Escaping Titanic: A Young Girl's True Story of Survival by Marybeth Lorbiecki with illustrations by Kory S. Heinzen

Ruth is traveling to America on the grand ship Titanic. Her father is back in India, where they had been living, so it's just Ruth, her mother, and her two siblings. The Titanic is a beautiful ship that's more like a city on the sea, but after spending so much time on the water, Ruth just wants a place to call her home. Still, it is exciting to be on such a beautiful ship. Then one night Ruth and her family woke to silence from the engines and noises in the hallway. There's been an accident. The crew tries to calm them by saying that the Titanic is unsinkable, but is that really the case?

As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster, look for a lot of books about the Titanic coming out in 2012. Escaping Titanic is a book that gives children a glimpse into the horror of the event without being too dark. The main character of Ruth gives kids a way to put themselves in the middle of the action in a believable way. The illustrations are nicely balanced with the text and as the sinking of the ship occurs, the words retreat and the Titanic takes over the book. There are so many shades of blue used in the pictures; it's beautiful in a haunting kind of way. A short timeline and a note about the real Ruth round out the content at the end of the book.

Check out Marybeth Lorbiecki's website.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Capstone.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Titanic by Gordon Korman
Titanic: Shipwrecks and Sunken Treasure by John Malam
Iceberg Right Ahead! by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson