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I Am Canada

Deadly Voyage: RMS Titanic, Jamie Laidlaw, April 14, 1912

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Fourteen-year-old Jamie Laidlaw is returning to Canada from England aboard the Titanic. In his four days on board, he busies himself with new friends, finding ways to explore the ship’s forbidden areas, and generally landing himself in trouble.
When disaster strikes and the horrifying scramble for survival ensues, Jamie is on the front lines — struggling to help free the lifeboats and get people on board them. When a huge wave washes over the ship’s sloping deck, it’s time for Jamie to take action — and take his fate into his own hands. With hundreds of others, he dives into the sea, hoping he will find a way to survive.
Since its launch in Fall 2010, the I Am Canada series has been praised for its accurate and energetic exploration of fascinating moments in Canadian history, through the eyes of young men who lived through them. In Deadly Voyage, awardwinning
author and noted Titanic historian Hugh Brewster draws from his vast knowledge of that fateful journey to create an enthralling tale of historical fiction — the ultimate adventure, whose terrifying end we know all too well.

195 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

4 people are currently reading
206 people want to read

About the author

Hugh Brewster

24 books32 followers
Being able to create books about history is a dream job for me since I’ve always been enthralled by history. When I was growing up in Georgetown, Ontario, our house was just around the corner from the town library. And I haunted its children’s section—reading sometimes four or five books a week. Historical fiction titles by writers like Geoffrey Trease and Rosemary Sutcliffe were particular favourites. I still treasure a copy of Ernest Thompson Seton’s Two Little Savages that I was given as a prize in a library reading contest in 1960.

Since ours was the only house in the neighbourhoood without a TV antenna on the roof, reading was my primary form of entertainment. My parents thought their four children would read more without a television to distract us. And they were right, we did — though we also showed up at our friends’ houses whenever our favourite shows were on!

Our family had moved to Georgetown from a small town in Scotland in 1956, when I was six years old. When I was thirteen we moved to Guelph, Ontario, and I went to high school and university there. My first real job after graduating with an English degree in 1971 was with Scholastic – then a fairly new publishing company in Canada. As an editor for Scholastic Inc. from 1972 to 1984 in both Toronto and New York, I was involved in the creation of Scholastic’s Canadian children’s publishing program as well as in the selecting of books for Scholastic’s school book clubs. (One of our early discoveries was the teenaged author Gordon Korman and his Bruno and Boots books.)

Between 1984 and 2004 I was the Editorial Director and Publisher of Madison Press Books in Toronto. While there, I helped to create a number of successful books for both adults and young readers including Robert Ballard’s The Discovery the Titanic, that has sold over 1.5 million copies, and TITANIC: An Illustrated History a book that provided inspiration for James Cameron’s epic movie. Among the award-winning children’s books that I edited and compiled are: Polar the Titanic Bear, On Board the Titanic, First to Fly, and Journey to Ellis Island.

The first children’s book that I actually both wrote and compiled was Anastasia’s Album: The Last Tsar’s Youngest Daughter Tells Her Own Story, which was published in 1996 and won a number of awards. In 1997 I wrote the text for Inside the Titanic, which featured amazing cutaway illustrations by Ken Marschall. The next year, with Laurie Coulter, I compiled a book filled with fascinating facts about the Titanic entitled 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic. Laurie and I went on to write To Be A Princess in 2001 which was a Silver Birch and Red Cedar nominee. In 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day, I wrote On Juno Beach which won the Children’s Literature of Canada Information Book Award in 2005. The success of that book encouraged me to write At Vimy Ridge which appeared in 2007 and won the Norma Fleck Award in 2008.

