Titanic Sinks!: Experience the Titanic's Doomed Voyage in this Unique Presentation of Fact and Fiction

by Barry Denenberg

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Barry Denenberg has created a one-of-a-kind, high-concept book that's a unique combination of fiction and nonfiction. He uses a fictional framework to present the true story of the building and launching of the Titanic and to give a "you are there" feeling as the ship goes down. Lavishly designed with authentic period photographs and illustrations throughout, Titanic Sinks! immerses you in the era of the Titanic and reminds you why it's still a cultural touchstone a hundred years after its demise.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade, Historical, Childrens, Survival, Juvenile

72 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2011

About the author

Barry Denenberg is the critically acclaimed author of non-fiction and historical fiction. His historical fiction includes titles in the Dear America, My Name is America, and Royal Diaries series, many of which have been named NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. His nonfiction books have covered a wide array of topics, from Anne Frank to Elvis Presley. After the publication of An American Hero: The True Story of Charles Lindburgh, Denenberg was interviewed for various documentaries including ABC’s “The Century.”

Denenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York and lived in Long Island, Binghamton, New York, and Palisades Park, New Jersey. “I was a serious reader from an early age and when I attended Boston University in 1968, majoring in history, I worked in a bookstore at night,” he says. “After college I was a book buyer for some fine, independent bookstores, some of the nation’s largest retail book chains and a marketing executive in publishing.

“At the age of forty I came to the startling realization that the glamorous world of power lunches, power politics, and power trips was not for me. I immediately went to work on the Great American Novel (since destroyed) and was rescued when my future wife, Jean Feiwel (then and now publisher of Scholastic Inc.) made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Scholastic had received a biography of John F. Kennedy that they deemed unacceptable: would I like to try and write one?

“The rest is history in more ways than one. I went on to write biographies of Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, J. Edgar Hoover, Nelson Mandela, Elvis Presley and Voices From Vietnam, an oral history of the war.

“Writing some of the first books in the Dear America series was a turning point in my career. Its popularity and the resulting readers’ letters made a great impression on me. This in turn inspired my writing and fueled my research. With my bookstore background and the help of numerous knowledgeable booksellers I am able to assemble an extensive bibliography on each topic I write.

“I think there’s an art to both writing and research. I’m a good writer but a better researcher.”

Something that has added greatly to Denenberg’s perspective on writing for young readers is his volunteer work as Director of Creative Writing and Library Services at the Waterside School in Stamford, Connecticut. Waterside, established in 2001, is an independent school dedicated to educating gifted children of the communities’ low-income families.

Aside from writing and teaching Denenberg’s interests include listening to music, reading (books not related to his research), swimming, practicing yoga and spending time with his family.

Barry Denenberg lives in Bedford, New York with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed looking through the pictures in this book the most. I was drawn to the journal section of this book that was supposedly written by a news correspondent. At the end of it they add how the journal made it out of the titanic, but the news correspondent dies. I was annoyed though that it is a work of fiction, as stated in the author’s notes at the end. They should make it clear that this is fiction at the beginning or end of this section for kids that are reading this. I know that when I was kid I hardly ever read the author’s notes at the end of a book. Yes, the author had to research the topic to make it seem real, but that editor’s note at the end of the journals shouldn’t have been added then I feel. I think this book contains too much fiction to be considered a nonfiction book, and kids will have a hard time separating what is real in the book from what is not.

[Neile B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barry Denenberg published, "Titanic Sinks" back in 2011 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ship's demise.
I love the look of this book, from the coloring to the font. The authentic photographs are exceptional and the sepia toned pages lend to the antiquated feel. Many of the stories and facts given are both interesting and heartbreaking at once. How tragic to know so many more lives could have been saved. There is much information that I didn't know until now. This juvenile non-fic book is perfect for any age and just enough to peruse without feeling like too much. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Lindsay Stier]

Audience: Intermediate
Genre: Historical Nonfiction

Discussion Questions:

