Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Iceberg Reviews

• 
  Diana | Book of Secrets

  A middle grade adventure/mystery aboard the doomed Titanic. We know Titanic didn't have enough life boats, but did you know it actually had more than what was required at the time? I didn't! This story blends in lots of historical details about the workings of the ship, as well as what the voyage was like for the crew and passengers, leading up to the sinking. Sad but hopeful ending.
• 
  exploraDora

  Loved this story so much! Had me crying a bunch of times. Rtc.
• 
  a v a

  yayyyy. nielsen posted on her blog a few days ago giving updates on her book/life lol...and that just got me soooo hyped for this to come out. literally the reason i love historical fiction is because of her. if you follow my reviews...you should know this by now 😜.
  
  anyways....
  
  WHO ELSE IS EXCITED AND TOTALLY HYPED?!?!?!
  
  because i know i'm not the only one. goodreads better speak up rn.
  
  another reason i'm so excited for this is because i actually don't know a lot about the titanic. tbh...i've never seen the movie and only read maybe one or two books about it. and that was a whileeee ago.
  
  SO MORE HISTORY FACTS!! yay.
  
  not me nerding out i promise i'm actually not a nerd.
  
  so yeah...can't wait to read this, baby!
  
  okay, bye.
• 
  Hannah

  Oof. I really expected a lot better from Nielsen. This book is a mess, from the easiest things to get right (how can you get the number of passengers on the ship wrong? I don't even need to look it up to know--it's as well known as the name of Columbus' ships) to the cartoonish villains. Maybe I'm just too much of a Millennial and I'm seeing things that aren't there, but too often I felt like I was getting movie quote references--it's like the main research source was James Cameron. Nielsen so often knocks it out of the park with historical thrillers, and this was not thrilling. It also kept harping on "women and children first" in this really aggressive way as if to retcon that idea as standard maritime procedure, when it was actually considered really weird for Smith to order the evacuation that way (contrary to what disaster movies and books will have you think, men typically save themselves in emergencies and do not stop to help others--in most maritime disasters, crew survive and passengers die because it's every man for himself lolsob). Everyone felt like a caricature that you'd find in a really lazy historical fiction novel, which makes no sense because Nielsen is a highly talented writer! Bumbling con man who speaks openly about his plans? Check. Noble poor boy willing to die to save rich people? Check. Snooty formerly poor person trying to hide their humble backgrounds whose heart eventually melts? Check. Filthy rich girl who is weirdly understanding and kind to dirt poor people? Check. This is like a bad parody of her own stuff.
• 
  Ms. Yingling

  E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
  
  Hazel's family in England has fallen on hard times. Her father, a farmer, has died, and her mother is trying desperately to keep the family together, When an aunt who has moved to New York offers to take Hazel in and get her a job in a garment factory, Hazel knows it is her only hope of helping to support her family. She walks for four days to Southampton, but is a pound short for a ticket. She decides to stow away on the boat, and is caught only by the young porter she has befriended, Charlie. Even though he doesn't agree with her "stealing" a ticket, he manages to find an unused room to put her in, as long as she will pay for the ticket when she makes enough money in America. Hazel also finds support from former governness Mrs. Abelman, who loans her a notebook, as well as the wealthy Sylvia Thorngood, who wants to hang out with her despite the objections of her governess. There are sevearl suspicious things going on, like a fire in the coal bins, and the Mollisons, who see to be up to know good. Hazel, using a pen she borrowed from someone and didn't give back, is taking notes about the Titanic, hoping to sell her story. Sylvia praises her, and hopes that she can be one of the first female journalists in the world. Hazel talks to an engineering student and even the captain about how the boat is constructed, and has some thoughts about the gates between third class and the rest of the boat. She takes advantage of Syliva's loan of a better dress to prowl around the upper class decks, gathering information. The Mollisons, however, are wary of her and steal her notebook, fearing she will scuttle their plans. Of course, as well all know, there is only one way the story of the Titanic ends. Who will survive? Who will perish? There is a short section on fact versus fiction in the story at the end of the book.
  Strengths: Even after 110 years, the survival story of the Titanic is appealing to readers, and I occasionally have a student who is just obsessed with the topic, so I have a fair number of books in the library about this fateful voyage. Hazel is a solid character who has ambitious hopes and dreams, and is defying the odds to make a new life in the US. The supporting characters represent a wide range of personlities and social classes, which is interesting. This had more information about how the ship was constructed than any fictional account I have read, and this will make it very appealing to those who have already read a bit about the event.
  Weaknesses: There were a couple of things that seemed historically suspect. Would Hazel have borrowed a pen and not returned it? Weren't there a decent number of female reporters in the 1800s? Nielsen's work is usually so well researched, and this felt a bit rushed. Will my students have these complaints? Absolutely not.
  What I really think: There are a fair number of decent Titanic books, but a lot of mine are older. Korman's 2011 trilogy, Tarshis' 2010 I Survived, Weyn's 2009 Distant Waves, White's 1998 Voyage on the Great Titanic, Bunting's 1996 SOS Titanic, and Williams' Titanic Crossing are a small sampling of ones I have in my library, and they are looking rough. Nielsen's work is popular, and the topic still interests students, so I will purchase this one, even though there were some things about it that didn't strike me quite right.
• 
  MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book