In 2005, I decided to devote myself to writing full-time and have produced seven books since then: The Other Mozart: The Life of the Famous Chevalier de Saint George published Fall 2006; Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose: The Story of a Painting and Breakout Dinosaurs. DIEPPE: Canada’s Darkest Day of World War II was released in 2009 and was followed by the novel Prisoner of Dieppe in Scholastic’s new I Am Canada series. A second novel, Deadly Voyage appeared in Fall ’11 and for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic, I produced a large adult book entitled Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage in Spring 2012.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
1 review1 follower
December 2, 2011
“The last survivor.” “That’s what the man on the phone said.” This is an amazing quote from the book I Am Canada: Deadly Voyage; the reason I chose this quote it just got me it was creative, spontaneous, and cool. The awesome author that wrote this book is Hugh Brewster. The book starts in London, England; then they head over to the Titanic.
Some of the characters are Jamie Laidlaw, Jonnie, Mom, and Dad. My favourite character is Jamie; he is curious, but careful of what or where he is exploring or checking. You will love this book if you are interested in the Titanic and wonder what it looks like. It’s a calm book with action in the end. To me it was good, not great. It could have a little more action. It was descriptive. My favourite part is when they entered the Titanic. It reminded of when I first went to West Edmonton Mall because it was amazing, same with the Titanic. I recommend this book for people that like calm books with action in the end. I also recommend this book for people that like calm books and action books.
This was a good book. I give it 4 out of 5 because it was a little boring and too descriptive.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
584 reviews148 followers
September 18, 2011
After spending two years living in England, fourteen-year-old Jamie Laidlaw and his parents are returning home to Canada as first class passengers on board the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Jamie is happy to be returning home, since he hated his school in England. And he's excited to be travelling on the grandest ship in the world. Jamie makes new friends and has adventures exploring the ship, but he also gets himself in trouble with his parents after being found in a restricted area of the ship.

When the Titanic hits an iceberg, Jamie and his family don't believe at first that the ship could possibly be in danger. After all, the Titanic was specially designed with watertight compartments so it wouldn't sink. But soon it becomes clear that the ship is doomed, and Jamie must fight to survive in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

I love reading historical fiction about the Titanic, so I really enjoyed Deadly Vouage. This book is written in the form of a memoir recorded by Jamie many years later, so we know from the start that he will survive. Jamie and his family are fictional, but most of the other characters are real people that were on the Titanic. I recommend this book to readers who enjoyed other books from the I Am Canada series or who love books about the Titanic, and with the 100th anniversary of the sinking coming up in few months, there is sure to be a lot of interest in the subject.
Profile Image for writer....
1,367 reviews86 followers
July 1, 2020
Fascinating account of the RMS Titanic's sailing from a young Canadian passenger's perspective. Leaving his British schooling for his family's return to Canada, readers are treated to a full travel experience. From English school to docking and the fanfare of setting sail, on to Ireland for passenger embarkation the following day, and a young boy's excitement at ship exploration en route.
Trauma of the icebergs and terror of having to leave the ship without his father, all is realistically captured and conveyed. Very glad to have discovered this book and it's information.
Pictures , clippings, death lists engage the reader in the reality of this tragedy.
Profile Image for Nikki in Niagara.
4,391 reviews175 followers
January 2, 2012
Reason for Reading: I love this series and I am a huge Titanic buff.

The book begins with a prologue; it is now 1987 and Jamie has been informed that he is the last Canadian survivor alive of the Titanic disaster. He's been asked to come to various engagements but at his age and health he is not able to travel much and instead he is encouraged to write down his memories of the sinking. Feeling the time is now right to delve into the past that he has not talked about much he sets down his story on paper. Hence the book.

Not quite in the same format as the first "I Am Canada" book or the "Dear Canada" books. Brewster's version is written in chapters though each chapter is marked with a date and time as if in a journal style, though we know these are an old man's memories, they read as if the boy himself is talking in the present tense. A very vivid and exciting story of the Titanic which starts off with the boarding of the ship, some brief background of the ship from what the passengers know and a good section is spent on the days before the crash letting us know what life was like aboard the "floating hotel".
The story is told without sensationalism and tells the real story, debunking the myths that have always surrounded the sinking. The main character, 14 year old Jamie, explores the ship, makes a few friends, and we see the difference between 1st class and 3rd class. The causes of the crash are discussed and the "if onlys". Jamie is a fictional character, as are his interactions with the others, but all other characters are actual people and their actions are true to history with the fabrication of Jamie inserted into them. A fast and entertaining read, with a real sense of an author who has done the research and knows his topic. While this series is aimed at boys, girls with interest in the topic are sure to enjoy as well.

