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I would consider this book to be mainly a nonfiction book. Although due to the fact it is about Titanic, it also falls into the historical fiction category in my mind. This book is a companion to the Magic Tree House book, Tonight on the Titanic. It is filled with facts about the ship itself, the date it sailed from England, real-life passengers, ships crew and much more. My daughter loved all of the random facts it held, for example it had 1,750 quarts of ice cream on board and even photos of underwater wreckage. Due to it being non-fiction it is meant to be read by children who are proficient readers (2nd grade and up).

This book parallels Tonight on the Titanic. The Magic Tree House book are fiction, but they include some elements that are true. Titanic is a nonfiction book that describes the facts of this horrible disaster. I absolutely love that Mary Pope Osborne created this book because it allows students to understand what truly happened on that horrible night. The book is told in a way that captures the attention of children and allows them to better understand the story of the Titanic. The book discusses how the ship was built, people aboard the ship, heroes of the disaster, and much more. Even I learned some new things that I didn’t know before! ( )

GR: M
GL: 3.2
DRA: 24
Lexile: 680L

I like this book for 3 reasons. First, as a nonfiction companion to an actual Magic Tree House adventure, this book is informational, but it reads like a story. It introduces a lot of unknown facts and is very interesting even for adults. Second, this is a transitional chapter book with illustrations and photographs breaking up the text. The book is visually pleasing, not overwhelming, and has a great combination of text features throughout the book. This includes: Jack and Annie’s heads on the sides of the pages giving explanations or definitions; chapter headings and subheadings; maps of the inside of the ship with labels or the route of the ship; diagrams to aid understanding; “fact files” to answer questions and misconceptions; and a “Titanic Timetable” to sum up all of the events. Third, this book is written in a way that children can relate. It is not too sad or serious for children to read. It highlights real passengers and heroes on the Titanic, and stops to summarize at different points in the story to ensure that children are following the content. Overall, the big picture of this book is to teach about the Titanic.