  4 stars. Ah this was such a fun read. Granted I’m a sucker for Nielsen’s middle grade historical fiction, and this one was pretty darn predictable. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
  
  After finishing it, and crying bc well it is what I do, I thought about how predictable it was. Sure it’s an historical fiction and I knew what was going to happen w to the Titanic. However, I say predictable bc the characters were obvious. There was the rich friend who befriends the poor girl. There was the wealthy woman, who pretends not to be wealthy. There’s the poor kid who works for his family’s well being but willing to give it all up. The characters were predictable, the mystery was predictable, and the Will leaving everything to Hazel <\spoiler> was predictable.
  
  Tho, I still enjoyed it and think kids will as well.
  
  I did learn a few things like the deposit boxes for valuables and how short the gates were separating the classes. I also enjoyed the story. Tho, I legit own and love all of her MG historical fiction books.
  
  The Facts vs. Fiction questions at the end were fantastic.
• 
  Pam Page

  Jennifer Nielsen is my go-to recommendation for historical fiction for middle grade and this book is another great Titanic story with characters kids will love. I especially loved the back matter that Jennifer included about what is factual in the story.
• 
  Tegan

  Not what I had hoped. DNF 50%.
• 
  Valerie McEnroe

  I have been anticipating this book for months, which makes my disappointment so much more irritating. I love Jennifer Nielsen, but this book doesn't cut it.
  
  How can you miss the mark on the Titanic story? Everyone, even those who shun historical books, are drawn to this tragedy. A massive boat sinks, in the middle of the freezing ocean, while another ship sits within visual range. A thousand people go down with the ship along with their stories of unbelief, of chaos, of a shared realization that death is certain. All that, and this is the story Nielsen comes up with.
  
  Chapter one is classic Nielsen. Hook, line and sinker. The next few chapters aren't bad either. Hazel's character is set up as a poor English girl, arriving at the dock with less than enough money to buy a 3rd-class ticket. Her only option? Find a trunk and sneak onboard. All good. From there we begin to see the unraveling.
  
  Hazel wants to be a journalist so she finds scraps of paper and begins recording questions, convinced the answers will lead to a headline story. The absurd part of all this is that the questions have to do with things like hull structure and bulkheads and icebergs. In short, Hazel is asking all the questions that no one on the real Titanic asked or even thought of. All it does is throw the impending disaster into our face right from the get go, when what we want is a slow build.
  
  Along with the distraction from conversations and activities that would have really been happening on the ship, is a farfetched, highly unrealistic ring-around involving a wealthy girl traveling with her governess, a devious couple, and a nice, elderly widowed passenger. It's all about who has money, who wants it, and how they're going to get it. Hazel becomes a thorn in the side of the devious couple since she's always overhearing things she shouldn't, a 3rd class meddling in the affairs of 1st class which is also unlikely. It worked for Leo DiCaprio because that was a simple love story. This convoluted plot brings the whole story down.
  
  So what about the iceberg since that's the title? The Titanic hits the iceberg on page 257. The book is over on page 334. The tragedy. The story that we really want to know. The details of those harrowing two hours from iceberg strike to impossible sinking. It's glossed over. I wanted Hazel, Charlie and Sylvia all over that boat. Inspecting the damage. Warning the boiler room workers. Dragging 3rd-class passengers through an obstacle course of stairways and locked gates. Instead I get this Titanic movie knockoff of people held against their will, with not a shred of proof this even happened.
  
  It's still the Titanic, which sells itself. Nielsen can be grateful for that. Otherwise, this book would go straight to the bottom of the Atlantic, with the ship that gave it a story.
• 
  Amy

  3.5 stars Jennifer Nielsen is the queen of suspenseful Historical Fiction for middle grade readers. Her appeal is great because she has a true knack for helping kids understand significant events in history by allowing them to feel a part of it within the pages of her novels. She is someone that I recommend often to kids who are looking for a fast-moving historical novel complete with cliffhangers after most chapters.
  
