On Board the Titanic: What It Was Like When the Great Liner Sank

by Shelley Tanaka, paintings by Ken Marschall (Illustrator)

The story of the Titanic told through the eyes of two young survivors. Full-color illustrations with detailed diagrams and rare photographs convey a wealth of information to complement this gripping true story.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Own, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ken Marschall's paintings of the Titanic.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story about some of the lives that braved the tragedy of the titanic sinking.

[Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intended for younger readers, On Board the Titanic attempts to provide a firsthand account of the Titanic’s fateful voyage. Told mainly through the perspectives of first class passenger Jack Thayer and wireless officer Harold Bride, the book details what daily life aboard Titanic was like and the experience of the sinking. Author Shelley Tanaka has a very affable writing style that flows naturally, making it quite engaging. And although it mostly focuses on the ship’s last day, it gives a fairly good overview of what it was like to be in the mist of this horrible tragedy. On Board the Titanic is a solid junior novel that captures the harrowing events of the Titanic sinking.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well written book about the sinking of the Titanic will give children a vivid account of the vastness and greatness of the ship, and how an iceberg still managed to sink her. Illustrated with many photographs and drawings, the narrative describes how the iceberg struck the ship, how she filled with water and then broke in two. The story is told through the voices of two young men, a passenger and a telegraph operator. Though filled details, it is not too graphic for young readers, and it gives a good overview of the disaster.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silver Birch award-winner. This book is written for a young adult audience, but with a really personal take on the story that everyone knows, it's gripping. In addition to the illustrations by Ken Marshall, there are also original photographs. It almost brought me to tears. A great read for a young person learning about the Titanic, what happened in the days and hours leading up to its sinking, and a bit of the aftermath.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book about the Titanic is pretty good, particularly the excellent use of photographs, paintings, and diagrams. The decision to take it from the point of view of two notable survivors (Jack Thayer and Harold Bride) is a good approach, but I felt it limited the narrative a bit. Still, this a good balanced introduction to the most famous of all maritime disasters.

[Mike Aragona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent example of a book geared towards both teaching children about significant moments in history, and in exciting their thirst for knowledge.

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sinking of the Titanic was one of the great non-military tragedies of the 20th Century. No less than three major motion pictures have been made dramatizing it.
This book tells the story of Titanic from the viewpoint of two young men. One was a passenger, the other worked in the telegraph room. Both experienced the loss of a friend or family member.
My seven year old granddaughter asked me to read this book to her. She is mature for her age and stayed with the story and asked questions. I also added tidbits of information while I read. The pictures and illustrations are quite stunning and their captions provide much of the factual information concerning the ship and the voyage in the book.
All that being said, I do not think this book is appropriate for young folks under twelve years of age. Death does not play a prominent role in the book but it dominates the event. That is not to say adults should avoid the subject of death with youngsters, but just as many parents monitor their children's television viewing, so we should do so for reading material. This book wisely avoids graphic descriptions of the chaos and sacrifice in Titanic's final hours but a child's imagination can be more horrific than the scariest screenplay.
For the young adult audience, this book is an effective learning tool.

Four stars

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second-grader rates this as the best book about the Titanic she's read. She liked that it followed one person through the whole event and included the outcomes of each person who was connected to the main character, Jack Thayer. As an adult reader, I would have liked a bit more clarity of what was fact and what was fictionalized. The story is true, but the writing includes some conversations with quotation marks; I'm curious whether those are imagined based on facts, or actual remembered conversations.

[Jaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not realize this was a children's book when I put it in my audiobook cart to check out. It moved quickly, but gave a decent amount of information about the events from the perspective of a first class passenger and a radio operator. The story shared enough information to describe the tragedy, but without being traumatic for younger readers. The author also provided more background information after the story was over. Even I learned a few new things from this book.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent story about the Titanic and what it was like being a passenger on the sinking ship. The story is told from the point of view of a young man who lived through the end of the Titanic and lost some of his family. This book tells the reader what this tragedy was like.

[Nikki Barner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I THINK THE BOOK IS GOING TO BE AMAZING



BY.MRS.A

[Bbhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for young first-timers learning about the Titanic.

[corey lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filed with history

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book. Great way for children to learn about the Titanic. The best part was the paintings done by Ken Marschall.

[Natalie Susa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing all that special but I liked that it was accurate and historical. the actual history part at the end was more interesting than the retelling story part.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember all the times I used to check this book out from my school's library when I was a kid, and never once did I actually READ the book. Finally, after all these years, I saw my brother had checked it out from his library and borrowed it from him to sit down and read it. I thought this book was quite interesting, and I'd like to know how much of it is true. It seems pretty factual to me, but then again, I never knew a whole lot about Bride and Phillips. I like the fact that it had all the informational pictures in the book for young kids who might be interested in learning about the Titanic. All in all I just really like the memories this book brings back for me, and I thought it was a nice book to read.

[Yvette Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my 6-year-old daughter. It was a gripping story for both of us, well-written, with both illustrations and actual photos of the Titanic and its survivors. I loved the book, but my only complaint is that it should have been labeled with the target age range. Although my 6-year-old loved it and said she wasn't scared, the story goes into detail about everything that happened, in a play-by-play fashion, and I would not recommend it for other kids her age. I think it's probably most appropriate for kids 10-13.

[Jordan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A children's book that mixes non-fiction with a story to tell the familiar tale of the Titanic. It is written from the point of view of a teenage boy who was actually aboard the Titanic.
I didn't like that the book failed to specify what exactly about the character himself was real, and what was fiction.
However, this is an interesting book with illustrations and photos.

[Mary-Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent account of the Titanic disaster from the perspective of a teenager and of one of the radio operators who survived. The book includes many fascinating photos and insets.

I was surprised not to find references at the back but rather suggestions for further reading.

[Chai T · Rating 4 out of 5]

i learned a lot

[Coney Cutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

IT was one of the largest, most luxurious steamship ever built......But.....

[LeeAnn G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative children's book about one of the most traumatic events of our history.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could be a compelling story but the story-telling voice seems contrived.

[10-11 Trip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it and i just thought it was the same of any other book or movie about the titanic.

[Dani S · Rating 5 out of 5]

April
On Board the Titanic
Shelley Tanaka

Do you know about the story of the titanic ? Well it all started when a boy named jack and his mom and dad were heading home on the Newley built titanic. Jack was super excited to be getting home. He went and explored the ship for a while. In the mean time a young man named Harold bride was making sure the titanic sent and received telegram messages. There had been a lot of telegrams warning of the many ice bergs. Harold informed the captain immediately. The captain decided to go farther south but at the same pace. Then disaster struck. The person at the front of the deck spotted an ice berg right in front of them,by the time the titanic tried to turn it was to late. It hit the ice berg. It took people a second to realize what had happened. When they did they put life jackets on including jack and his parents. Harold was trying to send SOS signals to come and save the people. women and children were put on the escape boats first. Pretty soon there were no more boats. By this time jack had lost his parents but he knew what he had to do. A second later he jumped into the frigid water. He managed as well as other men to get on top of a upside down boat. they waited to early morning to find that the ship was coming to save them. Jack didn't realize until he got on the safe ship that he had not seen his mom or dad. Then finally his mom came of the last boat,but his father did not survive. Many died that day while others tried to recover. That's the story of the titanic.

The theme of this book was to fend for your life. Although for apart of the trip it was very luxurious, when the boat hit the ice berg it was everyman for himself. It was very chaotic people fought to get on life boats while others tried to get in front of the line. It was about the same when they hit the water nobody was helping each other to get on to something that could float. That's why i think the theme of this book is to fend for your self.