Remembering: Can you tell two facts about the passengers' accommodations?
Understanding: Describe what happened after the Titanic hit the iceberg.
Applying: What example(s) can you find that show the passengers being cowardly.
Analyzing: Alexander Carlisle recommended the Titanic be equipped with 48 lifeboats and J. Bruce Ismay decided to only include 16. What do you think motivated Ismay to cut the lifeboats by 32?
Evaluating: What is your opinion of the practice that men did not get in the lifeboats until all the women had boarded?
Creating: Choose a passenger and create a timeline of events for their last day aboard the Titanic.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audience: 1st grade and up, boys, girls, history lovers
Appeal: This book has a very interesting layout. It has information about the sinking of the Titanic in the form of regular print, newspaper articles, journal entries, and transcriptions of real radio conversations that took place over the airwaves. Every single page is unique and has interesting illustrations to give it just the right feel. This book also has a lot of real pictures from the Titanic. I think that children who are interested in history will enjoy this book because it is jammed with facts about a famous historical event. This book came from the School Library Journal Best Non-Fiction Books of 2011 list.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yay!! I finished this book last night! Once it got to journal entries and how the Titanic was sinking I didnt want to stop reading. I still cant believe how there was no urgency to get off the boat! I guess this was because it was supposed to be unsinkable!

[Priscilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personally, I would withdraw this book from the local library. It is in juvenile books and it is NOT clear what is fact and what is fiction. Browse through some of the reviews here, some applaud it as a wonderful nonfiction book on the titanic, even when the title says "unique presentation of fact and fiction" (admittedly in smaller print). In looking through the book, I can see how someone would not realize chunks of it are fiction. One of the central parts is a "transcribed" journal [the transcription is typed in old-timey typewriter font] from one of the passengers, who does not survive. As some reviewers have noted this diary/journal is made-up, but you don't learn that unless you read the author's afterward. I checked the book out to share with a student but after studying it have decided there are more legitimate sources. (To be clear: I am not against a fictionalized story about the Titanic, but this bizarre melding is weird.) One reviewer comments how much they love the authenticity of the book, the "authentic look." Isn't that what we've learned to want: the look of something.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading. Given that the information is relayed via fictional magazine archives, the details are easy to digest in a short, news-like form. The timeline is incredibly helpful: the ship struck the berg at 11:40pm on April 14, 1912, first lifeboat is lowered at 12:45am on April 15, 1912 and the last boat is lowered at 2:05am, the ship sinks at 2:20am, and Carpathia takes the first lifeboat aboard at 4:10am and the last at 8:30am.

If a reader is looking for more detail on the more famous of Titanic’s passengers, this is not the book. It is definitely an intro to the event with brief mentions of the big names: both passengers and ship personnel.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6 year old chose this at the Library and it was a bit above his reading level so I read it to him. He was entranced by the pictures and stories included about how Titanic was built, what and who all was on board, and of course the sinking. The book presents primary sources - magazines, newspapers- with a fictional journal- which is so unique for a children’s book. Well done.

[Kascia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part was slow. It finally picked up when I got to the fictitious diary part. I love how the story was presented through one newspaper, but I think it's a bit slow for your average kid to be able to sit through and read the whole thing.

[Madame Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories of survivors are retold and told in newspaper fashion.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The combination of fact and fiction retells the story of the creation of the Titanic and its fateful journey. I especially enjoyed the pictures and learning new information.

[Kmk · Rating 4 out of 5]

读的是舒特斯曼的《泰坦尼克号》，特别好看，壮烈！

[Gabby Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative I liked the style of the book, and gave accurate information. Not only did it give accurate information about the ship itself but also about the passengers which can be hard to come by.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audience: Intermediate
Genre: Non-Fiction (Social Studies/History)

Twin Text: Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 by Ellen Emerson White
Synopsis from Goodreads:
"Five years ago, Margaret Ann Brady's older brother left her in the care of an orphanage and immigrated to America. When the orphanage receives an unusual request from an American woman looking for a traveling companion, Margaret's teachers agree that she is the perfect candidate to accompany Mrs. Carstairs on the TITANIC, so that once Margaret arrives in New York she will be free to join her brother in Boston. But the TITANIC is destined for tragedy, and Margaret's journey is thrown into a frozen nightmare when the ship collides with an iceberg. Margaret's diary records the unimaginable drama and anguish only a survivor could comprehend."

