Stowaways

Gr 4–6—Middle schoolers Tucker Paulson and Maya Cho are in for quite a surprise when they simultaneously grab a ticket from a special collection at a history museum and find themselves transported back in time to the actual embarkation of the Titanic voyage at Queenstown, Ireland. They try desperately to warn others boarding the ship that the journey is doomed but no one will heed them. They meet a young passenger, Liam, but even he can't be convinced to avoid the launch. In book two, the eighth graders are transported directly onto the Titanic. After unsuccessfully attempting to convince Liam and his family not to board the ship, the two friends are anxious to continue their efforts to save him. They determine their method of time travel by the artifact. They choose a teacup and are transported to the dining room of the Titanic, on the actual date that the vessel sank. They don't have much time! Unfortunately, the teacup accidentally breaks, sending them back to their own time without saving the passengers. Excellent-quality illustrations appear throughout and capture many of the period details. These two easy-to-read books will appeal to reluctant reads and are a fun way to tie into a unit on the Titanic.—Julie Shatterly, W.A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC