Nielsen, Jennifer A. Iceberg. Scholastic Press, 2023. 978-1-338-79502-8. 339 p. $17.99. Grades 4-7.
Hazel Rothbury can’t afford a three-pound ticket to board the ship bound for New York. After being turned away, Hazel decides to stowaway on the ship rather than disappoint her family still struggling at home. The catch? It’s April 10, 1912, and Hazel just climbed aboard the infamous and “unsinktable” Titanic. Hazel is bound for work at a New York factory so she can send money home. After securing a cabin through her new porter friend Charlie, Hazel begins to explore the ship and gathers all kinds of information. The shores of Ireland disappear as drama and mystery unfolds between passengers. Hazel, an aspiring journalist, becomes unintentionally embroiled in a couple’s plot to steal hundreds of pounds from none other than her new first-class friend, Sylvia. As things get dangerous for Hazel, time keeps the ship moving forward toward the fateful collision with the iceberg. After the iceberg is hit and Titanic’s body begins to fill with water, all of the slow burn drama and mystery built-up between characters further fuels the novel’s fast-paced climax and conclusion.
THOUGHTS: While the ship’s icy end won’t come as a surprise to readers, there are still twists for those who like adventure stories. Nielsen’s story brings the human tragedy and error of Titanic to life for middle grade readers. While the story includes descriptions of the ship’s demise and also character development that intensifies the tragedy’s emotional impact, Nielsen’s writing in Iceberg is cleansed of the graphic horrors that stuck with me while watching a certain 90s film. Hazel sees plenty of red flags with the ship right away. Her foresighted concerns seem a little farcical—there are points where she reads a book on types of dangerous icebergs, and she directly challenges Captain Smith for answers about the ship’s design. There are also a few repetitious plot points where Hazel continuously encounters the villainous, thieving couple. Still, the dramatic irony at play will keep readers who know “something bad is coming” hooked through the heavy exposition toward the much later (more action-packed!) parts of the novel. Characters cue as white and European but range in social and economic status. Readers of Ruta Sepetys and Alan Gratz likely will gravitate towards this story as long as they are up for reading most of the book’s pages before ship and iceberg actually meet.
Historical Fiction