How this book enhances my non-fiction selection:
I chose this book because in a way it could be compared to a non-fiction informational text relating to the Holocaust and to the book Number The Stars or The Boy Who Dared.
I hope that anyone who reads either book will remember that, despite all the hype about the Titanic, the story is about the people who died so tragically and bravely and the people that carried on with their lives that suffered loss of family members. I don't think any book or movie can ever really do justice to their memories, but I think that reading about historical events is a very good way of appreciating those who have come before us.
In Titanic Sinks!, Denenberg uses magazine articles and newspaper headlines along with timelines and biographical information about the ship, it's staff, victims and survivors in a feeling that you were there the time the Titanic set sail. There are great pictures with captions that makes this book hard to put down.
I feel as if Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic is a great example of a twin-text to Titanic Sinks! because it is written as a diary, and you get a feel for the main character in a more personal way. Her facts about her surroundings are compared to Denenberg's book. She talks about sailing in first class, while she doesn't classify herself as first class, because she is from an orphanage. She is traveling with Mrs. Carstairs, who was a wealthy American woman. She writes about different classes of people aboard the ship, as well as, a young boy named Robert, who later becomes her love interest. When the ship starts to sink, Margaret and Mrs. Carstairs approach the lifeboats and end up survivors.
In her writing, she talks about how women and children boarded the boats first and how the orchestra continued to play until they went down with the ship. Robert doesn't end up surviving. Maragaret gets "survivor guilt", like many Titanic survivors, but eventually overcomes it and reunites with her brother.
I honestly think that this could have been a biography or autobiograohy because it is very detailed and a quick read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

[Danielle Harriger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this work of nonfiction because through the innovative composition of information and images, I was able to immerse myself in the tremendous, horrific event of the Titanic. Rather than reading like a factual textbook, this nonfiction work used sepia toned pages that looked like a newspaper, with bold headlines, typewriter font, and different sized columns based on the articles of information. The added details of “London/New York” at the top of the newspaper next to the “10 cents” allowed me to read this book as if I was actually reading a newspaper during the time of the event. I think any reader would love to see the captivating, real images of the Titanic and passengers that had to experience this tragedy. The strongest component of the composition was the way the author organized the contents of the book into coherent sections. For example, the page denoting the immense amount of items that were on board of the Titanic stood out amongst the paragraphs of information on the adjacent page. Thus, I could focus my attention, and I was able to see the ridiculous amount of accommodations this ship had (such as the 196,000 items of linen and 29,000 pieces of glassware). I was further surprised to learn about how women had a reading and writing room to use, while men had a room for smoking. This information is factual, yet provides a vivid picture of what gender roles were during this time period. I think many discussions can be opened up about what culture was like during this time period. There were many foreboding details that were mentioned, such as the Titanic only containing 16 lifeboats, and Officer Lightoller saying, “The sea is not wet enough to drown me. I’ll never be drowned.” Readers know of the future tragedy, but before the ship sailed, people were confident to partake in this lavish experience. I loved the personal accounts of people on the ship, because I was able to observe the volte-face in emotions (seen in people laughing at the idea of the “unsinkable” ship encountering an iceberg to people feeling panic and fear once they realized the peril that was to come). The hour-by-hour account of what happened during that fatal night builds suspense and lays out a coherent, organized report of what happened. The eerie details of “agonizing cries of death from over a thousand throats,” “the wails and groans of the suffering,” and “shrieks of the terror-stricken” was the most powerful portion of the text for me because it captured the horror that these innocent people faced. This book highlights the idea that nonfiction texts do not have to be boring and dry, but rather, they can capture a moment in history in a unique way that would otherwise be left unknown.

[David Perilo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audience-This book is full of extremely detailed facts. Although it has many details and amazing pictures I believe this book would be better suited for a higher grades like 4th-6th. There is a lot to read and younger students may not be up for the challenge.

