That’s a long title, but it’s all necessary. This isn’t your average I Survived book, part of Lauren Tarshis‘s fascinating series published by Scholastic. Instead, this is a graphic-novel re-interpretation by the artistic Argentinian team at Haus Studios (2020)—and I hope they keep them coming!

This past summer, I had discovered this series in some Free Little Libraries, reading such installments as I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 and I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916. While as an adult who loves true adventure, I wasn’t so keen on the fictional stories that only describe how the characters didn’t die (as opposed to tips on how anyone might survive similar events), I truly enjoyed these stories and the factual bits Tarshis threw in at the end. This is a series I’ll keep looking for, and even more so now that they might develop even more graphic novels!

This story follows a boy named George who’s riding in a First-Class berth aboard the Titanic with his aunt and younger sister. He’s an adventurous kid who occasionally gets into trouble, but he’s also kind and considerate, loving his sister and making friends with an Italian family in Third Class. While chasing a story about a mummy in the baggage hold, George comes face-to-face with a scar-faced stowaway, yet is rescued by a clamor in the ship—the very moment it rammed the iceberg.

The adventure is far less an adrenaline rush as, say, the movie Titanic or the detailed account in A Night to Remember, but for kids new to the story, it’s exciting enough, and the pictures certainly crank it up a notch. The artwork carries deep hues of blue, brown, and black and it’s really a lovely book to look at. The team at Haus Studio certainly did a fantastic job bringing this story to life.

I’m absolutely going to keep my eyes open for more installments to this artful series. I think these books (whether the novelizations or the graphic versions, it doesn’t matter) would serve as fantastic additions to any school or homeschool library. They’re historical, informative, exciting, and offer plenty of facts and scenarios from which teachers or parents could devise meaningful conversations. I highly recommend them.

©2021 E.T.

Read More from Lauren Tarshis:

• I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis (2010)
• I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 by Lauren Tarshis (2012)
• I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: The Graphic Novel by Lauren Tarshis and Haus Studio (2020)
• I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916: The Graphic Novel by Lauren Tarshis and Haus Studio (2020)
• I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 by Lauren Tarshis (2021)