Dear America: Voyage On The Great Titanic

Title: Dear America: Voyage On The Great Titanic
Author: Ellen Emerson White

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: Ten to Fourteen Aged Girls
Characters: Margaret Ann Brady, Mrs. Carstairs, Sister Catherine, William, Robert, Florence

Plot: Margaret Ann Brady is a fourteen year-old orphan. She was left by her brother William at an orphanage in London, while he went to make money in America. Margaret longs to go to America to be with her brother, but does not have enough money to get on a ship. Mrs. Carstairs is an American lady who was kind enough to pay Margaret's passage on the Titanic if Margaret agreed to be her maid on the ship. The two traveled together in first class along with Mrs. Carstair's dog, Florence. Mrs. Carstairs husband could not accompany them on the trip. Miss Brady became quite fond of her steward, Robert, while on the Titanic. The passengers spent their days eating, talking, and exploring the great ship. On the night of April 14, 1912, Miss Brady becomes aware of a slight jolt on the ship. Pretty soon, Robert comes to her door and asks her to put on a life jacket and report to the boat deck. Margaret starts to become frightened. Mrs. Carstairs also goes to the boat deck where she eventually boards a life boat with her dog. Margaret Brady waits to make sure that Robert will board a life boat with her. To her dismay, only women and children were allowed on the boats. Margaret and Robert share a kiss and say goodbye. Miss Brady gets on one of the last life boats. The Titanic survivors are rescued by the Carpathia. Once in America, Margaret stays with her brother William. She regrets leaving Robert to die on the ship everyday for the rest of her life. Her mind is filled with guilt for why she survived and so many others did not.

Relevance: The diary of this teenage girl is fictional. Most of the events are true in this book. Also, a lot of people whom she talks about were really on the ship. Margaret Ann Brady is a completely fictional character.

Precautions: The only warning that I would give about this book is the kissing scene. It is nothing bad, but be sure that you or your kid is mature enough to read that. Due to the nature of the diary, I would recommend this for girls. Boys would definitely not be interested.

Rating: This is a great book. I like it because it has a fictional character in a real historical event. This would be great for reinforcing the story of the Titanic, if you or your child has just learned about it.