Appeal- First of all the book is filled with amazing photographs from the beginning until its demise when it set sail. The photos show great detail into the way the lifeboats were hung to the people aboard. Students will also see that most of the text is printed as though its from a newspaper. I know when I was younger i loved looking through the newspaper because it was so interesting to see the things going on in the world and around me in town. The way the facts are all given out in such detail is very appealing to younger students as well because they always want to know everything about something such as a great and mighty ship that was never to be sunk and did.

Application-The use of this book in a classroom would of course be in History. Students would love to learn about a mighty ship lost at sea. Also I could integrate a type of journaling since within the book it is written as though someone is journaling about events hour to hour aboard the ship. Newspapers are very intriguing to students at a young age and to have them begin a journal or even create a newspaper article of an event would be a great activity after reading and studying this book.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audience: Intermediate
Genre: Non-fiction (Disasters)
Discussion Questions:
Remembering: Name three reasons why some people thought Captain Edward John "E.J." Smith should not be in command of the Titanic.
Understanding: Describe the differences of services available to third class, second class, and first class passengers. Make sure to note the differences for sleeping arrangements, food options, and any other special circumstances tied to that class.
Applying: What examples can you find that could have changed the outcome of the Titanic sinking. Please use references from at least two different articles in the book.
Analyzing: Distinguish from your favorite article and your least favorite article. Tell me why you like one opposed to the other including which text features you preferred.
Evaluating: In the article, "The Titanic Hour by Hour", it transcribes the time the Titanic first heard about icebergs until Carpathia headed for New York with the survivors. Based on that timeline, who do you think was the biggest factor that hindered the Titanic from staying afloat? Why?
Creating: Pretend you are a passenger on the Titanic (first, second, or third class-just make you specify). Make a daily blog/diary about your trip including what your room looks like, the food you eat, activities you partake in, and detail your events from the time the Titanic hits the iceberg. You can choose your own destiny for the ending just make sure it is detailed.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING! I'm very impressed with the attention to detail and research that went into this book. The author notes that he only included pictures of the Titanic, not any pictures of the Olympic as other books do. The writing style is very clear and easy to read. The author blends fiction and reality (he makes up a reporter so readers have a 1st person perspective, but all of this passenger's perspective is based on actual accounts and research) to make the reader feel as up close and personal as possible. The book is formatted to look and feel like a series of newspapers which helps break the subject up into manageable chucks or "chapters". Every aspect of Titanic is covered from basic stats detailing who was on board and what percent of each class survived to quantities of food and serving equipment to backstory on famous passengers and the construction of the massive ship. I highly recommend this book as fascinating nonfiction pleasure reading to upper elementary and middle school grades. I think it could also serve as a good homework help/report tool though the format of the book would probably require that it be read cover to cover rather than section by section for fact-finding purposes. I can't say enough good aabout this book and I will definitely keep my eye on this author because he is a treasure.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique presentation in the form of newspaper stories, first person accounts, historical photos, and a fictional journal from a fictional news correspondent. It is this last bit that garners the book only 3 stars from me. While the author states that the journal entries are fiction, they are based on extensive research. Unfortunately it is not clear in the presentation of the journal that it is fiction. Yes, the book's title includes "...presentation of fact and fiction" but the author does not state which parts are fact and which are fiction except in the notes at the end. There is even an editor's note at the end of the journal entries explaining how the journal survived the sinking. I also wonder at why the author finds it acceptable to include this bit of fiction, but feels that the inclusion of photographs of the Olympic, Titanic's nearly identical sister ship, "...would detract from the historically accurate and eerie tone I was trying to create." If the author were truly dedicated to being historically accurate, a fictional journal would not be included. I would recommend this book for pleasure reading, but not necessarily for homework. Elementary and middle school students are unlikely to read the author's notes and would probably fail to realize the fiction part of this book.

[Carol Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this slim volume, you will find photographs and passenger drawings of the Titanic as it's being built, before it launches, during its voyage and as it sinks (drawing). You meet its captain, owners, and most prominent passengers, along with second and third class passengers who wrote about their experience. You will view sample menus and activities. There are newspaper articles written by the reporter on board. These are the actual articles, which are interesting due to their style and the part of the story he chooses to focus his attention more than the actual Titanic event. One thing I think really stands out in every article from the period (1912) is the view of women and the lower class workers. When a headline reads that a worker was killed at work, the article talks about the amazing number of rivets, etc. and only mentions the young man in the last 2 sentences of the article. Women are constantly referred to as if they are just frivolous piece of fluffs who need to be spared from serious discussions.

