There is something about the way
Certain authors write
That makes me feel a part of their story
Emma Carroll has it
Hilary McKay
Lesley Parr
Ross Montgomery
Phil Earle
Hannah Gold and
Lindsay Galvin

I am sure there are more
But these writers
For me
Have something in their storytelling
That makes me feel
A personal connection
To the tales they tell
Their writing moves me deeply
And I feel like I am in amongst
The people and the places
The action that they write

I have just finished reading
Lindsay Galvin’s
Call of The Titanic
And I loved every word
I loved every character
From young cabin steward
Sid Daniels
To brave young hero
Clara Scott
From the brightest star in the sky
Rigel
With his super senses
To the wise, endearing
Inspirational Captain Rostron
From hero Harry Cottam
To Officer Greeve

Lindsay has a wonderful way
Of weaving together
Fact and fiction and fantasy
To make a story
Where the fictional elements
The supernatural elements
Feel perfectly possible

The sinking of Titanic
Is a story I know well
A story we are all aware of
From books, films and documentaries
A topic I have read around
Mostly in middle grade novels
And an event that has always
Fascinated me
I know the outcome of this story
And yet Lindsay managed
To make it feel fresh and new
She made me feel fear
Tension, nerves, empathy
Sorrow and anger
Relief, respect, understanding
Joy and hope
She brought me as a reader
Up close to passengers and crew
On both Titanic
And the ship Carpathia
That came to Titanic’s rescue
Through the testimony of
Sidney Daniels
A third class steward
On the Titanic
And the eyes of
Accidental stowaway on Carpathia
Clara Scott
She made me wonder
If there could have been
A different ending to this tragic tale
Lindsay made me believe
In the deep connection
Humans have with animals
Mythical and real
She made me feel part of the story
And I did not want it to end
I would happily have followed
Clara and Sid into their adult years
To see how they lived after
This chapter of their lives end

In this story
The mix of prose
Witness statements
Menus and letters
Marconi messages
Helps to build the atmosphere
Aboard the two ships
Day by day as the tale unfolds
We have the adventure story
Of headstrong big-hearted
Courageous hero Clara
Accidentally aboard Carpathia
Playing out alongside
The realisation that the great ship
Titanic
Thought to be unsinkable
Is sinking

Lindsay’s descriptions of the
Foundering Titanic are wonderful
Steeped in historical details
And real life characters
Recognised from the many accounts
Of this nautical tragedy
Many of the characters
In Lindsay’s story
I recognised from reading
Rescuing Titanic
The perfect book match for
Call of the Titanic
As it too shares the tale
Of the Captain and crew of
Carpathia

Clara and Rigel’s rescue mission
In the ice field
Is fast paced and laced with peril
A heady mix of history and fantasy
That had me turning pages at speed
I tore through this novel
I absolutely adored this story
And had to know what happened
To Clara and Rigel
The Newfoundland Bear Dog
That she came to care for
At their journey’s end

There is much to unpack
From this story
The sinking of the unsinkable ship
The quiet bravery of the
Carpathia Captain and crew
How the events of the sinking
Affected the survivors
Through the rest of their lives

This is a tale of tragedy
Of unimaginable heartache and loss
It is also a story of courage
Of survival
Of friendship

This is a tale of
A dog
A stowaway
A sea serpent
And a survivor

I urge you to read it!
It is a brilliant and beautiful book
Perhaps Lindsay Galvin’s
Best book yet?