Iceberg

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The thrilling story of a young girl who stows away onboard the Titanic and as she explores, attempting to find answers to her many questions about the ship, suddenly finds herself caught up in the desperate struggle to survive after it strikes an iceberg.

Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.

But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic's maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that mother didn’t send her with enough money for a ticket, she decides she must stow away onboard the storied ship.

With the help of a porter named Charlie and a sweet first-class passenger named Sylvia, Hazel explores the opulent ship in secret, but a haunting mystery quickly finds her. The danger only intensifies when calamity strikes, and readers will be caught up in the terror and suspense alongside Hazel as she fights to save her friends and herself.

Bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen weaves an extraordinary tapestry of survival and disaster in this magnificent thriller.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Fiction, Young Adult, Audiobook, Adventure

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 7, 2023

About the author

Jennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a naughty puppy. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. She is a former speech teacher, theater director, and enjoyed a brief but disastrous career as a door-to-door pollster. In her spare time, Jennifer tends to panic, wondering what she has forgotten to do that has allowed her any spare time.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A middle grade adventure/mystery aboard the doomed Titanic. We know Titanic didn't have enough life boats, but did you know it actually had more than what was required at the time? I didn't! This story blends in lots of historical details about the workings of the ship, as well as what the voyage was like for the crew and passengers, leading up to the sinking. Sad but hopeful ending.

[exploraDora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story so much! Had me crying a bunch of times. Rtc.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t figure out why books about the Titanic have always intrigued me. There’s just something about that story that’s always worth reading about; the backstories of the passengers, and their reasons for being on the ship are fascinating.
“Iceberg” was no exception; I really got into it (even though yes, I already knew the ship sank!) Besides the usual details of the Titanic, and its tragic end, the mystery sub-plot really made this a page-turner.
If this book had been around when I was in middle-school, I would have read and re-read it. It also would have made me want to know more about Titanic, so I would have sought out non-fiction books, also. I hope teachers of middle-grade readers will have this one in their classrooms for that very reason.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars ✨

Middle Grade Historical Fiction

“Grief is like the flu,” she said. “It brushes by some, barely leaving its mark. For others, it will take hold, perhaps for a very long time before a person finds healing.”

Jennifer Nielsen’s writing always leaves me with something to think about. This was a fantastic spin on the Titanic story. The main character was so smart and likable, along with the side characters. It was an exciting emotional story, written for younger audiences, but adults will enjoy it as well. It also had a bit of mystery mixed in. I learned a lot reading it, as I usually do with this authors books. If you like learning about history and the Titanic, you should definitely check this one out. Highly recommend!

[Taury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a gripping historical novel set against the backdrop of the Titanic's ill-fated voyage. Nielsen's vivid storytelling and characters bring history to life, making it a captivating read. I loved the precocious Hazel. The mixture of suspense and historical detail kept me reading from start to finish. An engaging book that both educates and entertains the reader.

[a v a]

yayyyy. nielsen posted on her blog a few days ago giving updates on her book/life lol...and that just got me soooo hyped for this to come out. literally the reason i love historical fiction is because of her. if you follow my reviews...you should know this by now 😜.

anyways....

WHO ELSE IS EXCITED AND TOTALLY HYPED?!?!?!

because i know i'm not the only one. goodreads better speak up rn.

another reason i'm so excited for this is because i actually don't know a lot about the titanic. tbh...i've never seen the movie and only read maybe one or two books about it. and that was a whileeee ago.

SO MORE HISTORY FACTS!! yay.

not me nerding out i promise i'm actually not a nerd.

so yeah...can't wait to read this, baby!

okay, bye.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good read, on a sad situation.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel so torn about this book. On one hand, it only took me hours to read, and yet, on the other, I found myself not enjoying it. There was so much suspension of belief - the main character wants to be a journalist, and is always asking questions. Oddly enough, every question she asks is wildly specific to the sinking of the Titanic (and while this is established as partially a fear because her father died in a boat-sinking, it teetered to much to the completely unbelievable and as a way to introduce the 'how did the Titanic sink' into the narrative before the actual boat sinking). Through this, I learned about double hulls, all the different kinds of icebergs, and even refraction (with a random, actual photo of what refraction does) (or even learning literal Morse Code) - neat information but also, like I said, stuff that felt out of place in the narrative. Also, the Titanic doesn't hit the iceberg until there's only about 90 pages left of the book (from a book that's 340+ pages), and mimics a lot of Titanic-lore (characters are on the deck to watch the collision with the iceberg -- something that it seems like is in every single Titanic story -- I'd love to see an alternate universe where every single fictional character that's ever watched the iceberg strike would be on the deck together) (rushing up and down the various levels as the boat is sinking for different reasons).