  I was very excited to read this book, but sadly, it didn't rank as high for me as her other novels have. Jennifer uses the main character of twelve year old Hazel Rothbury as the educator of the story. In other words, Hazel's intrigue of the Titanic's characteristics (its structure, the way it was made, the interior, the exterior) are used to educate the reader on things that they might not know about the story or the ocean liner itself. This is a clever way to bring the reader in to the story. But the intrigue is touted as Hazel having a strong desire to document all the she sees on the ship so that she can later write an article for a newspaper about her experience on the ship. Consequently, Hazel's unquenchable intrigue gets her into countless precarious situations as a stowaway and she finds herself in trouble time and time again with the crew of the ship. This is the first of many, many things in the book that feel unbelievable and unlikely.
  
  As I read the book, I tried to tell myself that kids would be more open to the unlikelihood of certain things happening on the ship than maybe I would as an adult. But there were just too many even for kids, I think. But we'll see. I am planning on using this book for a Middle Grade book club in April, so I'll be interested to see what the kids say.
  
  This book is not a "deal breaker" for me when it comes to affection towards the author. I will be once again excited for anything she writes because I know she deeply cares about her young readers and what they will learn from her novels.
• 
  Jessica Harrison

  There’s something about the Titanic that draws people in. More than 110 years since its tragic sinking, people still clamor to hear stories about the unsinkable ship that was taken out by an iceberg.
  
  In Iceberg, Jennifer A. Nielsen imagines what that journey could have been like for a young stowaway.
  
  Nielsen has become a master at historical fiction for children (A Night Divided, Resistance, Lines of Courage). She makes past events come alive by artfully telling the story through mystery, action and compelling characters. The same is true of Iceberg.
  
  At the center of the story is Hazel, a quick-thinking young woman who has an eye for details and boundless curiosity. By making Hazel a young person, Nielsen has not only made her relatable to readers, but she’s made her someone who can easily move about the ship. With a borrowed dress, Hazel can move within the different classes, giving readers a glimpse of life for everyone onboard.
  
  Nielsen’s writing is warm and practiced. She writes to her audience, challenging them to solve Hazel’s mystery alongside her. Nielsen’s pacing, too, is spot-on, echoing the experiences — both languid and immediate — of the passengers.
  
  Iceberg is a fast-paced survival story that will appeal to a wide cross-section of readers. It works well as an individual read or as a read-aloud in a classroom setting. It’s thrilling and suspenseful and will have readers on the edge of their seats.
• 
  Kim McGee

  A glorious and deadly adventure aboard the much acclaimed queen of the sea - the unsinkable Titanic.
  We see a different side of the story (especially if your main source of information is from watching the movie) as seen from the viewpoint of a young girl on her way to work in an American factory in order to support her family back in England. Her trip gets off to a rocky start but she befriends a porter and two first class passengers. One wants to be her friend and the other older passenger encourages Hazel to write and follow her passion for journalism. Class differences aside Hazel sees the good and bad in the passengers and crew but nothing worries her more than a growing number of safety concerns that have been dismissed by the crew and Captain. We all know what happened in those icy Mid Atlantic waters. Nail biting historical fiction that combines adventure and deeper issues with characters we care about - the perfect combination that Jennifer A. Nielsen excels at. Her books appeal to a broad audience making them wonderful family reads or audiobook listens. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
• 
  Jen Pham for Literary Leftovers Bookstore

  Iceberg by Jennifer Nielsen
  
  
  Having previously enjoyed Nielsen’s novel Resistance (set in Poland during the Holocaust), and being familiar with many accounts of the Titanic disaster, I am quite pleased to have the opportunity to review this book. Thankfully, the novel exceeded my expectations. In Iceberg, our heroine is a young woman named Hazel. Lacking funds, she snuck aboard the Titanic, and dreams of becoming an investigative journalist in order to save her family from poverty. Hazel’s talent for writing and strong sense of morality will be put to the test as disaster becomes imminent aboard the ship. Nielsen creates memorable characters, while slipping valuable history lessons effortlessly into the plot. This is a powerful story of adventure, friendship, and ultimately, survival. Although geared towards middle grade readers, I believe this book can be a pleasurable read for those of all ages.
• 
  Darla

