Benoit, Peter. The Titanic.

Benoit, Peter.  The Titanic.  Scholastic/Childrens Press    2013 64p  $30.00  ISBN 978-0-531-23607-9      ms   series: Cornerstones of Freedom  E-BNS     

This title is part of a series that describes some of the most dramatic and defining moments in history.  It offers a look at the sinking of the great ship Titanic.  Beginning with a discussion of the race between the rival shipping companies Cunard and White Star to be the biggest at the turn of the twentieth century, the author goes into great detail about the actual construction of the Titanic, the work of the Irish shipbuilding company that designed and built her, the ship’s impact with the iceberg, and the appalling loss of life due to the lack of proper safety measures.  There is also a compelling description of the problems with the radio communications between vessels and the lack of communication between radio officers and the ship’s captain.

The book is written in a clear, concise manner and is enhanced by primary source information and black-and-white photographs and period illustrations.  There are interesting and informative tidbits found in sidebars in each chapter that present additional information on relevant topics.  The book is library-bound and ends with a list of influential individuals, a time line, a living history link to primary sources, a glossary, a bibliography of books and web sites, and an index.  This will be a excellent source for reports requiring more than just basic information.

This title is part of an ever-growing series that discusses dramatic and defining moments in history.  Primary source material, crisp photographs of people and events, and timelines provide the student researcher with an overview of the topic. Gr 4-8.   

Titanic                                                           --Susan Ogintz

Burlingame, Jeff The Titanic Trajedy.

Burlingame, Jeff  The Titanic Trajedy.    

 Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark  2012  111p  27.95 978-1-60870-450-7 

 ms/hs E-BNS        

     Causes and effects of the sinking of the Titanic are thoroughly discussed in this unbiased examination of one of the most famous ships of all time.      Jeff Burlingame’s nonfiction writing style is impeccable.  He is able to organize his extensive research into six chapters which explain, with fascinating detail, the evolution of the construction of this ship, the companies involved in a powerful competition for control of the high seas, the sinking after Titanic hit an iceberg of mammoth proportions and the short term and long term effects of this tragedy.  There are many firsthand accounts of the sinking as well as drawings of the ship and pictures of people boarding the ship.  There is also a ticket stub and a photograph of a near calamitous crash as Titanic left its first loading area in Southamption on its way to Cherbourg, France.  The sinking’s impact on the Gilded Age and on the world were monumental!  In Southampton, six hundred shippers’ families alone were ruined both emotionally and financially when their loved ones were killed, and many famous people such as John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim lost their lives as well.  The controversies are numerous, and the subsequent laws have attempted to rectify the human errors that caused the death of more than 1500 people.  Extra information about a variety of topics is ideally located, printed in black and surrounded by blue as if the ocean were pressing in.  The timeline, notes and index are thorough, and the design is appropriately serious.  Perspectives On(MC)     

     “Perspectives On” examines Pearl Harbor, Chernobyl, Columbine, Kristallnacht, women’s right to vote and the Montgomery bus boycott, to name a few.  The chapters explain the topic, provide causes and effects, and contain authentic, where possible, accounts of each pivotal moment in world history.      Titanic, causes & effects of devastating event  Martha Squaresky