Charlie, the porter boy who literally bears the brunt of all of Hazel's bad choices, continues to help her despite admitting his family will starve to death if he loses his job (which he loses twice? And then gets his job back? Repeatedly?). It just felt really out of place.

The lonely first-class girl, Sylvia, immediately wants to be best friends with Hazel, even though she somehow doesn't notice at first that Hazel is wretchedly poor.

Mrs. Abelson is Jewish, so of course she nobley gives her life for others (which is in itself admirable, but she's also among the only characters from the main cast to die, besides the selfish gambler character, so it felt more of a 'people love dead Jews' trope when so many others were narratively allowed to live), referencing tikkun olam, the Jewish proclamation to 'repair the world' while also giving all her money in a last-minute will to Hazel.

There were a few things that felt a bit misleading for a book on such a tragedy - that all the characters save two manage to be among the survivors. Much of the plot of the book was about trying to figure out what two suspicious adults were up to, and I just feel like there was a billion other stories that could have been told about this boat.

All in all, I don't think it was particularly great, but kids will learn a lot about the Titanic, boats sinking, and the physics of light refraction through water -- and who knows. As a kid's first exposure to the Titanic, it might be really exciting and cool.

[Hannah]

Oof. I really expected a lot better from Nielsen. This book is a mess, from the easiest things to get right (how can you get the number of passengers on the ship wrong? I don't even need to look it up to know--it's as well known as the name of Columbus' ships) to the cartoonish villains. Maybe I'm just too much of a Millennial and I'm seeing things that aren't there, but too often I felt like I was getting movie quote references--it's like the main research source was James Cameron. Nielsen so often knocks it out of the park with historical thrillers, and this was not thrilling. It also kept harping on "women and children first" in this really aggressive way as if to retcon that idea as standard maritime procedure, when it was actually considered really weird for Smith to order the evacuation that way (contrary to what disaster movies and books will have you think, men typically save themselves in emergencies and do not stop to help others--in most maritime disasters, crew survive and passengers die because it's every man for himself lolsob). Everyone felt like a caricature that you'd find in a really lazy historical fiction novel, which makes no sense because Nielsen is a highly talented writer! Bumbling con man who speaks openly about his plans? Check. Noble poor boy willing to die to save rich people? Check. Snooty formerly poor person trying to hide their humble backgrounds whose heart eventually melts? Check. Filthy rich girl who is weirdly understanding and kind to dirt poor people? Check. This is like a bad parody of her own stuff.

[Elijah! · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say, Jennifer Nielsen is one of my favorite authors! Great book.

[Virginia Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not What I'd Hoped

More by Nielsen: The False Prince

It's been a week since I finished reading and I've struggled so much with putting this review together. I had such high hopes for this book but it fell flat for me. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something wasn't right. It wasn't till I made it to the halfway mark that I realized what was wrong.

The characters. Hazel mostly, but I didn't much care for any of them. Except for Mrs. Abelman. I did like her. But Hazel was such a dislikable, impulsive flip-flopper. And so stinking emotional! Anytime something went wrong she was ready to dump her plans of being a journalist. Someone was constantly having to encourage her. Charlie was alright but he sure was bulldozed by Hazel easily. He gave into every whim of hers even when he knew he shouldn't. The antagonists, the Mollisons, were amateur villains. They were more empty threats and harmless tattling to the crew than anything. For me, the characters need to make the story but this cast really dampened my enjoyment.

The cover was amazing, the plot had so much potential and there were great moments of prose. It just wasn't working for me. I thought the story was too busy. On top of the Titanic disaster, there was so much going on and the further I went, the faster the pace and it was difficult to keep up.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars. I really wished it had worked out better. I will continue to read more by Neilsen. I adored The False Prince and I know that I'll enjoy some of her other works.