The subtitle says the this is a unique presentation of fact and fiction. I'm not sure which part is fiction. It is mainly a collection of primary documents with commentary by the author. Even that commentary is brief.

If interested in the Titanic or styles of the early twentieth society, this is a great resource.

[Kay Mcgriff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barry Denenberg combines fact and fiction to write a compelling account of the Titanic's doomed maiden voyage. Titanic Sinks! (Scholastic 20111) blends a magazine format with the fictional journal of S. F. Vanni, Chief Correspondent for Modern Times. Even though the correspondent is fictional, the contents of the articles and journal are based on research.

Even though we all know the boat sinks and thousands die in one of the worst disasters at sea, the format recreates the excitement leading up to the maiden voyage of the world's largest and most luxurious ship. Pictures of the Titanic, its crew and passengers add to the realism and immediacy. Sidebars listing facts about the ship and an "interview" with Captain Rostron of the Carpathia provide even more information in a lively format. Did you know that this ship was only 92 feet wide?

The most heartbreaking words are those from the survivors. I cannot imagine sitting in those tiny lifeboats watching the great ship sink and listening to the cries of the dying.

Anyone fascinated with all things Titanic will enjoy this addition that goes from initial planning to the discovery of the wreckage under the North Atlantic.

First published on my blog at http://kaymcgriff.edublogs.org

[Whitney Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction I am really not a fan of nonfiction unless it is a boigraphy and while I suppose this is a biography of a ship it was not really my cup of tea. The pictures in it were amazing. It was as if you were experiencing it like you were there. In my mind I kept comparing things to the movie for some reason and I could not help but think Captain Smith was cast perfectly. It is not that I did not like the book it just doesn't read like a novel. It is one of those books that you can read bots and pieces and be totally fine. It does follow a timeline but something was missing for me. I liked the personal things they added from the passengers as it made it seem more real. It honestly made me kind of sad reading some of the articles and such because these were real people that these tragic things happened to. I often wonder if the Titanic should have been built because of all the tragedy it brought but I suppose it was needed to progress technology. The Titanic is something that will facinate me for years to come even though I did not love this book I think it has some great merit in the story of the great ship.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction Twin Text Entry #1

Titanic Sinks is the story of the doomed ocean liner that still has experts scratching their heads today. Told in a journalistic, “ripped from the headlines” style, this book combines fact and fiction to present the reader with a brief history of the vessel and a detailed account of its final moments. Faux newspaper reports and personal journal entries make the reader feel as if they witnessed the tragedy personally. I paired this book with Titanic Crossing, a fictional account of the watery journey told in the voice of a homesick 13 year old boy who saves his sister and lives to tell the tale. I felt students would identify with Albert, making the history come to life. The recommended age range and reading level is the same for both books, so I do not see any issues with difficulty or comprehension. I expect this Golden Sower Award winner to be a well-researched, engaging companion to the newsy Titanic Sinks.

Denenberg, B. (2011). Titanic sinks! London, England: Penguin Books Limited.

Williams, B. (1995). Titanic crossing. New York, NY: Penguin Publishing Group.

[Mokamonkey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The text was a little less exciting than I would have expected for a book about a disaster, but I chugged through it, because I was interested. It would have gotten 4 stars for the photos and presentation, however, except for one key point: 30% or 21 pages of the book is a journal that is supposed to be written by a news correspondant. A journal, that ends right before sinking. They even add an editor's note at the end of this section to explain how the journal made it and that the correspondant does not. But...if you read through the author's note at the end, you discover this is entirely fictional. Sure the journal's described events are factual (gathered during the author's research), but the idea that a man wrapped up the journal in waterproof material, taped it to his chest and jumped from the boat and later dies is so sensational and interesting and memorable, that it was inappropriate for them to include it in a factual book. At least without notifying the reader that it was not, in fact true. I mean really.

