Titanic (Ready to Read, Level 2) - Softcover

McKeown, Arthur

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0689824769 ISBN 13: 9780689824760

Publisher: Aladdin, 1998

Synopsis

In 1912, Mary is on board the Titanic when it hits an iceberg and changes her life forever.

About this title

From the Author

How I wrote Titanic
I have always been interested in how people learn to read. My first degree is in Homeric and Classical Greek. After a short time as a light house keeper, I trained as a primary school teacher in Scotland, then worked for about 15 years as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). I worked in Sweden, Kuwait and Libya with adults who needed different types of reading skill for their education and work.

When our son Andrew started to learn to read at school I found out there was very little material about the north of Ireland which was available for newly independent readers. So I decided to write some. Using the skills and knowledge I had developed in working with adults, I created a few short stories which told him about various historical events in the north of Ireland. He seemed to enjoy them and made some useful suggestions about improvements. I sent the first story to a local publisher in 1993 - but it was rejected. I tried again with a different publisher, and this time the story was accepted. It sold reasonably well and I was encouraged to write more on the same sort of subject. One Sunday while I was at Church I realised that the story of the Titanic was an important subject and would make a challenging story to retell with sensitivity. The great ship was built in Belfast and is an important part of local tradition. I quickly managed to create a short outline which gave me a structure for the story, but I then had to spend a long time reading the literature on this subject and making sure that the facts which I used were all accurate. The story was first published in 1996 and sold quite well, especially in schools for children aged between eight and 10 years old. But the book has been even more successful since the arrival of the recent film about the Titanic. I continue to write for children, mainly about different historical events in the north of Ireland. I have a great interest in my own family history and use this as an opportunity to add small details and characters to my stories. Sometimes I get an opportunity to visit local schools, libraries and bookshops to talk about my stories to meet children and hear what they think about the stories I have written. My books are also used with adults who need help with reading.

I am always pleased to hear from my readers and would like more email messages from people who have read this book.

I am in my late 40s and live with my family in Belfast. I teach Business and Management at the University of Ulster.

Edition details

• Publisher: Aladdin
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689824769
• ISBN 13: 9780689824760
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Hogan Peter