SOS Titanic (Paperback)

by Eve Bunting (Author) "Barry O'Neill stood on the Queenstown quay, along with Mr.Scollins and Grandmother and Grandpop..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jonnie Flynn, Captain Smith, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A dread sense of the inevitable drives this taut disaster story-and makes it nearly impossible to put down. Only moments after 15-year-old Barry O'Neill boards the Titanic in Queenstown, Ireland, the final port of call before the Atlantic crossing, he learns that the ship narrowly missed a collision at Southampton-a "bad omen," says a fellow passenger. Watley, Barry's steward in first class, claims intuitive knowledge that the voyage is ill-fated, while another uneasy passenger notes the shortage of lifeboats and refers to a novel written years earlier about an eerily similar ship called the Titan that sinks after colliding with an iceberg. Barry, understandably, is on edge-and so is the reader. When disaster finally strikes, Bunting (Spying on Miss Muller) unfolds the terrifying events in gripping climactic chapters. Barry acts nobly, risking his own life to save Pegeen, a girl from steerage class with whom he has fallen in love, and her brother, a ruffian with a longstanding grudge against Barry and his wealthy family. It's well-wrought historical fiction, but lest anyone forget, a brief afterword reminds readers of the horrifying and very real toll of the tragedy. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9?Readers fascinated by the lore surrounding the sinking of the Titanic will likely enjoy this exciting, suspenseful, and romantic version of the tragedy. Fifteen-year-old Barry, a privileged, upper-class Irishman raised by his grandparents while his parents were off in China, is bound for America to join them at last. Class conflict comes aboard, too, in the form of Frank and Jonnie Flynn, who blame Barry's grandfather for their forced departure from Ireland via steerage. Frank's threats of revenge add a layer of fear to Barry's on-again, off-again relationship with their sister, Pegeen, as the plot steams steadily toward its inevitably icy climax. The final hundred pages of the book describe post-collision confusion that escalates toward chaos, including Barry's gallant attempt (in vain) to save Frank's life. He does succeed in saving Pegeen, and the two of them end up on the overturned inflatable life raft and are among those few rescued the next morning by the Carpathia. Lots of foreshadowing and hints of the supernatural (Watley, Barry's first-class steward, was born in a caul, which is said to have given him second sight) add interest, as does an interesting range of supporting characters.?Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152013059
• ISBN-13: 978-0152013059
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #246,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unsinkable.............or not, June 10, 2002

A Kid's Review

The book SOS Titanic was very exciting and put chills up my spine. Barry goes on the Titanic to live with his parents in New York. Barry travels with the Flynn boys and their sister Pegeen, who are all from Ireland. The boys are always hurting Barry because he had a crush on Pegeen. When the ship hit the iceberg chaos erupted. Barry couldn't find Pegeen and the boat was sinking rapidly. In the end it is love that helps them find each other. Once they finally get saved they are both happy and they realize that love is very powerful.

I chose the book Titanic because I have always had an interest in the different point of views of the actual happening. Everybody always exaggerates the story, and makes it sound like a love story, but this book seemed to focus most on the action portion. I may like romantic movies, but never enjoyed romantic books. The action in this book kept me on the edge of my seat with all of the descriptive words. I wanted a book that made me feel like I was actually there and my friend Heidi told me that this is what I was looking for. I took the advice and read the book. That was one decision that I do not regret.

My favorite part in this book was when Barry was looking over the deck to the poop deck to see Pegeen. He turned around because a man was looking at him and he hit a poll. The next thing he noticed was that his favorite glove was gone. He really wanted to go down and find the glove his grandpa gave him because it is important to him. While he was going down the steps the Flynn brothers saw him looking at Pegeen and they hurt him. Pegeen stood up to her brothers and helped Barry. She was so nice to Barry and they totally love each other.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was an excellant book!, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: S.O.S. Titanic (Hardcover)

I loved this book for many different reasons. What I most liked about is it wasn't all about the sinking of the titanic. It tells about if you were acually on the titanic what it would be like. The only thing is most it is fiction. There was no person named Barry, or the Flynn boys. What I also liked is how you could thell where everyone was. The writer didn't tell about one person at a time and leave everyone else hanging in space. I wouldn't sugest this book to people who are trying to find the history of the Titanic. Over all it was a very good book with a lot of twists and turns and you can acually fell like you were on the titanic. Like I said, if you are trying to find the history do not read this book, but if you are into adolesent drama and want to know what it felt like to acually be on the titanic, this book is for you.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SOS TITANIC, February 14, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: S.O.S. Titanic (Hardcover)

SOS Titanic is a great, quick read if you enjoy books about the Titanic. It was written by Eve Bunting. It gave me mixed emotions because I knew that the ship was going to sink, but I did not know which characters were going to die. I would give this book a five star rating. This is a great story about survival and a test to see who your true friens are.
Should Barry,the main character, try to save himself, or try to save the third class passangers who are locked down below? Saving the third class passangers would mean that he probably would not get to the lifeboats on time.Will Barry risk it and save his friends, or will he try to save his own skin?