This book surprised me in ways I certainly was not expecting and has become the best book I have read thus far this spring.  Stacey Lee does a magnificent job of bringing characters who have been lost to history alive and ingraining them into your heart and mind.  If you are a fan of historical fiction, I would highly recommend adding Luck of the Titanic to your must-read list.

I had little knowledge of Chinese survivors of the Titanic disaster.  In fact, I had none.  I knew the steerage passengers came from many locations and ethnicities, but I have read/heard little about survivor stories from that group.  Most stories focus on the first-class passengers who had well-known names and faces.  To hear, not only of six Chinese survivors, but that their stories have largely gone untold made me sad.  I am sure they had epic tales to tell, as did all the passengers.  Lee did a masterful job of bringing these stories to light in a fictional way.  I instantly fell in love with Olly and Wink, two scampy young boys who are learning the steamer trade from their seniors.  Valora instantly imprinted on me as this spunky, do anything, tackle-any-hurdle girl who was going to conquer the world.

The novel clips along at a good pace.  It is easy reading and the language is straightforward.  Even though you know what is going to happen (because we know the Titanic sinks), Lee keeps the story very engaging and makes you want to continue turning pages.  A ton of time isn’t spent on describing the setting of the Titanic, but the story isn’t the worse for it.  Most should be able to imagine from other sources and previous knowledge any gaps that are felt.  I felt the story stayed true to the historical context and actual events but spun in just the right amount of fiction to keep the story afloat.

Overall, this is a stunning read that will open your eyes to a whole new Titanic population you may never have considered before.  Appropriate for readers of most ages, it provides a glimpse into a well-known historical event in a fictional way that will leave you breathless until the end.

Review of a Digital Advanced Reading Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  4 religious exclamations; 12 mild obscenities; 3 derogatory names; 1 scatological word; 1 anatomical term; 1 hand gesture.

Violence/Gore:  Report of father dying from drunken head injury; recall of pot being thrown at head; various items thrown at Chinese from pinecones to peanuts; man is pushed; recall of a stabbing with little/no detail; woman stabs man in chest during attempted assault; various minor injuries (bumps, scrapes, bruises, dislocated shoulder); boy knocked unconscious and almost drowns; multi-page scenes of Titanic sinking with drownings and deaths with no graphic detail.

Sex /Nudity:  1 hand-hold, 3 kisses, 2 hugs, man with shirt off.

Mature Subject Matter:

Socioeconomic and racial conflict, death, racism, classism, gambling, homelessness, ethics.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults smoke and drink; alcoholic father.