Exploring the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard

Exploring the Titanic. by Robert D. Ballard. Scholastic, 1988. 64 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  Sometimes real life events provide some of the most dramatic stories.  This is the case with the ocean liner R.M.S. Titanic, which was the largest ship ever built, and its first voyage was also its last.  The book details the construction of the Titanic and includes amazing facts like, if the titanic had been stood upright it would have been taller that any building at the time (1912). There are incredibly detailed cutaway views of the ship in full color illustrations.  The dramatic account of the Titanic’s first voyage reads like a great fiction novel.  One eerie fact presented in the book was that in 1898, an American writer had written a book called The Wreck of the Titan, in which an “unsinkable” passenger ship sails from England to New york, strikes an iceberg and sinks and does not have enough lifeboats for all of the passengers. The story of the Titanic exactly! A great feature of the book is that it goes beyond the historical accounts and invites the reader to become informed about the modern locating and subsequent exploration of the wreckage of the Titanic. This aspect in itself is fascinating. Criss-crossing miles of ocean using scientific equipment to attempt to locate the wreckage 12,000 feet below the surface and then exploring the wreckage in a 3-man submarine. Absolutely phenomenal photographs and illustrations enhance this account of an incredible accomplishment. The credibility of the book is solidified with the fact that the author was one of the scientists who located the wreckage and explored it in the 3-man submarine. I give this book the highest recommendation for tween readers!

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 6.7 Interest level: Ages 8 to 13.

Natural Disasters by Claire Watts

Natural Disasters. by Claire Watts. DK Publishing, Inc., 2006. 72 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  Natural Disasters is part of an eyewitness books series. This book focuses on the Earths’s naturally occurring disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and tornadoes. I am a visual person and this book captured my attention immediately with full color photographs on every page. Earth gives humans sustenance, but it “can also generate catastrophic disasters that kill people, damage the environment, destroy property and disrupt normal life.”  Descriptions of the Earth’s molten core and tectonic plates provide a foundation for the understanding of the instability that can cause disasters. Imagine a 100 foot high wall of water moving at 600 miles per hour towards your home.  This is the power of a tsunami. Incredible photos of tsunami damage bring the event to life. One tsunami killed an estimated 100,000 people in just 15 minutes! Earthquakes are unpredictable and can cause death and destruction as wel,l as the Earth’s surface shakes and levels man made structures. When the Earth’s molten core breaks through its crust. the extreme power of a volcano is released. “Lava, ash rocks and superheated gases” unleash a terrifying assault on the surrounding land.  Not to be outdone, hurricanes are huge storms that can measure 500 miles wide, have winds over 135 miles per hour and cause devastation and death. The book also has information on floods, wildfires, droughts and infectious diseases.  This is another great non-fiction selection for tweens that can be informative and entertaining.  

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 8.6 Interest level: Ages 9 to 13.

You Wouldn't Want to be on the Hindenburg! by Ian Graham

You Wouldn't Want to be on the Hindenburg! : A Transatlantic Trip You'd Rather Skip. by Ian Graham. Franklin Watts, 2009. 32 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  This is one in a series of “You Wouldn’t Want to...” books. The LZ129 Hindenburg was the world’s largest airship.  It was a German built lighter than air craft that was filled with hydrogen and was as big as an ocean liner.  With the use of cartoon like illustrations the factual story of the Hindenburg is revealed through the eyes a mechanic who has been assigned as part of the crew.  Throughout the book, handy hints advise the mechanic like,”Make sure you are not afraid of heights!” and “Don’t light a match, hydrogen is extremely flammable!”  All of the parts of the giant luxury passenger air ship are detailed - the frame, the gas cells, the control car, passenger cabins, the engine car, lounge and the dining room. This book has the label disaster and that’s what transpires soon after the Hindenburg sets off on May 3, 1937 from Frankfurt, Germany for the United States.  After a spectacular flight across the Atlantic ocean the Hindenburg prepares to land on May 6 in Lakehurst, New Jersey.  As the airship gets close to the landing zone there is a bang and it bursts into flames! The hydrogen that filled the craft is on fire! The fire destroys the Hindenburg in only 32 seconds as onlookers on the ground are horrified. Amazingly 62 of the 97 passengers and crew survive the crash. To this day the cause of the disaster is unknown.  This book is filled with facts and is presented in an interesting and entertaining format. Reluctant readers will be especially drawn to this book.  This is a great read and I recommend it for tweens.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 5.5 Interest level: Ages 8 to 11.