School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-This book takes readers from the past to the present in a story involving a ghost, a mystery, and time travel. It opens in present-day Victoria, British Columbia, where Kevin and his classmates are visiting the Titanic: Artifact Exhibition as a field trip. Subsequent chapters take readers to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in April 1912, as Ordinary Seaman Angus Seaton works with the crew of a ship charged with recovering the bodies of the Titanic victims. The lives of these two young men intertwine as Kevin in the present day seeks to solve the mystery of why his father inherited the estate of Angus Seaton, a man he did not know. Kevin sets out to quiet the ghost of a girl who haunts him and discovers the far-reaching effects of the tragedy. The action moves quickly, and readers learn about the recovery and identification of victims taken to Halifax. The author's note gives insight into the process of identification as well as the role Canadians had in the recovery effort. A prior knowledge of Titanic history will make this book more appealing as it begins where many other accounts end.-Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Kevin's family receives a mysterious invitation to stay at a house in Halifax. Soon after arrival, Kevin starts hearing a ghost: "Where's Michael? What have you done with my boy?" Some investigating leads to the discovery of a family secret tied to the Titanic disaster. The real-life events on which the story is based are fascinating; the ghost story is mildly chilling. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Titanic disaster, but he doesn't expect to go back in time and live through the shipwreck. Some chapters of this successful introduction to the famous disaster for middle graders take readers to 1912, when 17-year-old Angus Seaton works on a boat out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Sent to pick up the floating bodies from the Titanic, Angus pulls a dead girl from the water and pockets her little purse. He intends to return it to the body but forgets about it for too long. Later her ghost haunts him, crying for her lost baby. When modern-day Kevin's family inherits Seaton's house, Kevin finds the purse and, with it, the ghost. Eventually Kevin finds himself actually on board the sinking Titanic, rushing to find the girl to set her spirit free. Lawson creates a believable class cut-up in Kevin and keeps the narrative moving along whether following Kevin or Angus. Readers see Kevin making poor decisions, but they will also sympathize and like the boy as he chases his obsession with the doomed ocean liner. Although the tone seems light, the events lead to thrilling suspense. Kevin's trip back to the sinking ship places readers at the scene. An exciting and capable introduction to the always-fascinating tale. (Paranormal suspense. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Kevin is the class clown of his seventh-grade class and, in his eyes, a disappointment to his family. One subject has him rapt, though: the school unit on the Titanic. When an old house is mysteriously left to Kevin's father in a stranger's will, the family heads up to Halifax to spruce up the old place. That's when a ghostly woman's voice begins asking Kevin, Where's Michael? Intercut with this story is the tale of 17-year-old Angus, a young seaman in 1912 whose boat, the Mackay-Bennett, is tasked with the awful chore of dredging the bodies of Titanic victims out of the water. Though Angus' haunting story is more engaging than that of the bratty Kevin, both intertwine in a clever way and culminate with Kevin somehow breaking through time and space to find himself on the sinking luxury liner on a mission to right a century-old wrong and it's hard to invent a conclusion that intrinsically exciting. A strong author's note describes the real-life inspirations behind this satisfying story.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
