The Titanic Detective Agency

Product Information

For any fellow teacher who may be concerned, this is a very sensitively handled account, with Bertha facing up to the horror of the sinking, but experiencing it from a distance in her lifeboat. Characters and events in the novel provide so many opportunities for pupil writing: diary entries, persuasive letters, annotated maps, fact-files, advertising brochures and posters, newspaper reports and magazine articles, descriptions and poetry, but again, that’s the teachers’ choice. I just write the stories and provide resources for teachers to use if they wish. I noted that you have done author visits to schools. What sort of thing do you do on these visits and how do pupils respond to them? Lindsay Littleson has four grown-up (ish) children and lives in the village of Uplawmoor near Glasgow. Her younger son is studying drama and Lindsay is unfailingly supportive, not wanting to repeat her faux pas of nearly thirty years ago when she tried to talk a young Ewan McGregor out of becoming an actor. She’s a full-time primary teacher and loves her job. Before becoming a teacher she spent eight years as possibly the worst PAYE auditor ever to be employed by the Inland Revenue. This is the story of Bertha and her dreams, travelling from Aberdeen to America she has to fill her time and sets up the titular detective agency. Mysteries, treasure maps, friendship, and family relationships are at the core of this well-written and fast-paced story. With The Titanic Detective Agency, we (finally!) have a Titanic text so worthy that it should be used widely in classrooms and schools across the country… a first-class children’s historical novel.’ https://thereaderteacher.com/

The Titanic Detective Agency is a really great piece of historical fiction. I loved the interweaving of fact and fiction. Bertha, Madge, Johan and some of the other characters in the book were actual passengers on the Titanic. At the end of the book there are photographs and small biographies of some of the passengers, letting you know more about the lives of those that survived. I also really loved Bertha’s realisation that she had completely underestimated her mother’s bravery and strength. The scene where Bertha recognises that bravery isn’t necessarily about daring deeds and intrepid adventures but that it can be something quite understated is really powerful and very moving. The exciting storyline, short chapters and young leads make The Titanic Detective Agency a hugely appealing book for a middle grade audience. Rating: https://getkidsintobooks.wordpress.com/

The Highway Rat - Give Us A Story!

Bertha is hoping that in America girls can do whatever they want. She wants to be heard, she wants to do something dramatic like fly planes or be a polar explorer. On the ship there are few children and she befriends Madge Collyer. Whilst looking for something to alleviate the boredom, Bertha and Madge start the Collyer-Watt Detective Agency. Their first case is the strange Mr Hoffman and his two small boys. Why doesn't he want anyone to talk to them? Is their mother really dead? In March, I did my first international author visit, and spent a wonderful three days doing workshops at the European School in Luxembourg, plus a lovely afternoon exploring the city. So grateful to the organisers for making it such an enjoyable visit. A historical story based on the story of the Titanic. We are told about the unsinkable ship and how it is built for luxury not speed. We also have a new Kahoot quiz, based on questions sent in last week. There are some amazing questions! If you want a challenge, follow the link below to the Kahoot Quiz, or use the PIN 03046741 in the Kahoot App. Finally, our video based on the organs of the Human body is on the Video Resource Centre. It has been added to the Class Five playlist, and is there for you all to enjoy. Thank you so much to everybody who sent clips in for the video – it looks fantastic!

Though the story does come with a well-known ending, The Titanic Detective Agency explores the story of the Titanic from a different angle. Bertha Watt, tree-climber and would-be polar explorer, is excited to be on RMS Titanic’s maiden voyage, as she leaves Aberdeen behind for the glamour of a new life in America. By buying your books directly from Cranachan you are helping support a small Scottish business and our authors – thank you!We are finishing up our Titanic project this week, with a final piece of writing and a craft challenge! I’m hoping to put together the pictures of your work into a project book to show off everything we have studied about the ship, so please feel free to send pictures over to me. In 2015 her WW1 novel Shell Hole was shortlisted for the Dundee Great War Children’s Book Prize and she enjoyed engaging in research so much that she was inspired to write another historical novel, A Pattern of Secrets, this time focusing on her local area. A fresh and compelling re-telling of the Titanic voyage—with a Scottish twist—by best-selling children’s author Lindsay Littleson. Based on real passengers and events, fact and fiction are This is an exciting historical novel featuring characters based on real passengers on the Titanic. Lindsay Littleson brings the danger and terror of that night to life through the eyes of her young characters. With mystery, excitement, adventure and danger, I’m sure this is a book kids will love. The author rounds off the story beautifully resolving all the mysteries and explaining what happened next to the significant characters in the book. I particularly liked the photos of the passengers we read about, which really brought home that they were real people, not just characters in a book. First class children’s fiction. https://portobellobookblog.com/ August highlights were attending the Edinburgh Book Festival’s opening party, meeting Elmer the elephant, doing an author event ‘Scottish Rewilding Adventures’ at the festival and finding out that my son Matt has got a part in the tv adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s Mayflies. So excited about the prospect of seeing my boy on the telly!

Having read Lindsay’s 2018 middle grade historical fiction A Pattern of Secrets I’ve been sure that The Titanic Detective Agency is going to be as good as well. Lindsay hasn’t let me down! She astonishes me with every little detail of the Titanic blended into her outstanding storytelling! The Titanic Detective Agency feels like the Titanic itself – strong, majestic, powerful, exciting, glorious and classic, minus the tragedy. It is indeed a marvel! Currently, I am researching and writing another reading book for schools, again based on a real-life historical disaster, as well as doing line-edits for a new novel, which is coming out next year with Floris Books. More details about this one coming soon!Overshadowing these adventures, of course, is the iceberg in the Titanic's path. There's plenty of foreshadowing, with the word "unsinkable" being bandied about with aplomb, discussions of how much more dangerous a trans-Atlantic dirigible flight would be, and the occasional glance at the number of lifeboats. I have to admit, that while doing my research it was all too easy to scurry down rabbit holes. There were so many fascinating dramas and tragedies involving Titanic survivors in the years after the sinking, and I did have to rein myself in quite often. With stories such as The Titanic Detective Agency, how do you balance the facts and the fiction? As a reviewer said “It is refreshing to see a book recently written that is based on the real-life people who experienced these events and emanates with well-researched historical facts and information not just from what is widely known of the Titanic such as the class divides but also the more minor details that are often overlooked or missed entirely including the staggering humiliation of the medical examinations for third-class passengers and the recognition of the difficulties in communication for those foreign passengers on board.”