Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2002)

Miss Mackle's third-grade class finishes off their ancestor studies by taking a boat ride in honor of one class member's relative--a Titanic survivor. Kline captures classroom dynamics well and knows what details--like Dexter's seasickness--young readers love. The newest addition to the reliable series is illustrated with plenty of lively pen-and-ink drawings.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-3-When the students in Room 3B share stories and items to describe their ancestors, everyone is curious about Ida's black box. They are even more intrigued when they learn that her great-great-grandmother sailed on the Titanic, and that the box contains mementos of her voyage. Suddenly the whole class takes an interest in ships, and Harry suggests that they take a sea voyage of their own. Miss Mackle arranges for them to travel on a riverboat, and buys them all sailor hats for the outing. On the day of the field trip, everyone is thrilled to be onboard, until suddenly Sidney disappears and Song Lee sees his hat floating in the river. They soon find him by the snack bar, however, and enjoy the rest of the ride. In this 13th book about Harry and his friends at South School, Kline has created a lively, entertaining story filled with fascinating facts about pirates and sailing. Fans of the young protagonist's antics may be disappointed that this book focuses less on him, but they'll still enjoy the class's exploits. Newcomers to the series will have no trouble starting out with this title. A fun, transitional chapter book.-Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A unit on the study of ancestors sends Classroom 3B to sea when Ida, one of Harry's classmates, reveals that her great-great-grandmother was one of the survivors of the sinking of the Titanic . Everyone wishes that they could sail aboard a big ship too, so Miss Mackle decides to take them on a riverboat trip. The whole class gears up by reading about all kinds of ships and even pirates. As they walk down the gangplank, each wearing his or her own personalized sailing hat, their spirits are not even dampened when they must sit on the lower deck. A bout of seasickness, a missing classmate, and even a rain shower keep the onboard action moving. Lively text and humorous drawings will entice even reluctant readers to call "All Aboard!" for this next volume in the Horrible Harry series. (Fiction. 7-9)

ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

When a classroom discussion of ancestors leads to research on the Titanic , Henry and his classmates become fascinated with ships. Soon their teacher arranges for a field trip aboard a riverboat cruising the Connecticut River. Despite a lost (and later found) earring, a lost (and later found) boy, and a case of seasickness, the voyage ends well. The book's multicultural casting makes for varied and interesting discussions of the children's ancestors and how they crossed the oceans to America. But readers can rest assured that bits of humor keep this beginning chapter book riding high in the water. Children who have read Harry's previous adventures will happily climb aboard just to spend a little time with Harry and his friends. Remkiewicz's cheerful ink drawings heighten the appeal.