I enjoyed Brewster's writing style and had not read him before, my next book up is also written by him and I see he has an interesting backlist so I will certainly be looking into more works by this author.
Profile Image for Melissa Lee.
402 reviews40 followers
November 30, 2018
For young readers who are interested in learning more about historical events and time periods, there are several different series that offer fictional retellings from the perspective of children their age. In Hugh Brewster’s Deadly Voyage, which is apart of the I am Canada series, he tackles the sinking of the Titanic.


Readers follow a young Canadian boy named Jamie Laidlaw as he embarks upon the maiden voyage of the ship. It felt as if we were being taken on a private tour along with the man whose photos of the Titanic would become famous; Father Frank Browne. Some of these photos are included in the back of the book, among other bonus material. Jamie would also encounter other characters based on real people including; the Astor’s and the Molson’s.


The foreshadowing and superstitions many passengers had was interesting and eerie. As someone who has had a longtime fascination with the sinking of the Titanic, I appreciated the coverage of the events that occurred after the tragedy, including being rescued by the Carpathia and resulting inquiries.


I would highly recommend Deadly Voyage to middle grade readers and Titanic enthusiasts. I hope to have the opportunity to read more from the I Am Canada series.
Profile Image for Derrick College.
157 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2024
This book pulled at my heartstrings. Jamie Laidlaw and his family set sail onboard the Titanic on her maiden voyage. Mischievous and adventurous, Jamie meets many historical figures and befriends a few of these people.
When tragedy strikes, Jamie is in a fight for survival. And the aftermath changes everything with his life, family and friendships.
The Family being a fictional family. I seen nothing but love and affection ( until his brother enters the picture ). Even the maid Rosalie and dog ( Maxwell ) are treated well.
The Friendships: Jamie meets the young John Ryerson and together mischief and adventures start. He also befriends Jack Thayer. But the events change everything.
His life after was a sad but great ending.

1 review
February 15, 2013
DEADLY VOYAGE
RMS TITANIC
(1)I thougt the book was awesome
(2)Who wrote the book Hugh Brewster,title,RMS TITANIC,setting london at Qweens town on the titanic
(3)Main chareters Jack,rose,problem titanic sinks.
(4)I really liked the the book because it was varey intersting
(5) i would reomend this book to grade 4's
(6)The reason way i said about, I thougt the book was so awesome.
is because i wanted more info when i was younger.
(7)Here are some words that i pick out. The titanic is unsinkable. in a English acsent.Dosent saskachewan have a flag. in a french acsent
7 reviews
March 31, 2013
I Absolutely LOVED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a girl reading this series, and its targeted for teenaged boys. But girls can read it, and love it too! Jamie was such a likeable character. And it was a good thing to release this when they did because it was the centennial the next year. So, yes, I recommend it to everyone, especially to girls. I Loved this book! I read it with my brother who is ten.
Love,
Regina and Luke Smith
PS: There was another series in the bookstore that catches my eye called Dear Canada so I'll do a review on those.
Profile Image for Denise.
285 reviews23 followers
October 18, 2012
Another edition to this brilliant series for young people! In this fictional tale of a young man accompanying his parents on their return to Montreal after living 2 years abroad in Montreal, Hugh Brewster has woven a lot of details about real people who were on the maiden voyage of the Titanic.Mr. Brewster is a master storyteller and if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of his lectures, don't miss it!
Profile Image for Hannah Belyea.
2,780 reviews40 followers
May 4, 2022
Jamie and his parents have boarded the Titanic on its maiden voyage, merely a couple of its over twenty-two hundred passengers - but when the ship hits a giant iceberg, time is short to find rescue and reach land again! Brewster offers young readers an interesting lens into one of history's greatest sinkings, a respectful blend of fiction and non-fiction that keeps a quick, though mildly dull, pace throughout. Even if Jamie can escape the icy depths, what awaits his family back on land once the world learns the truth?
322 reviews4 followers
October 10, 2022
I've read my share of books set on the titanic. This one was unique in spending a fair bit of time on the aftermath of the disaster and how it was covered in media at the time. Fascinating stuff about myths that grew up around the titanic immediately after and how those myths did or didn't get disproven over time.
582 reviews
November 16, 2021
A look at the rich passengers and their time on the Titanic and rescue in much detail which was quite interesting.
Profile Image for The Book Addicts.
13 reviews
June 15, 2014
Let me say this: I hate March Break. Yes, I mean it. No, I'm not joking. Okay, maybe I would hate it less if I had more books to read - I had quite a few lined up that would hopefully keep me busy ('had' being the keyword in that sentence). I had gone to the school library and picked up 3 books - altogether being a total of just over 1300 pages to keep me busy over the March Break, two being from the same series, this being the third one. Call me a nerd, but I was excited and (Do I daresay?) had even made myself a reading plan. I was going to read just over 100 pages a day. I was happily cruising along through my books, just finishing my first book thinking "Just 700 pages to go!" when I realized the next book I took out from the library was three books down in the series, meaning of course that I could not read it. I was devastated, to say the least.

