Call of the Titanic by Lindsay Galvin ~ Blog Tour

Call of the Titanic may be Lindsay Galvin’s best novel yet – which is saying A LOT given how much I love Darwin’s Dragons and My Friend the Octopus. The two points of view are expertly woven together through witness accounts of the Titanic diaster, telegrams, letters, menus and gripping first-hand narrative. Initially, I wondered how there could be a fresh take on a story that has been told so many times before but the eye-witness account of 3rd class cabin steward Sidney Daniels combined with the adventure of an accidential stowaway on rescuing ship Carpathia presents this tragedy in a whole new light.

This story is told day-by-day as Sidney recounts his time on the Titanic. As the fateful (and incredibly well-known) date approaches, I became more on edge. I knew what was coming yet I didn’t know exactly what would happen to Sidney or how Clara would become involved. Details of the sinking ship are told in a way children will be able to understand without too much horrible detail. There is a sadness to the story – a bittersweet adventure – and the outcome for so many onboard the Titanic is clear. The desperation for the life boats, the realisation that some would have to be left behind and the impact of being in the water forces readers to think about what happened to those who survived and how it would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

The Carpathia’s involvement is often untold – it’s just the name of the nearest ship who pulled survivors from their life boats. In this story, we discover the heroics of the captain and his crew, the crucial role of the wireless operators and their urgency to reach the Titanic in time.

Young Clara Scott is headstrong, wild and not afraid to take risks. More often than not, she lands herself in trouble but she never dreamed she’d end up on a transatlantic journey, become keeper for a huge Newfoundland dog and be involved in a daring rescue! Clara becomes a heroine in her own right, alongside Rigel the sensitive and brave bear-like dog who will do anything to help.

Call of the Titanic is a goldmine for teachers with a gripping historical story inspired by real people and events, Lindsay Galvin’s incredibly imaginative tale of the Carpathia and the inclusion of so many text types. It would be a fantastic choice as a class read aloud, studied as a class novel, linked to history lessons or used to inspire children’s own writing.

Thank you to Chicken House Books and Laura Smythe for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

Don’t miss the rest of the tour: