Tied to a fence post on a rainy night, dog Mutt knows something is amiss. His beloved Alice wouldn't leave him like this. He hears Alice's father say they are leaving for the New World and can't take Mutt. Want to bet? Mutt breaks free, races to the docks, and sneaks aboard the fated Titanic with the help of a friendly rat. Add the captain's cat, Clara, and three orphaned kittens to the mix, and readers will find themselves embarking on an exciting, sometimes humorous, adventure. In the pandemonium after the Titanic hits the iceberg, Clara helps get the kittens on a lifeboat, while Mutt desperately searches for Alice and her father. Charman's imagined animals take center stage in her story, although the human characters are not forgotten. In this first entry of the middle-grade Survival Tails series, she blends well-written, riveting animal fantasy with historical information about the ship's disastrous voyage. Back matter includes information about actual animals on the Titanic, animal trivia, facts about the ship, and a historical time line.

Animal fantasy meets history in this enjoyable new series about dogs who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances: aboard the Titanic and on Shackleton's expedition. Occasional realistic illustrations highlight key narrative events. An appended author's note in each reveals surprising real-life facts woven into the stories: a cat traveled with Shackleton's men to the Antarctic; several dogs survived the Titanic's sinking. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos.

Mutt, a mangy mongrel living in Southampton, England, is desperate to follow his owners to the New World, but his quest will force him to confront his two biggest fears: cramped places and open water. With the help of King Leon, a worldly-wise rat, Mutt is able to find his way past the crew and onto the ship. But finding Alice, his person, will be no easy task for a furry stowaway. The ship is extraordinary and the food plentiful, but the maiden voyage of the ocean liner dubbed "the unsinkable ship" ends up being far more dangerous than Mutt imaged. However, with the help of Clara, the captain's cat, and the wisdom of King Leon, he might not only save himself, but his owners and a trio of kittens along the way. This new take on the infamous tragedy of the Titanic is full of close calls and animal high jinks, but it fails to differentiate itself sufficiently from the many other takes on the doomed "ship of dreams." Backmatter includes animal facts, the Titanic timeline, details about the ship, and a glossary.A pet's-eye view of the story of the Titanic that fails to stand out from the ocean of retellings. (Historical fantasy. 8-12)

Gr 3-6 Titanic -obsessed readers will be in for a treat with this new twist for youngsters fascinated with the events surrounding the sinking of the infamous British liner. Young Alice tearfully boards the ship with her father, unhappy that she must leave behind her beloved dog, Mutt. Unbeknownst to her, Mutt stows away on the ship, determined to find his owner. A street-wise rat named King Leon and the captain's helpful cat, Clara, become his unlikely allies in finding hiding places and leftover scraps. While the trio takes care of a litter of abandoned kittens, they join in the search for Alice. The keen eyesight of the cat spies the dreaded iceberg even before the crew notices. As the ship begins to sink, the animals come to the rescue multiple times. King Leon advises his animal buddies to "follow the rats" as rodents are known to be imbued with shrewd survival skills, while Clara leads them to safety with her well-worn familiarity of the boat's stairways and halls. Mutt's discovery of Alice leads to a dramatic moment when only women and girls are allowed to board the lifeboats, potentially leaving the dog and father to perish onboard. The dog selflessly saves her life. Those who love animal stories and history about the Titanic will be rewarded with the perfect combination of adventure and history. The back of the book includes additional information about the Titanic and interesting facts about dogs, cats, and rats. VERDICT Recommend this book to readers of Lauren Tarshis's "I Survived" tales. Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA