rejoin her older brother in America. As luck would have it, her employer is headed there, herself, on the newest and most luxurious ocean liner ever to be seen.
As one who has always been fascinated by the story of Titanic (the movie came out when I was 10 years old, after all), I appreciated the depth of detail of the event itself. That being said, White does not make this story special for Margaret. She keeps the plot and minor events simple and unvaried. Also, Margaret has the vocabulary and diction of a princess. I’m surprised to find that a poor orphan from London who boasts of a cockney accent can speak so eloquently.
The end of the book contains a variety of pictures, a few maps, and a timeline of events. This is a good introduction of primary sources as well as practice in using geography skills. Overall, I enjoyed this book when I read it at age 10 and I continue to appreciate this elegantly written historical novel.
I like how this story offers a unique perspective on the Titanic. I wonder how Margaret describes her life inside the ship and if she was able to write something about the tragic event that later unfolded. Based off your description of Margaret, she seems to have plenty of interesting thoughts and insights to share with the reader. Perhaps that's something that I'll have to find out for myself.
ReplyDeleteI loved these books in elementary and middle school! Seeing the picture brought back great memories of how well I connected to and could relate to the girls through their diaries. It is written in such a way that the girls' thoughts become real to the reader. I would definitely recommend this series to older girls in my class!
ReplyDeleteI almost picked this book up! I had it in my hands and I almost took it home! So I was excited to get to read about it. It sounds like there are some inconsistencies in the character development though. Glad that it does provide details about the Titantic voyage itself. The hope and tragedy mixed in the events of the Titanic's first and last voyage give students a great example of how signicant events affect a wide variety of people.
ReplyDelete