Published by Chicken House, 2023.

Lindsay Galvin is a master of historical fiction and, with Call of the Titanic, she gives us another meticulously researched and wonderfully atmospheric period piece. The story of the sinking of the Titanic is very familiar to most of us, yet here we see the story from another perspective: that of those on board the rescue ship, Carpathia.

It makes for an exciting and tense adventure story. On his rescue mission, the captain of the much smaller Carpathia must guide his steam liner through the same perilous ice field that struck the Titanic. It’s a deadly race against time.

The story combines the narratives of fictional characters with those of actual crew members and passengers (from both boats). Eye witness accounts from survivors are at the heart of the book.

I love how Lindsay Galvin deftly interweaves survivor testimony, telegrams and historical documents into the story. This adds to the authenticity and helps us view the events from a range of perspectives. I found the series of Marconi telegrams sent to and from the Titanic to be especially poignant. They begin as communications ashore – a novelty enjoyed by first class passengers – but then these are replaced with increasingly urgent distress calls to other ships. The messages are brief but powerful: conveying the desperation and horror of the tragedy.

The fictional element of the story centres around young stowaway Clara who inadvertently finds herself trapped in the Carpathia’s hold, alongside a giant Newfoundland rescue dog called Rigel. The pair quickly become inseparable and make a brilliant team, undertaking daring rescues of their own. Rigel is brave and hugely lovable. Clara is exactly the kind of hero I’m here for: headstrong, loyal and determined, and definitely not afraid to speak her mind.

Call of the Titanic is a moving and powerful story. The descriptions of the haunted faces of the Titanic survivors, silenced and shaken by grief and trauma, will stay with me for a long time. This too is a story of bravery – human and animal – and of help from the most unexpected of places.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 8+

Thank you to Chicken House for sending me this book to review. I reviewed this book as part of the Call of the Titanic blog tour. Check out all the other posts on the tour for more exclusive content.