Okay, now that my most recent trauma has been lifted off my chest, I suppose I will review a book. Like this one.
This book had a fairly good start - it pretty much started right in the middle of the action (well, I guess, the beginning of the action, but there was action, nonetheless). Jack Laidlaw was the last living Canadian survivor of the Titanic - and once the remains of the Titanic were discovered underwater, everyone wanted his Titanic survival story. Jack wanted to make sure that the complete truth was out there, because many rumours were floating around about the Titanic. This book encompasses everything he experienced during his time on the ship, those moments leading up to the ships fatal ending, and those cold, dark hours afterwards.


When I first started reading this book, I was prepared to be slightly bored with it, simply because although Titanic books always interest me, lets face it, we all know how it is going to end. So, I am afraid to say, my early attitude slightly tainted the first two chapters for me. But then I realized that the book was actually pretty good. Once I got used to the writing style, I actually enjoyed the book. It was not my favourite Titanic book - I have read better - but it was enjoyable.

The authors writing style was fairly good - and I thought it was a nice thing that he was trying to preserve the truths about the Titanic, and Jamie Laidlaw's story.

Now - to return to the last bit of nothingness left called 'March Break'.

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Profile Image for Sapphire .
37 reviews
October 24, 2023
My first I Am Canada book and I loved it! Jamie is an adventurous kid who enjoys having fun and does mischievous things so it made him more likeable. The characters weren't bland at all, they all had their own personality. When the sinking began happening, it was told with so much detail it felt like I was there while it was happening. The death of Jamie's father was quite sad and I feel bad for him and his family. I also enjoyed how people who died or survived the sinking were mentioned in the story, it was nice. I loved this book in general and I recommend reading it, especially if you like reading about the Titanic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Taite.
47 reviews
February 15, 2015
It was kind of interesting, though I read it in french for an assignment. I have to say it wasn't very original although I do understand its a re-telling of a real-life event he could have had more interesting things happen to his character. I met the author in person and he explained where some of the ideas for the things that happened came from which made it cool to read, knowing how it all came about and also what inspired the book.
Profile Image for Meghan.
620 reviews30 followers
March 3, 2022
Brewster has worked with all the big names in Titanic studies, lending quite a bit of credibility to his account. This story is much more enjoyable than its Dear Canada counterpart (though the two books are not meant to be related).
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,272 reviews11 followers
April 14, 2012
It isn't often that I've seen a Titanic story told from the perspective of one of the men who were not allowed to get on the lifeboats. It was interesting.
Profile Image for Renaissance.
46 reviews
July 17, 2013
Interesting pov of a young boy on the titanic. Sad that so many died. Learned some new facts about the titanic.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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