Finding the Titanic

Ballard, Robert D. Finding the Titanic. Illustrated by Ken Marschall, with color photographs. Scholastic Inc., 1993. 48 pages. $3.99. ISBN 0590472305.

Summary:

Somehow the nonfiction books on the Titanic never stay on the library shelves for long. In this Scholastic Level 4 Reader, the chapters are brief and engaging. Ballard begins by hooking the reader with his own dream to discover the Titanic; in the next chapter, we are introduced to Ruth Becker, a Titanic survivor, who was twelve years old when she boarded the fateful ship with her family. After we encounter the ship through Ruth’s eyes and learn of her escape and rescue, the action returns to the era of the discovery, in the mid-1980s. This is an effective technique to engage the reader’s interest with suspense. The text is enhanced by photographs of the Titanic and Ruth Becker, photographs of the wreckage (as seen by the underwater robots), and Marschall’s interpretative paintings.

Curriculum Connections:

This historical event has such a curious hold on readers and usually they seek these books out on their own, then recommend them to friends. This book is written at an accessible level, in an “advanced” early reader format, making it a natural choice for identifying and defining a secondary source through Ruth Becker’s story. With an accompanying, primary source account of a Titanic survivor (perhaps from Becker, if available), this could be an introductory lesson on types of information sources.

Personal Reflections:

Though shipwrecks are not a subject I enjoy contemplating, a student recommended this book to me so I knew I had to read it. I liked the form of the story---full of action and suspense---and I can see why this particular second grader liked it so much. However, the parting thought was unsettling. Ballard relates that another party returned to the Titanic, after Ballard’s mission, and removed many items from the sea floor. The final paragraph reads: “I was very sad when I heard this. The Titanic should be left in peace as a monument to those who lost their lives on that cold, starry night so long ago.” This personal opinion seemed out of place in a work of nonfiction.

Awards:

Age/Interest Range:

7-10

Genre/Themes:

Nonfiction, History, Social Studies, Shipwrecks

Read-Alikes:

Will Osborne’s Titanic: A Nonfiction Companion to Tonight on the Titanic is written at a similar (slightly higher) level and will appeal to readers who are hooked on this fascinating historical tragedy.