March 1, 2021
Seventeen-year-old Valora Luck boards the Titanic in search of her twin brother--and destiny. As children, Val and Jamie performed acrobatics to bring in money during lean times, dreaming of one day becoming circus stars. But after their White British mother's death, Jamie left to work for the Atlantic Steam Company while Val stayed in London to care for their Chinese father. Now, with both parents gone, Val is determined to find what's left of her family and forge a new path in America. There is, of course, the Chinese Exclusion Act to contend with, but Val is confident that she and Jamie can convince one of the ship's passengers, a part owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus, to hire them and bring them into the country. Unexpected allies provide help along the way, including an American couture designer and Jamie's fellow Chinese steamship workers. Issues of racial and class discrimination are seamlessly woven into the story as Val's adventure takes her through the Titanic's various decks, from a first-class suite to the boiler rooms. Her wit and pluck give the story such buoyancy that when tragedy strikes, it almost comes as a surprise. Anticipation of the inevitable adds a layer of tension to the narrative, especially with a sober note prefacing the book that informs readers, "Of the eight Chinese passengers aboard the Titanic, six survived." A gem from start to bittersweet finish. (Titanic diagram, list of characters, author's notes) (Historical fiction. 13-18)
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Starred review from April 5, 2021
After two years apart from her twin brother, Jamie, British Chinese Valora Luck, 17, is boarding the Titanic, intent on finding Jamie, a coal worker heading to Cuba alongside seven other Chinese men. When the Chinese Exclusion Act results in Val being turned away at the first-class gangway despite her ticket, she engages the childhood acrobatic arts training the twins’ late father provided, climbing aboard with the assistance of white aspiring American haute couturier April Hart. Val is intent on gaining an audience with a partial owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus, certain that it’s the siblings’ chance to go big-time in New York. With cleverness and determination, Val dons disguises to navigate between classes and decks, securing a public audience with him. But there are those who would see them fail, and soon, circumstances beyond their control throw everyone’s plans—and lives—into question. Lee (The Downstairs Girl) deftly sketches a compassionate cast and immerses readers in the ship’s architecture and socially stratified atmosphere, sustaining suspense throughout by foreshadowing the disaster to come. A finely crafted historical exploration of identity, class, and family that resonates through the present. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary.
Starred review from May 1, 2021
Gr 6 Up-Lee's revelatory novel uncovers the tale of eight Chinese passengers braving shipwreck through the travails of a resourceful heroine. Valora Luck is in line for the RMS Titanic when she discovers that the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 will bar her from entering the United States, where she dreams of becoming a circus acrobat. But Valora needs to get on the ship for another reason-she's desperate to find her sailor brother, Jamie. After smuggling herself onboard, Valora disguises herself as a veiled widow and gains access to a first-class cabin. Valora's need to pass as a first-class, white English lady vies with her desire to rejoin her brother and his band of Chinese British sailors. She also craves the chance to showcase her acrobatic talent while navigating a ship's geography defined by class, gender, immigration status, and race. Excitement abounds long before the Titanic hits an iceberg, and the twist ending aligns with the historical record. While the stakes of Valora's quest are high, they don't detract from the joy of reading Lee's complex depiction of identity. Valora and Jamie are London-born children of a Chinese father and a Cockney mother, who switch fluidly between English and Cantonese. Through Jamie's Chinese crew, Lee depicts a nuanced spectrum of bilingualism and cultural hybridity. VERDICT With a compassionate, strong heroine and a diverse cast, this is an exciting, important retelling of the Titanic tragedy.-Katherine Magyarody, Texas A&M Univ., College Station
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2021
Lee builds an original story around the little-known fact that eight of the Titanic passengers were Chinese men. This engaging historical novel adds a fictional young woman in stowaway Valora Luck, a biracial seventeen-year-old maid and former acrobat of English and Chinese heritage, as she reunites with her sailor twin brother and dreams of life in America. Despite having a first-class ticket, Valora is turned away because of her heritage. But once she sneaks aboard, the resourceful teen uses her wits to move around the ship in disguise, pretending to be sometimes her deceased employer, sometimes a young sailor. Lee creates vivid backstories for her characters and explores daily life on the luxury liner for upper- and lower-deck passengers, including scenes of racism and sexism. There are also memorable scenes of warmth, joy, romance, and daring, particularly when the twins perform for a Ringling Bros. Circus co-owner. As with most Titanic stories, the suspenseful final chapters focus on escape and survival, and the ending is heart-wrenching -- and unexpected. Lee's novel should, as she says in an author's note, "provoke a discussion about which of these characters society considers 'worthy' and which it does not." Recommended for history buffs and fans of the 1997 Titanic film; pair with The Six, a new documentary about the Chinese Titanic survivors. Michelle Lee
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from May 15, 2021
Grades 7-11 *Starred Review* Lee follows the success of The Downstairs Girl (2019) with a dauntless character's experience on an infamous ship. Valora Luck is determined to board the Titanic. After the recent death of her Chinese father and still grieving the loss of her British mother, she longs to reunite with her twin brother, Jamie, who's already on board along with his steamship crew. Val becomes hard-set on convincing Jamie to revive their acrobatic act, hoping it will impress a circus magnate on the ship, who could secure them entry into the U.S. and bypass the Chinese Exclusion Act. As a stowaway, Val experiences the opulence of first class and the contrasting xenophobia in third class, and all the while her movements throughout the ship offer a strong sense of setting and will ground readers both familiar and unfamiliar with the interior of the Titanic. The intensifying narrative is driven by Val's tenacity, but the relationships fostered with Jamie's steamship mates, whose characters are inspired by the real-life presence of eight Chinese passengers aboard the fated ship, lay the groundwork for the emotional reckoning. Lee's conversational style adds a freshness to the historical frame and achieves a thrilling balance between hope and anguish through budding romances and humor amid the looming tragedy.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
July 1, 2021
Lee builds an original story around the little-known fact that eight of the Titanic passengers were Chinese men. This engaging historical novel adds a fictional young woman in stowaway Valora Luck, a biracial seventeen-year-old maid and former acrobat of English and Chinese heritage, as she reunites with her sailor twin brother and dreams of life in America. Despite having a first-class ticket, Valora is turned away because of her heritage. But once she sneaks aboard, the resourceful teen uses her wits to move around the ship in disguise, pretending to be sometimes her deceased employer, sometimes a young sailor. Lee creates vivid backstories for her characters and explores daily life on the luxury liner for upper- and lower-deck passengers, including scenes of racism and sexism. There are also memorable scenes of warmth, joy, romance, and daring, particularly when the twins perform for a Ringling Bros. Circus co-owner. As with most Titanic stories, the suspenseful final chapters focus on escape and survival, and the ending is heart-wrenching -- and unexpected. Lee's novel should, as she says in an author's note, "provoke a discussion about which of these characters society considers 'worthy' and which it does not." Recommended for history buffs and fans of the 1997 Titanic film; pair with The Six, a new documentary about the Chinese Titanic survivors.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)