Collision Course is the second book in Gordon Korman's middle-grade Titanic trilogy.
I encourage all of you to read the first book in the Titanic trilogy, Unsinkable, before reading my review of Collision Course. This is because despite me not having any spoilers in my review for this book, it is inevitable that there will be details here that will spoil Unsinkable! And, this is an excellent trilogy that you do not want to spoil - so please avert your eyes and go read Unsinkable!!!
Now - all of you bibliophiles that HAVE read Unsinkable may proceed...
Paddy, Juliana, Sophie, and Alfie have formed an unorthodox friendship on the luxurious Titanic. Paddy is a stowaway on the run from the very people who killed his best friend Daniel, Juliana is a first-class young lady with a father that has a scandalous obsession with gambling, Sophie is also a first-class young lady but an American with a suffragette for a mother, and Alfie is trying his hardest to not give away that he doesn't meet the age requirement for his job as Junior Steward for the White Star Line.
Yet they've found each other. And that's not the only thing they've found...
They have found evidence that suggests that Jack the Ripper, the notorious murderer that was never caught, may very well be on the ship - and our four characters find themselves in the midst of a dangerous mystery, as each of them tries desperately to hide their own secrets from the outside world.
But then the Titanic hits an iceberg... and everything is about to change...
Like I said in my review of the first book in this series, Unsinkable, I am a huge fan of the movie Titanic, and after watching it found myself fascinated with the luxury liner that ended up in such tragedy. Gordon Korman's writing honestly soaks up the atmosphere of that time and that setting and just lets me burrow in and gaze in wonder. He makes it so believable and our four main characters all so different and unique in their perspective, Collision Course just feels like another layer to Titanic, the movie. Like these characters were there all along and we are now hearing their stories.
Since I've been oh-so-wonderfully-overwhelmingly-excitingly busy with reading, rereading books in a series before reading the next book has become something that is next to impossible right now. So, it was nice how Gordon Korman's writing helped me to remember where all the various plots left off without having an overt, lengthy recap. With a book this short, there's just no time for that! But he did help me catch up, which I was happy about.
The new twist on Jack the Ripper adds an extra dose of suspense and mystery, without feeling at all cheesy. It all felt very real, and when I thought I had a handle on what the revelation would be - I was wrong. Which is awesome.
This is really a series for any reader who is interested in historical fiction, or the Titanic specifically. Despite the characters being fourteen and fifteen, the story is accessible to all ages.
When I turned the final page, I was more than ready for the final book coming out in September - S.O.S.
And worried. Because we all know what happens to the Titanic, but we sure don't know what's going to happen to Paddy, Sophie, Alfie, and Juliana!
***ALERT: Due to continued bibliophile reading overdosing, I am continuing the 5 reviews a week through August. After that, I am absolutely returning to only 3 reviews a week in September and on. So, we'll just think of this as a summer special! Thanks for reading!!!
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