  The Titanic is a subject that continues to fascinate us all. We wonder if we would have found a way to survive? Would we have helped others at the expense of our own lives? Why weren't there enough lifeboats? In this latest title from Jennifer A. Nielsen, we see the voyage through the eyes of a young girl who has stowed away on the ship. Hazel Rothbury has dreams of being a journalist and is encouraged to cling to those dreams despite her third class status. I was enthralled by the story and, while reasonably confident that Hazel would be a survivor, was still on the edge of my seat as the ship began to sink. Readers will learn many true facts about the disaster and the ship in the reading of this book. It is hard to know what we would do if faced with such an emergency. One thing I do know: if my husband was on that ship with me, he'd be looking for floatables. He repeatedly assure me of this when we first watched the James Cameron version many years ago.
  
  Thank you to Scholastic Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Rubi

  Learned new things!
  
  I love it when a book teaches me things I didn't know. I was a child when the movie came out and have since done a LOT of research about Titanic, so when I learn something new it fascinates me.
  For example, I knew there was a Jack but I didn't know he literally told someone to "shut up" when they sent iceberg warnings! 😱
  Yes, much of the plot was ficitonal, but under the guise of becoming a journalist, Hazel asked a lot of safety questions for the ship. This led to me learning more about about the running of Titanic and that there was a fire on the ship before anyone even boarded!
  So many warnings, so many signs, so many safety protocols ignored.....it almost felt like they sunk the ship on purpose. Such a tragedy 🥺
  Hazel felt the loss of those she'd befriended but they encouraged her to live and tell their story! Once again, Mrs. Nielsen wrote an excellent middle grade historical fiction novel that I simply could not put down 👏👏👏
• 
  Margaret

  Utterly compelling from beginning to end. A large portion of the book focuses on the passengers, particularly on a curious stowaway and the people she meets. From 256-334 it shifts to the striking of the iceberg and the efforts of many to save others. The descriptions prior to and after the hitting of the iceberg fabulous. Readers are entirely in you-are-there mode. The author's note and acknowledgements at the end are very appreciated.
  
  NOTE: One review mentions the main character, Hazel Rothbury, borrowing an envelope and pen from a first-class passenger to take notes. She does not give them back because on page 7 we read he told her to keep them. She did not take the pen as this reviewer mentioned.
• 
  Courtney Sanchez

  I think this was a fabulous middle grade read. I read other reviews that it wasn’t this authors best work or as good as her other. I disagree. This was written for 8-12 years old. It is teaches about the History of the Titanic in an age appropriate way. The main character learns about class, friendship, and what it means to be a hero on her journey. I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction, but I definitely recommend to my students passed and present!
• 
  Heather

  I’m a big fan of Nielsen’s books but this one was a bit of a letdown. A lot of the plot felt too convenient. Maybe there were people who questioned the lack of lifeboats and constantly thought about the impact a potential iceberg would have on the ship. It just didn’t seem that believable to me that our protagonist would pick up all that info and basically predict what would happen. However, I did enjoy the mix of characters.
• 
  Leigh Anne

  Hazel Rothbury, a stowaway on the Titanic, is a feisty young girl making her way to America in hopes of finding a factory job and sending money back home to her family. But Hazel has her own ambitious dream: to become a journalist. And what better place to find a story than on the Titanic's maiden voyage? This is a book about adventure, suspense, and disaster wrapped up in a story about finding your own dream.
• 
  Megan

  ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Incredibly engaging middle grade historical fiction - sometimes reading a book intended for younger audiences, I think, “well if I were the target reader age I might have liked it more.” But this one is just straight up enjoyable and exciting, whether you’re an adult or a kid. Recommended reading for anyone drawn to stories set on the Titanic.
• 
  Candice

  This book was fantastic! I read it so quickly I actually forgot to come back here and update my book status. I love the Titanic and this new historical fiction is such a great adaptation. There is a mystery while on the Titanic. You have a stowaway that crosses many class lines in her best to solve this mystery. I've already passed my copy on to a student.
• 
  Jenna Gail Julian

  One of my new favorite books from Jennifer A. Nielsen! My students and I eagerly waited for this book’s release for months. Historical fiction is one of our favorite genres and her books are very well-loved by us. I truly couldn’t put this one down!
• 
  Heather Jensen

  Another top notch historical fiction novel from Jennifer A. Nielsen! New perspectives and points of view make The Titanic as fascinating as always. Hazel, Charlie, Sylvia, and Mrs. Abelman will live in my heart for a long time. They are awe inspiring!