Fact Friday: Torpedoed: the true story of the World War II sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman

Image: Macmillan Publishers

Torpedoed: the true story of the World War II sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman. 292 p. Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan Publishers, October, 2019. 9781627795548. 

Fact Friday features Torpedoed: the true story of the World War II sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman. This is the meticulously researched account of the sinking of a civilian ship by a German submarine during World War II. Heiligman successfully creates a "you are there" vibe in this gripping narrative. 

Starting on that fateful night of September 17, 1940, the author backtracks eight days to describe the bombing of London by the Nazis. Many children were evacuated to the countryside for their safety; but one hundred children were boarded onto the passenger liner SS Benaris to be relocated to Canada for the duration of the war via an organization called CORB. 

There are plenty of photos, artifacts and primary source documents to illustrate the text. Nearly thirty pages of back matter provide the reader with additional information and sources. 

There is a verse novel called Lifeboat 12, by Susan Hood that a number of my students have read and recommended that I read. Pair Torpedoed with Lifeboat 12 for a brilliant fiction/ non-fiction combo.

My one quibble: I read this with my ears and found it gut-wrenching and riveting. I typically peruse the actual book when I read non-fiction with my eyes so as not to miss the photos and other visual matter. I discovered that the book was also illustrated. The muddy black and white illustrations did nothing to enhance the narrative. I found them distracting.