- "A very strange thing just happened. My hand seemed perfectly steady, and yet I spilled part of my hot chocolate. It was as though there was a jolt, and the hot liquid just slopped right over the edge. Perhaps the seas are beginning to get rough? Oh, I hope not, after such a tranquil time so far."
- —Margaret Ann Brady[1]
Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady is a historical fiction book by Ellen Emerson White. It is the twelfth book in the Dear America series and was first published in September 1998. The book was republished in November 2010 with new cover art. It was also published in the My Story series by Scholastic UK.
Thirteen-year-old orphan, Margaret Ann Brady boards the RMS Titanic as a traveling companion to the wealthy, Mrs. Carstairs.
Dedication[]
- "For Holly"
Book description[]
- "Monday, 15 April 1912
It was after midnight, and I could still hear people moving about in the passageway. Before I had time to go out and join them, there was a sharp knock on my door. I opened it to see Robert. He was smiling, but his eyes looked urgent.
"Good evening, Miss Brady," he said, "You need to put on something warm, and report to the Boat Deck with your life belt."
Miss Brady? When I heard that, I felt alarmed for the first time, but I was also startled....
"A routine drill," he said. "No need to fret."
I knew he needed to get on with his duties, so I found a smile for him and nodded.... Robert started for the next stateroom, but then stopped.
"You'll not want to take your time, Margaret," he said in a very quiet voice.
It did not seem possible—but maybe this was not a drill."
Five years ago, Margaret Ann Brady's older brother left her in the care of an orphanage and immigrated to America. When the orphanage receives an unusual request for a traveling companion, Margaret's teachers agree that she is the perfect candidate to accompany Mrs. Carstairs on the Titanic. Once Margaret arrives in the United States, she can then be reunited with her brother. But the luxury liner is destined for an astonishing tragedy of the most terrifying proportions, and Margaret's journey becomes a nightmare when the ship collides with an iceberg.
Will she live to see her brother again?"
It was after midnight, and I could still hear people moving about in the passageway. Before I had time to go out and join them, there was a sharp knock on my door. I opened it to see Robert. His eyes looked urgent. "Good evening, Miss Brady," he said, "You need to put on something warm, and report to the Boat Deck with your life belt."
Miss Brady? When I heard that, I felt alarmed for the first time. "A routine drill," he said. "No need to fret." I knew he needed to get on with his duties, so I found a smile for him and nodded...
"You'll not want to take your time, Margaret," he said in a very quiet voice.
It did not seem possible, but maybe this was not a drill."
But when the passengers are woken on a freezing night in April 1912, she finds herself caught up in an unimaginable nightmare..."
Margaret Anne can't believe her luck when she's chosen to accompany Mrs Carstairs on board the great ship, Titanic. But when she's woken on a freezing night in April 1912, Margaret Anne finds herself caught up in an unimaginable nightmare.
Will she be able to get to a lifeboat in time? Will Robert?"
Plot[]
Margaret Ann Brady lives at St. Abernathy's Orphanage for Girls in the Whitechapel district of the East End of London. She and her older brother William were living on the streets, after their parents' death in 1907. Margaret Ann fell ill, forcing William to leave her at the orphanage. William continued visiting Margaret Ann, until he emigrated to America in 1910, promising to earn enough money to send for her.
In March 1912, Margaret Ann is called to Sister Mary Gregoria's office. She asks her if she would like to go to America as a traveling companion. Margaret Ann readily agrees and jaunts over to Claridge's with Sister Catherine to meet Mrs. Carstairs. Preparations for the trip begin, including a new wardrobe for Margaret Ann. She departs the orphanage and travels to Southampton, where they board the RMS Titanic on April 10.
On the Titanic, Margaret Ann and Mrs. Carstairs stay in separate rooms and are attended by Robert Merton, a bedroom steward. Margaret Ann is dazzled by the grand ship and spends much of her time exploring the various rooms and decks of the Titanic. She settles into a routine of lavish meals, walking Mrs. Carstairs' dog Florence, and tea with scones in the morning, brought to her by Robert.