[Charis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. I’ve had my eye on it since it released. Nielsen is an extremely talented writer. First, I was hooked on her Ascendance Series, then I read A Night Divided and was astounded with her historical fiction as well. And as many of us did, I sure had my Titanic phase I never quite grew out of. But this was an unfortunate disappointment.

It was so on the nose. The entire time. And so convenient. Our main character talked about nothing but the ship and its ability to sink and how she just knew it was going to hit an iceberg after she did a TON of iceberg research. The whole time, I was thinking, no WAY is a 12-year-old this dedicated, nor do I think she would really think about this as a huge danger. Even if she is a journalist wannabe. I couldn’t stand page after page of her sinking feelings and iceberg studies and ship research.

And the characters were just caricatures. You have the cartoony villains who aren’t really threatening at all, the rich girl who immediately sees poor girl mc and basically says, “You’re gonna be my best friend now,” the poor boy with a sacrificial heart of gold, and the list goes on.

I especially have to talk about boy in question. He sacrificed himself again and again for mc Hazel, who makes reckless decisions all the time. Why would he like her? His job (and his family’s well-being) is constantly at risk. It made no sense to me. And as the book trekked on, his reactions and actions felt very flat and unrealistic.

Overall, I’m sorry I found this book so disappointing. It will certainly not keep me from reading Nielsen’s other books, but this is a sad miss for me.

[Allyson Jamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've cried over a book like this. 😭 This book... It was perfect.

At the beginning of the book I thought it very interesting, but lacking any real depth. But I kept reading of course because I wanted to see what happened. Then the more I read, the better it got!

The characters were so sweet! Well, not all of them. 😂 There were a couple people that infuriated me. Though at the end... Let's just say it ended so good.

There turned out to be many hidden depths to this story that I didn't first expect. All of it was so good!! I loved Hazel's fiery spirit and her avid curiousity. She was inspiring.

In all, this was an amazing story and one I hope to be returning to! I'd highly recommend it!

[Susy C. *MotherLambReads* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really good book by our favorite author. She does such a good job of putting in so much history. The kids were attentive the whole time.

This would make a great read a long for a history book during this time. So many stories and real facts. At the end the author goes over what really happend vs what was the fictional element of the book.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this a higher rating…if there was more to the ending. It was a little too abrupt. I wish there was more of what happened to Hazel, Sylvia, and Charlie afterwards. Besides that I enjoyed seeing more of the Titanic in Hazel’s point of view.

[alisonwonderland (Alison) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set on the historical Titanic, the middle grade novel Iceberg features a delightfully feisty and curious female protagonist with a mystery to solve and a crisis to face. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Summer Reading 2023 8/33

[BooksNCrannies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told through the eyes of a young stowaway aboard the ill-fated Titanic, 'Iceberg' presents the tragic account of the ship in a well-balanced and interesting narrative. While I found the plot to be a bit uneventful and some what lacking in development at the beginning of the book, the suspense soon moves in allowing for more action and involvement for the reader. The characters are diverse in their qualities which helps to add flavor to the storyline. The protagonist, Hazel Rothbury, can seem a bit repetitious in her careless actions, however, which seem to make her more immature than the plot tries to have her appear. Although the writing could have been a bit better in its descriptions and overall flow, I am pleased with the clean delivery of this novel. I did enjoy this story and learned a lot more than I expected about the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. I can fully recommend this thrilling story to readers of all ages.

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BOOK BREAKDOWN
Fundamentals:
-Plot: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐✨
-Writing: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐
-Characters: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐✨
Content:
-Language: 0/5
-Violence: 0/5
-S*xual: 0/5

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oooof. The character development was shallow and the plot was way to convenient. I didn't believe a single thing that was happening and I was bored. I love the Titanic and reading stories about it and this one fell realllllly flat.

[Janey · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was awesome, I am still crying 😭. I bawled my face off the whole end part off the book. I wish I could give it a thousand stars because five does not do it justice. I highly recommend this book. It's funny sad and epic all at the same time.

[Annabelle Batie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING BOOK! One of the best historical fiction books I've read in a long time. I loved the themes in it. A few of the characters felt a little dry, but overall it was great.

