We’re looking at books about shipwrecks today! I’ve come across a few articles about newly-found shipwrecks lately, and I’ve linked more at the bottom of this post. One that I particularly liked is about a father and daughter who recently discovered a shipwreck on Lake Michigan while out fishing.
THE NEWS STORY:
In the summer of 2023, a father and his six-year old daughter were fishing on Lake Michigan. The boat’s sonar picked up something different on the lake floor. Turns out, they discovered a shipwreck from 1871!
Experts believe the shipwreck is the George L. Newman, a ship that ran aground during the Great Peshtigo Fire 150 years ago. While the fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin itself was very deadly, all the crew survived the George L. Newman shipwreck. The ship had run aground due to low visibility from smoke from the fire.
Interestingly, the Great Peshtigo Fire started the same day as the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
I love this shipwreck story for kids because, in this case, a lighthouse keeper rescued the crew. We so often talk about Titanic in schools, but Titanic was a horrific disaster with many deaths. This is a much gentler story since all the crew members survived. I also love that this shipwreck was found by a normal father and young daughter out fishing.
You can read more about this story here.
BEYOND TITANIC
Shipwrecks are such an interesting topic for kids and teens, but so many of them only know about Titanic and not the huge number of shipwrecks around the world.
Share these shipwreck facts with your students:
- There are over 3 million shipwrecks around the world. Many of them are small, such as fishing boats. (source)
- Shipwrecks can pose hazards to other ships and to marine life. (source)
- Some ships are sunk on purpose! This may be to stimulate reef growth or create a place to train divers. (source)
- Titanic rests in the bathypelagic ocean zone, also known as the midnight zone. (source)
Want to use the “Shipwrecks” display poster above? Download it here:
- edit in Canva (open this link in your Canva account, then go to FILE – MAKE A COPY)
- download a copy in your Google Drive — This PDF is not editable. Google messes up the formatting too much, so I flattened the poster. If you want to edit the poster, use the Canva link above. Canva accounts are free for teachers and school librarians. If you don’t have a Canva account yet, you are really missing out!
FIVE BOOKS ABOUT SHIPWRECKS
Get your shipwrecks display started with these 5 books! All the following titles received at least two positive professional reviews on Titlewave. For this list, all five books also received starred professional reviews, as noted.
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Published: 2 Feb 2016
Genre: historical fiction
Setting: January, 1945; Prussia and Poland
Recommended for: Grades 7-12
Themes: alternating viewpoints, WWII, Nazi Germany, Wilhelm Gustloff, shipwrecks, maritime disasters, Jewish evacuations, Holocaust, historical events, refugees
Protagonist: 4 protagonists - 1 female refugee, young Lithuanian nurse; 1 young male refugee, Prussian; 1 pregnant Polish teen refugee; 1 young male, German Nazi
Starred reviews: Library Journal, Booklist, SLJ, Publishers Weekly
Pages: 400
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.
Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Publication Date: 26 Sep 2023
Genre: adventure, thriller, ecofiction
Setting: Key West, Florida, USA
Recommended for: Grades 5-9
Themes: salvaging shipwrecks, crime, smuggling, COVID-19, environmental degradation, conservation, cemeteries, tourism industry
Protagonist: male, age 15, biracial
Starred reviews: Booklist
Pages: 336
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather salvaged shipwrecks for a living.
So is it destiny, irony, or just bad luck when Wrecker comes across a speedboat that has run hard aground on a sand flat? The men in the boat don’t want Wrecker to call for help—in fact, they’ll pay him to forget he ever saw them.
Wrecker would be happy to forget, but he keeps seeing these men all over Key West—at the marina, in the cemetery, even right outside his own door. And now they want more than his silence—they want a lookout.
He’ll have to dive deep into their shady dealings to figure out a way to escape this tangled net…
Author: Martin W. Sandler
Publication Date: 31 Oct 2023
Genre: nonfiction, STEM
Setting: deep oceans around the world, including off the coasts of Turkey, South Korea, and South Africa
Recommended for: Grades 5-8
Themes: shipwrecks, ocean, marine science, technology, exploration, marine archaeology, diving, Korean haenyeo divers, slave ships, warships
Protagonist: multiple diverse scientists and divers; includes men and women
Starred reviews: SLJ
Pages: 144
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Most of the world’s ocean floor remains to be discovered. In fact, it’s estimated to be home to over 3 million sunken vessels and countless treasures of the past.
This enthralling and adventure-filled nonfiction book for young readers recounts some of the most captivating shipwrecks from history, ranging from the Shinan, a Chinese merchant ship laden with riches from the 14th century, to the HMS Erebus and Terror, two polar exploration ships that mysteriously disappeared in the early 1800s.
Combining new research, stunning archival material, and vivid storytelling, Shipwrecked! dives deep into the world of marine archaeology and shows young readers what each discovery reveals about the world before our time.
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publication Date: 7 Mar 2023
Genre: historical fiction, adventure, survival
Setting: onboard the RMS Titanic, April 1912
Recommended for: Grades 3-8
Themes: Titanic, famous shipwrecks, maritime disasters, sweatshops, poverty, stowaways, social class, privilege, journalism, immigrants
Protagonist: female, age 12, white, British
Starred reviews: School Library Connection
Pages: 352
Notes: Includes primary source photographs, articles, and documents throughout
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.
But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic‘s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that mother didn’t send her with enough money for a ticket, she decides she must stow away onboard the storied ship.
With the help of a porter named Charlie and a sweet first-class passenger named Sylvia, Hazel explores the opulent ship in secret, but a haunting mystery quickly finds her. The danger only intensifies when calamity strikes, and readers will be caught up in the terror and suspense alongside Hazel as she fights to save her friends and herself.
Author: Stacey Lee
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Genre: picture book
Setting: onboard the RMS Titanic, April 1912
Recommended for: Grades 7-12
Themes: immigration, Titanic, Chinese Exclusion Act, circus performers, stowaways, shipwrecks, world history, discrimination, siblings, twins, survival
Protagonist: female, age 17, Chinese and British, acrobat, twin
Starred reviews: Kirkus, Booklist, SLJ, and Publishers Weekly
Pages: 384
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Valora Luck has two things: a ticket for the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life for herself as a circus performer in New York. Much to her surprise though, she’s turned away at the gangway; apparently, Chinese aren’t allowed into America.
But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is there, as is an influential circus owner, whom Val hopes to audition for. Thankfully, there’s not much a trained acrobat like Val can’t overcome when she puts her mind to it.
As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, perform for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America.
Then one night the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val’s dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.
More Articles about recent shipwreck discoveries
- “Famous Shipwreck Found.” Time For Kids. 18 Mar 2022. – This article is about the 2022 discovery of the Endurance in Antarctica.
- Newcomb, Tim. “A Shipwreck in Rhode Island Appears to Actually Be Captain Cook’s Long-Lost Ship.” Popular Mechanics. 1 Dec 2023.
- “Colombia Says It Will Try to Retrieve Treasures from ‘Holy Grail’ of Shipwrecks, Which May Hold Cargo Worth Billions.” CBS News, CBS Interactive. 21 Dec 2023.
More “5 Books” lists + display posters