On the night of April 15, Robert knocks on Margaret Ann's door and tells her to go up to the deck. Lifeboats are being filled and slowly word gets around that the Titanic is sinking. After helping Mrs. Carstairs into a lifeboat, Margaret Ann looks for Robert. They say goodbye and Margaret Ann gets into a lifeboat. Several hours later, the ship Carpathia rescues the surviving passengers and takes them to New York. Margaret Ann reunites with older brother, who takes her to live with him in Boston.
Epilogue[]
Historical Note[]
Characters[]
- Main article: List of Voyage on the Great Titanic characters
- Margaret Ann Brady, a thirteen-year-old orphan, who boards the Titanic as a companion to Mrs. Carstairs. She hopes to meet her older brother William again.
- Evelyn Carstairs, a wealthy socialite, who hires Margaret Ann as a traveling companion.
- Robert Merton is Margaret's and Mrs. Carstairs' bedroom steward.
Author[]
- Main article: Ellen Emerson White
Ellen Emerson White is a children's and young adult fiction writer. She is well known for her The President's Daughter series. White is also the author of Where Have All the Flowers Gone? in Dear America, Kaiulani: The People's Princess in The Royal Diaries, and The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty in My Name Is America. For Voyage on the Great Titanic, White read several accounts of first and third class passengers on the Titanic. She decided to mix the classes by writing about a working class girl who luckily gets to travel first class.
Editions[]
- Narrator: Unknown
- Publisher: Scholastic
- Published: 1999
- No. of cassettes: Unknown
- ISBN: 0439184444[14]
- Narrator: Carol Drinkwater
- Publisher: Scholastic UK
- Published: December 5, 2013[15]
- Running time: 3 hours and 17 minutes
Notes[]
- The portrait on the cover of the first edition is a detail from the painting The Fair Spinner by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. The background is a detail from a poster advertising the Titanic by Montague Birrell Black.[16][17][18]
- Tim O'Brien illustrated the portrait on the cover of the 2010 reprint. The background is a photograph licensed from Popperfoto/Getty Images.[19]
- The first My Story edition of Voyage on the Great Titanic uses a photo by Popperfoto.[20]
- The cover of the second My Story edition was illustrated by Richard Jones.
- The third My Story edition uses a photograph taken by Jeff Cottenden.
- Euan Cook illustrated the cover of the fourth My Story edition.[21]
References[]
- ↑ Voyage on the Great Titanic, Ellen Emerson White, page 114
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Story-Voyage-Titanic-Margaret/dp/0439997429/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.it/dp/8845126455/ (Italian)
- ↑ http://www.gwales.com/goto/biblio/cy/9781843231646 (Welsh)
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Titanic-Edwardian-Girls-Diary-Story/dp/1407103784/
- ↑ https://www.knihydobrovsky.cz/kniha/muj-pribeh-titanic-23944 (Czech)
- ↑ https://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Voyage-Great-Titanic/dp/054523834X/
- ↑ https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/products/82286
- ↑ https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/products/94356
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Titanic-reloaded-Story-Ellen-Emerson/dp/1407198858/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ES45JA/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007HOGDVW/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081K69JTH/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Great-Titanic-Diary-Margaret/dp/0439184444/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Story-Titanic/dp/B00H35XMXW/
- ↑ Voyage on the Great Titanic, Ellen Emerson White, page 202
- ↑ https://www.wikiart.org/en/william-adolphe-bouguereau/the-fair-spinner
- ↑ https://www.artnet.com/artists/montague-birrell-black/white-star-lineolympic-titanic-4w956WTLADPme9t41rEuRQ2
- ↑ Voyage on the Great Titanic (ISBN 9780545238342), Ellen Emerson White, Acknowledgements
- ↑ Voyage on the Great Titanic (ISBN 9780439997423), Ellen Emerson White, copyright page
- ↑ https://www.arenaillustration.com/news/2021/09/my-story-series-new-look-covers-illustrated-by-euan-cook/
See also[]
My Story | ||||||||||||
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External links[]
- Voyage on the Great Titanic at Scholastic (archive)
- Interview with Ellen Emerson White about Voyage on the Great Titanic at Scholastic (archive)
- Voyage on the Great Titanic Discussion Guide at Scholastic (archive)
- Titanic Book Talk at Scholastic UK
- Voyage on the Great Titanic at Teaching Books
- Voyage on the Great Titanic on Wikipedia