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Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship"
CCBC Review:
In 1940, 90 British children ranging in age from 5 to 15 were traveling on an ocean liner called The City of Beneres, bound for Canada, as part of a program to evacuate children from England during the Blitz. There were dozens of other passengers on the ship as well, and well over a hundred crew members; 407 people in all. A few days into the voyage, the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. Survivors who made it onto lifeboats and rafts endured treacherous storms, freezing cold, hunger, and thirst. They had to hold on for two days before help arrived, and the passengers in one lifeboat weren’t rescued for eight days. Heiligman’s meticulously documented account of this harrowing event that killed 260 uses multiple points of view and perspectives from survivors. The author gives an insider’s view, making readers feel as though they are there before, during, and after the disaster by drawing on first-hand accounts from interviews (mostly from the Imperial War Museum, but some the author conducted) with survivors and their relatives. The narrative skillfully creates a strong sense of tension, and the compelling, poignant, hard to put down volume is illustrated with historic photographs and line drawings. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Lawrence Lee
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 11 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects:
20th Century
Disasters
History (Nonfiction)
Survival
World History
World War II
Publishers:
Godwin Books, Henry Holt
Publish Year: 2019
Pages: 292
ISBN: 9781627795548
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 940 Heiligman