I just needed a quick read to see me through lunchtime today, and I remembered I had this from Kindle Unlimited. I didn't realise it was quite this short though - only 92 pages - or that it was aged at quite so young an age group. However, it did the job and was actually a lovely little read.   We hear the story of Edwin, who discovers that he's about to travel to the USA on a brand new ship, the Titanic. Fascinated by the design and workings, he sets to exploring and making new friends. But we all know how this story ends. All that's left to find out is who lives and who slips beneath the waves...

This puts me very much in mind of one of my favourite kids books; 'Voyage on the Great Titanic'. The only real difference is that the MC in this is a boy rather than a girl and they have slightly different situations that bring themto the ship, and this is aimed at a slightly younger audience. Like the former, it managed to invoke the feelings and awe-inspiring nature of the great ship as seen through the eyes of a child, the class divide in society and the horror of the sinking, wonderfully balancing the level of detail with the need to keep the story suitable for its audience. Likewise, it introduces some of the well-known real people (Thomas Andrews, Bruce Ismay, Captain Smith etc) and situations in such a way that the story acts as a beginners guide to the facts of the disaster, hopefully inspiring the reader to want to find out more. 

The story is succint, giving you enough to work with in your imagination but not over-complicating matters. It does leave a few loose threads that I can imagine would cause a child to ask 'but why?' or 'but what about...', though IMO you want kids to be asking questions when reading this type of book. 

Yes, for an adult to read this is pretty pointless and there are many, many more books on this subject that will give you more. But I rate this book based on what it should be for its target audience, and if an adult can enjoy it, it's definitely got to have some merits!