Noelle at Sea: A Titanic Survival Story

By Nikki Shannon Smith, Alessia Trunfio and Matt Forsyth

Thirteen-year-old Noelle feels like the luckiest girl in the world to be cruising the Atlantic aboard the famed Titanic. The trip is made even better by her new friend, Pauline, a girl who is traveling with her father to live in America. The girls spend the first days of the journey exploring, but on the fifth night, Noelle awakes to a sinking ship. Women and children will be rescued first, and Noelle realizes motherless Pauline will be left all alone. Despite her parents' wishes, Noelle breaks away from her family to find and help her friend. Nonfiction information, a gloassary, and reader response questions make up the back matter of this Girls Survive story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781496581990

Nikki Shannon Smith

Nikki Shannon Smith is from Oakland, California, but she now lives in the Central Valley with her husband and two children. She has worked in Elementary Education for over twenty-five years, and writes everything from picture books to young adult novels. When she’s not busy with family, work, or writing, she loves to visit the coast. The first thing she packs in her suitcase is always a book.

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CHAPTER ONE

Cherbourg, France

April 10, 1912

Wednesday evening, 6 p.m.

Noelle squinted at the water. She had been staring at the harbor for more than an hour. It seemed as if the whole day had been nothing but waiting.

She and her family had waited in Paris for the train. Then they’d waited for the train ride to end. Now that they were here, in Cherbourg, France, they were waiting some more. Their ship, the Titanic, was more than an hour late. Noelle wondered if it would ever come.

Noelle did everything she could think of to pass the time. She guessed where the other passengers were going. She counted the fancy hats worn by the women. She looked for handsome boys.

While Noelle watched the people, she noticed a woman watching her. At first, Noelle paid her no mind. But after thirty minutes of being stared at, she grew uncomfortable.

"Maman," Noelle addressed her mother, that woman is staring at me.

Both Maman and Papa followed Noelle’s gaze. The woman was the best dressed in the crowd. Her dress was layered with expensive lace. Around her shoulders she wore a fur. Beneath her wide-brimmed hat, her face was cold. When the woman’s eyes met Papa’s, she quickly looked away. Noelle watched Papa’s jaw tense.

Nothing ever changes, he said. Even on the finest ship in the world.

Papa had warned Noelle that there would be few people as dark-skinned as he was on the Titanic. He’d told her there might be people who didn’t want him there. They’d be upset to see him with a French wife. He’d said those people could be unkind.

Maman glanced at the woman again and tucked a loose curl back into Noelle’s barrette. It will be fine, she said.

None of them were convinced that was true though. Papa had told Noelle all about the discrimination he’d faced in his life. He’d taught her what to do if anyone was ever mean to her because of her skin color. He’d told Noelle more times than she could count that she could grow up to be anything she wanted to be.

Noelle’s family stood in silence, staring straight ahead. Noelle spotted a small speck out on the water. She watched the floating shape get closer and larger. There was no mistaking it.

There it is! Noelle shouted. "It’s the Titanic!"

It’s about time, said Papa. He did not like to wait either.

Around them, the crowd of nearly three hundred people pressed forward. Everyone tried to get a better look. Noelle’s insides jumped up and down. Outwardly, though, she behaved like a young lady. Thirteen-year-old girls wearing brand new dresses did not jump up and down—even if they were one of the luckiest girls in the world.

The Titanic sailed as close to the harbor as it could and dropped its anchor. The tenders, smaller boats designed to ferry passengers to the ship, prepared to take people aboard.

Noelle pulled her hand away from her mother’s. She started to push through the crowd. She wanted to be on the first tender.

It’s not our turn, Papa whispered. Remember what I said.

Papa had warned her to use her best manners. He’d told her to stay in the second-class sections of the ship. He’d made her promise to stay close. Papa kept Noelle close at home too. He said he wanted to keep her safe. Noelle thought Papa worried too much. But then she caught the fancy woman staring at her again.

Noelle looked at the other children. Some of them shouted and pointed. One boy had been crouched down in the middle of the crowd, spinning a top for the past hour. No one stared at them. And none of their parents

Reviews for Noelle at Sea

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok, the things I liked about this:
- mixed race main character, with a black scientist father, based off a real family on the Titanic
-compassion, discussion of race and class -- there's a lot to get into discussion wise

Thing I didn't love:
-missing some of the depth of previous books in the series
-the illustrations are extremely cartoonish, and offputting
-the friendship between Noelle and Pauline seems unrealistic -- it's like one of those soul mate romance novels -- not that one can't immediately find a best friend, but this friendship just lacked something.

I really love this series -- in particular, I love what Nikki Shannon Smith is doing with it -- her stories keep centering Black children in history in a way that most other writers have failed to do. She's bringing visibility to the fact that not only have Black people been in this country since its founding, but they've also been active participants in most, if not all of the significant events. She backs up her fiction with really great spotlight nonfiction in the back matter, and she consistently involves lesser known historical figures in the narrative.