[Alex Hobart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Level: 8.2
Summary: This is a memorabilia account of everything from the building to the titanic to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Titanic Sinks has taken artifacts and pieces from other sources as well as never seen or heard accounts of what happened over 100 years ago. From the articles to the final hours of the ships life above water the readers are captivated, and feel like you are living the tail again.
Characteristics that Support the Genre: Titanic Sinks uses fictional characters to demonstrate the events of real people who were on the Titanic or who had an influence on the events that conspired in 1912.
Organization- from the cover of the book the reader is pulled in to read Titanic Sinks! the reading helps the reader develop and understanding for what will come in the following pages
Voice/Word Choice- The author uses descriptive language and illustrations to show the feeling as well as the emotion that the people who were on the ship were feeling and in turn is felt by the reader.

[Alex Novak]

This is a great example of a Non fiction book. Although it is only mostly true since the first hand accounts are only based on letters, interviews, and pictures. However, it is full of extremely interesting pictures that only come from the Titanic itself instead of its sister ship, like most other books. It also has information that most people wouldnt have known such as that the captain had already wrecked one ship before Titanic. The magazine like format of the book allowed for representation of the accounts and information in so many different ways such as pictures, captions, headlines, quotes, articles, and question-answer interviews. This book would be wonderful for a classroom with the compare and contrast of what is real first hand accounts and pictures versus what the author wrote himself. As well as cause and effect with the tons of information for example, they would allow men on the life boats so men started dressing as women.

[Heather H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonfiction Novel

Spoiler...

everyone knows the story of the titanic. it is an amazing movie. if you haven't already seen it, you should go watch it right now! This book tells the story of the titanic through pictures, journals and statements from survivors of this sunken ship. It is amazing that all of the details and pictures and journals were able to be placed in this book. it is incredible and I truly loved it. I think that Denenberg did a great job pulling his audience in. The pictures are neat and the things that people said on the ship like , 'this ship is unsinkable' were kind of mind blowing and somewhat ironic because it did end up sinking. It really makes you think about what you would do if you were on a ship and it ran into an iceberg and started sinking. I highly recommend that you read this book, maybe rent or buy the movie Titanic to watch after you have read it. They both give you so muck knowledge about this unforgettable story of the sunken ship.

[Alyssa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primary. Non-Fiction.

This book consists of newspaper articles from the time that building began on the Titanic and then to the aftermath of the sinking. It is full of historical accounts and pictures of what it was actually like on this ship. I think this book would be good to use as a twin text to Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers found their way by Land, Sea and Air by Stewart Ross. This book also tells of the amazing voyages and trips of people from our past and how those discoveries made on those voyages have influenced our world today. These books would work nicely together when discussing any time period in history up until the early 1900s, as so much of our history depended on these brave voyages where people were willing to risk their lives. Both of these books tell of remarkable events and their influence on todays world.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Titanic Sinks! tells the story of the Titanic through newspaper clippings from the fictitious Modern Times, which has gathered all of its articles regarding the Titanic and published them in a magazine. The book’s larger size and pages that look like newsprint help to solidify this approach. The format is interesting, and though the Modern Times is made-up, the facts are not. Denenberg’s research was vigorous, and the way that he incorporated it into the articles and interviews and other formats is very effective. And while most nonfiction books about the Titanic pad their illustrations with pictures taken in her sister ship, Olympic, Denenberg used only photos of the Titanic. (Originally written for and posted on Mackin Books in Bloom at http://mackinbooksinbloom.com)

[Melissa Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story that combines fact with fiction using journal accounts and newspaper articles along with pictures to tell the story of the Titanic's creation and destruction.

"To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Barry Denenberg has created a one-of-a-kind, high-concept book that's a unique combination of fiction and nonfiction. He uses a fictional framework to present the true story of the building and launching of the Titanic and to give a "you are there" feeling as the ship goes down. Lavishly designed with authentic period photographs and illustrations throughout, Titanic Sinks! immerses you in the era of the Titanic and reminds you why it's still a cultural touchstone a hundred years after its demise."