To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, this volume inaugurates a new series that employs a question-and-answer format to convey essential information.
Here, the format works quite well, the questions being the ones that have so fascinated people ever since the tragedy occurred. Why did everyone think the Titanic was unsinkable? How could an iceberg appear out of nowhere? Did the telegraph operator ignore an important message? What happened to the stranded passengers? The answers are written in clear prose full of fascinating details: The ship was “the largest human-made moving object in the world”; “The propellers were as wide as houses”; “Using cheap rivets likely cost 1,500 lives.” Paintings, photographs, maps and a timeline complement the text to offer a fascinating account for young readers who love information. Besides the questions that head each section, there are questions within the answers: Who was at fault? Why was the ship traveling so fast in an ice field? “Why didn’t the lookouts have binoculars?” The format is irresistible, each answer just long enough to provide essential information. Unfortunately, there is no bibliography that could lead readers to other good books on the subject, but overall this will be a sure hit with young readers.
A promising start to a new series. (Nonfiction. 7-11)