My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Luck of the Titanic

Author: Stacey Lee

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 5/4/21

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Categories: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Family

Valora Luck has two things: a ticket for the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life for herself as a circus performer in New York. Much to her surprise, though, she’s turned away at the gangway; apparently, Chinese people aren’t allowed into America.

But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother, Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is on board, as is an influential circus owner. Thankfully, there’s not much a trained acrobat like Val can’t overcome when she puts her mind to it.

As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, audition for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America.

Then one night, the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val’s dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.

Stacey Lee knows how to write young adult historical fiction where we care about the characters. I especially love that she writes about Asian characters because I am always learning something new! I was a sophomore in college when Titanic, the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio came out and I watched it three times in the theater and countless times after on tv. It is ingrained in me. But Luck of the Titanic tells the tale loosely based on the fact that there were Chinese men and women on board the Titanic. That was news to me so I went into this book very interested.

Valora is half English/half Chinese and is looking for her twin brother. She hitches a plan to get onto the Titanic and does find her brother. The reunion between them is great and this is how we meet the other Chinese men on board and what a cast of characters they are. They grew on me as we learned some of their back stories. The story also mentions The Chinese Exclusion Act which I knew nothing about or if I did learn that in history class decades ago, I have forgotten. But this law didn’t allow Chinese immigrants into the USA for a long time, even though they found other ways to go around it. We get a taste of the discrimination and racism directed towards the Chinese from both the upper class and lower class passengers.

Valora and Jamie’s relationship is the main focus of the story as she tries to persuade him to go to America with him. They have been apart for a long time and with their parents both gone, they only have one another. Valora gets to know Jamie’s friends and they become their own chosen family. Of course they are on the Titanic though…and we know the Titanic means tragedy. So if you are looking for a happy ending, this book is not it.

The whole cast of characters were great and it’s the Titanic so there were all kinds of people on this huge ship. I think we got a glimpse of it in this book.

This was a very fast read, even as it starts slow, you know it’s building to a tragic end with the Titanic about to sink. In the span of time Valora, Jamie and their friends spend on the Titanic they become a family, Valora even experiences the beginnings of what could be love, the twins are united and even perform acrobats like they did as kids – they have a time on the Titanic before tragedy strikes.

Triggers: racism, death

The Titanic movie is ingrained in me so there were times, it reminded me of the movie! Valora getting on the ship by any means like Jack did, Jamie falling for an upper class passenger like how Jack and Rose fell for one another.

It’s a slow beginning with Valora finding Jamie and then Valora trying to convince Jamie to join the circus and move to America with her. I was waiting for the Titanic to hit ice halfway through the book because that is the exciting and tragic parts of any Titanic story but it comes more towards the end. So the ending felt rushed.

It’s a sad ending, bittersweet – there were some happy endings so that’s a good thing, but overall the whole tragedy of the Titanic is sad.

Why you should read it:

• The story honoring the 8 Chinese onboard the Titanic is important
• you learn a lot
• it’s a lovely yet tragic story about family

Why you might not want to read it:

• slow beginning, Titanic doesn’t hit ice until way late in the book
• sad ending – the whole Titanic tragedy is sad

My Thoughts:

I ended up reading this book very quickly despite the slow beginning. I think because I know the Titanic story through the movie, I was waiting for the action and the moment the ship started to sink. In the book it doesn’t come until later so I was racing through just to get to it. Though slow, the story about Valora and Jamie is a beautifully sad one about family. When Valora befriends his crew, then the story also becomes one about chosen family. This one is tragic, but beautifully written and we learn more about what the Chinese went through in the past. Stacey Lee is a great storyteller and I look forward to her next book.

📚~ Yolanda