[Daphne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this book. On one hand, this was a fun, fast-paced middle grade book, which is exactly what I was looking for. On the other hand, there was so much false information in here--bordering on conspiracy theory. This wouldn't have bothered me if this was just inspired by the Titanic, but this is supposed to be a somewhat factual account of what happened on a real ship. It's really not the place to make stuff up, especially since kids will be reading this and will likely believe that what they're reading is true. I'm not exactly a history purist when it comes to historical fiction, but it felt especially disrespectful and gross since it made real-life people look incompetent or negligent when there either isn't evidence or without the proper historical context.

Things were definitely convenient for the main character to an unrealistic degree, but that tends not to bother me in middle grade books. What annoyed me more was how flat and unrealistic the characters and villains were. Given how clever some of the author's other books are, I was expecting more. I mean, the main character here literally only figures out the villains' plan because they talk about it openly (in public no less!) and literally write down their evil plan on a piece of paper! I can forgive a lot in middle grade, but that was a bit too much stupidity for me.

Still, I did like the writing and was entertained. I've been having a hard time finding audiobooks that can keep my attention (I still don't have glasses) and this one did the trick! The author's writing made up for the otherwise meh story, but the book had so many issues I can't give it more than 3 stars. And honestly, given the (lack of) historical context and accuracy (how the wireless operator was described was particularly egregious imo), I think I'll give this 2 stars.

I'll still check out her other books when I'm in the mood for middle grade though.

[Rachel Dando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer A. Nielsen never let me down, and still has yet to. This book is a beautiful book filled with incredible descriptions and beautiful characters. It's amazing to me how Hazel, Charlie, and Sylvia all come from different places but are still always friends, despite their differences. There were two huge key things I saw Jennifer A. Nielsen kept coming back to throughout the book:

~No matter what our 'Icebergs' may be, our friends and family are the 'lifeboats'~ There were multiple times throughout the book where Hazel doubted herself, and that, in my opinion, was her main 'Iceberg'. Every time though, someone would come and encourage her, to keep asking questions and to hold her ground.

~“There are times in life when we each must live for something greater than ourselves.”~ This is an actual saying in the book, but it's completely true. Many amazing, honest, loving people died on the Titanic just because they knew that there were people on board who needed a seat on a lifeboat more than they did. Ultimately, sacrifice is a huge part of the book, even when (spoil alert) the Titanic began to sink, many people went back in search of other people who may have been trapped instead of trying to grab a lifeboat. And this didn't just happen in the book.

Overall, it's a book worth reading that inspires us to make sacrifices even when our 'Icebergs' are sinking our ship. And to never stop asking questions :)

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book recommended to me by my 12 year old daughter.

[Haley Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Jennifer Nielsen's historical fiction. Iceberg wasn't as good as the others, but it was still a good read.

Content:
The Titanic sinks, so some intensity. Besides that, I don't remember anything.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Hazel's family in England has fallen on hard times. Her father, a farmer, has died, and her mother is trying desperately to keep the family together, When an aunt who has moved to New York offers to take Hazel in and get her a job in a garment factory, Hazel knows it is her only hope of helping to support her family. She walks for four days to Southampton, but is a pound short for a ticket. She decides to stow away on the boat, and is caught only by the young porter she has befriended, Charlie. Even though he doesn't agree with her "stealing" a ticket, he manages to find an unused room to put her in, as long as she will pay for the ticket when she makes enough money in America. Hazel also finds support from former governness Mrs. Abelman, who loans her a notebook, as well as the wealthy Sylvia Thorngood, who wants to hang out with her despite the objections of her governess. There are sevearl suspicious things going on, like a fire in the coal bins, and the Mollisons, who see to be up to know good. Hazel, using a pen she borrowed from someone and didn't give back, is taking notes about the Titanic, hoping to sell her story. Sylvia praises her, and hopes that she can be one of the first female journalists in the world. Hazel talks to an engineering student and even the captain about how the boat is constructed, and has some thoughts about the gates between third class and the rest of the boat. She takes advantage of Syliva's loan of a better dress to prowl around the upper class decks, gathering information. The Mollisons, however, are wary of her and steal her notebook, fearing she will scuttle their plans. Of course, as well all know, there is only one way the story of the Titanic ends. Who will survive? Who will perish? There is a short section on fact versus fiction in the story at the end of the book.
Strengths: Even after 110 years, the survival story of the Titanic is appealing to readers, and I occasionally have a student who is just obsessed with the topic, so I have a fair number of books in the library about this fateful voyage. Hazel is a solid character who has ambitious hopes and dreams, and is defying the odds to make a new life in the US. The supporting characters represent a wide range of personlities and social classes, which is interesting. This had more information about how the ship was constructed than any fictional account I have read, and this will make it very appealing to those who have already read a bit about the event.
Weaknesses: There were a couple of things that seemed historically suspect. Would Hazel have borrowed a pen and not returned it? Weren't there a decent number of female reporters in the 1800s? Nielsen's work is usually so well researched, and this felt a bit rushed. Will my students have these complaints? Absolutely not.
What I really think: There are a fair number of decent Titanic books, but a lot of mine are older. Korman's 2011 trilogy, Tarshis' 2010 I Survived, Weyn's 2009 Distant Waves, White's 1998 Voyage on the Great Titanic, Bunting's 1996 SOS Titanic, and Williams' Titanic Crossing are a small sampling of ones I have in my library, and they are looking rough. Nielsen's work is popular, and the topic still interests students, so I will purchase this one, even though there were some things about it that didn't strike me quite right.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a little disappointed by this book because Jennifer Nielsen is one of my favorite (childhood) authors. I love her series, The Ascendance Trilogy/Series and enjoyed The Mark of the Thief years ago also. So I was looking forward to this new book she recently wrote. However, it read differently than her previous works and felt more bleh and generally for a younger audience. I like reading about the Titanic so that's why I was looking forward to this one - favorite author combined with a favorite historical tragedy to read about.

I did not like how quickly and often too many of the main characters were predicting everything that would go wrong with the book. It felt forced and cheesy and made Hazel feel less realistic - though I do know she wanted to be a journalist and thus asked many questions about what might go wrong.

Don't know if this was meant to be or not, but also one scene where Hazel was down below with Charlie as the ship was flooding and Mr. Mollison was somewhere and angry with her, it sounded SO MUCH like the scene in Titanic where Lovejoy chases after Jack and Rose and Cal is practically hunting them too.

Anyway, I was a bit disappointed but if you're a younger person or know a younger person who enjoys reading about the Titanic, give this a try! I think I'm just getting old 😅

[Liz Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big Jennifer Nielsen’s fan, but this one was a disappointment for me, although I did finish it. I was really only captivated by the last quarter of the book (the part that felt very James Cameron inspired) and I admit I did get a little misty eyed as the ship sank. Prior to that, however, I found the beginning of the story repetitive and Hazel to be a very irritating character, not just a flawed character but an irritating one. I also felt there was too much emphasis on icebergs and all the things that could go wrong with the ship-we already know that it sank, and the foreshadowing seemed very heavy handed. All this being said, I have no doubt that middle grade readers will enjoy this book.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jennifer A. Nielsen. She writes the best historical fiction for kids without making it feel too juvenile. This book is the only exception I have found to that. The first 1/2 of this one felt kind of silly and unrealistic. However, once the tragedy actually occurred, it got really good and I found myself feeling really emotional about the whole thing. It was informational & fascinating & had me watching clips of the movie Titanic after finishing it. I also need to remember that I am not the Target audience. This was written to teach young readers and would be a great resource to teach kids about the sinking of the Titanic. It's so hard when you read a book like this where you know the ending, but you can't help wishing and hoping it would just have a different ending.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The trouble with reading a book about the Titanic is that we all know how it ends, unless it’s an alternate history type story, which I’d be interested in. The story is pretty basic about a twelve year old girl who stows away on the ill fated ship, making friends among the crew and passengers. There’s a bit of mystery as well. Loved the memorabilia interspersed in the chapters. Titanic fans will be pleased.

[Grace Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! Again this author has shocked me with her amazing writing! This book was so amazing! I loved everything about it and I felt like there was always action which is the best! The only thing is that I wish Hazel and Charlie would have been together ( boyfriend and girlfriend ) after the sinking. Otherwise I loved this book and loved the survival part of the sinking! Thank you for such an amazing book Jennifer Nielsen!