The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3703-3
Wolf, A. (2011). The watch that ends the night: Voices from the titanic. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Plot Summary
Told in verse, the lives of 24 passengers onboard the Titanic and the iceberg they hit, are traced during the week they were traveling on “The Greatest Ship Ever Built.” Passengers include some of the famous and infamous. Margaret Brown, later to be known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” John Jacob Astor, and Thomas Andrews are among the famous, while Bruce Ismay is an infamous. Then there are the children, Lolo and Frankie Goldsmith, who form a kind of club on the ship. The rat scurries along, concerned only with finding food and avoiding capture. The iceberg is the most ominous, as it beckons the ship every closer. Love stories blossom between Jamila and another passenger. The background stories of passengers and why they are on the fated ocean liner are mentioned, as the characters themselves speak about their experiences. Interspersed between the days leading up to the disaster are newspaper reports and the undertaker’s notes. There are few surprises as to what happens at the end, some die and some are saved.
Critical Evaluation
Written in a free-verse narrative structure, The Watch That Ends the Night provides a lyrical note to the Titanic tragedy, but is no less dramatic or tragic. Through the poetry, one senses a sort of romantic feel to the characters, their lives, and reasons for traveling, which makes it all the more difficult to know some will die by the end of the book. It is a novel, but Wolf uses real people who sailed on the Titanic, some famous, others forgotten by time, but all were affected by the sinking. The voice of the rat can be irritating at times “food/food/scurry/scurry,” but his single-mindedness realizes the will of living beings to survive. The most ominous of the characters is undoubtedly the iceberg, as it waits for a ship to cross its path. In the end, it is reduced to nothing as it melts, much like the lives lost over 100 years ago. The sheer number of characters makes remembering who is who a bit difficult in the beginning. A list of characters helps with the confusion, and their unique voices eventually lead to remembering individual storylines. The inclusion of summary biographies, references, and factual material in the appendices will leave readers both satisfied and questioning. Satisfied that there is an ending to the story, and questioning how the disaster could have been prevented.
Reader’s Annotation
The story of the Titanic told by 24 different characters in verse. Who lives and who dies?
About the Author
Allan Wolf was born in 1963 in Storrs, Connecticut. His family moved to Virginia, and he attended all his education, from elementary to graduate school in Blacksburg, Virginia. Wolf attended Virginia Tech University and earned a bachelors and Master’s in English. Although a poet at a young age, Wolf holds his life as a writer began when he was twelve, and started writing on his bedroom walls as a sort of diary. After earning his Master’s, he taught college composition at his alma mater, but left to join Poetry Alive!, a traveling poet troupe. His experiences with Poetry Alive! and schools led Wolf to begin writing books for children. He usually writes longhand, and quickly and inaccurately types it later.
Wolf has written seven books, fiction and non-fiction, for adults and children. He has earned several honors including a School Library Journal Best Book and ALA Best Books for Young Adults. His interest to poetry is not solely in writing; Wolf has memorized hundreds of poems. Wolf is married, has three children, and lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Genre
Historical Fiction/Action & Adventure
Curriculum Ties
Titanic
Booktalking
In the point of view of one of the characters, pretend it is 50 years after the sinking, and what your life is like now.
Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: 5th grade
IL: 9th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Possible challenge issues may include the point of view of the rat and iceberg.
In my defense file, I would include the following:
1) Library Mission Statement
2) Library Selection Policy approved by any or all of the following individuals—principal, school board, district librarian OR library manager, city council, mayor.
3) Library Bill of Rights adapted from CSLA Bill of Rights, AASL Bill of Rights and/or ALA Bill of Rights
4) Reviews, both positive and critical, from respected sources such as School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist
5) Rationale for book inclusion for titles anticipated to be controversial, frequently challenged, or created when a book is challenged including: summary, audience, purpose, controversial issues and how they are handled
6) How the book fits within Common Core Standards or State Standards
7) Reconsideration form for challenger to complete—include a section asking which part was of particular concern, if the entire book was read, and what other similar titles are suggested instead
8) Student reviews from those who have read the book and either enjoyed or disliked the book and why.
Why Included
The 100th anniversary of the Titanic was last year, and there is still immense interest in the disaster.
Others in the Series
N/A
References
Wolf, A. (n.d.). Biography. Retrieved from http://allanwolf.com/bio.htm
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3703-3
Wolf, A. (2011). The watch that ends the night: Voices from the titanic. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Plot Summary
Told in verse, the lives of 24 passengers onboard the Titanic and the iceberg they hit, are traced during the week they were traveling on “The Greatest Ship Ever Built.” Passengers include some of the famous and infamous. Margaret Brown, later to be known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” John Jacob Astor, and Thomas Andrews are among the famous, while Bruce Ismay is an infamous. Then there are the children, Lolo and Frankie Goldsmith, who form a kind of club on the ship. The rat scurries along, concerned only with finding food and avoiding capture. The iceberg is the most ominous, as it beckons the ship every closer. Love stories blossom between Jamila and another passenger. The background stories of passengers and why they are on the fated ocean liner are mentioned, as the characters themselves speak about their experiences. Interspersed between the days leading up to the disaster are newspaper reports and the undertaker’s notes. There are few surprises as to what happens at the end, some die and some are saved.
Critical Evaluation
Written in a free-verse narrative structure, The Watch That Ends the Night provides a lyrical note to the Titanic tragedy, but is no less dramatic or tragic. Through the poetry, one senses a sort of romantic feel to the characters, their lives, and reasons for traveling, which makes it all the more difficult to know some will die by the end of the book. It is a novel, but Wolf uses real people who sailed on the Titanic, some famous, others forgotten by time, but all were affected by the sinking. The voice of the rat can be irritating at times “food/food/scurry/scurry,” but his single-mindedness realizes the will of living beings to survive. The most ominous of the characters is undoubtedly the iceberg, as it waits for a ship to cross its path. In the end, it is reduced to nothing as it melts, much like the lives lost over 100 years ago. The sheer number of characters makes remembering who is who a bit difficult in the beginning. A list of characters helps with the confusion, and their unique voices eventually lead to remembering individual storylines. The inclusion of summary biographies, references, and factual material in the appendices will leave readers both satisfied and questioning. Satisfied that there is an ending to the story, and questioning how the disaster could have been prevented.
Reader’s Annotation
The story of the Titanic told by 24 different characters in verse. Who lives and who dies?
About the Author
Allan Wolf was born in 1963 in Storrs, Connecticut. His family moved to Virginia, and he attended all his education, from elementary to graduate school in Blacksburg, Virginia. Wolf attended Virginia Tech University and earned a bachelors and Master’s in English. Although a poet at a young age, Wolf holds his life as a writer began when he was twelve, and started writing on his bedroom walls as a sort of diary. After earning his Master’s, he taught college composition at his alma mater, but left to join Poetry Alive!, a traveling poet troupe. His experiences with Poetry Alive! and schools led Wolf to begin writing books for children. He usually writes longhand, and quickly and inaccurately types it later.
Wolf has written seven books, fiction and non-fiction, for adults and children. He has earned several honors including a School Library Journal Best Book and ALA Best Books for Young Adults. His interest to poetry is not solely in writing; Wolf has memorized hundreds of poems. Wolf is married, has three children, and lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Genre
Historical Fiction/Action & Adventure
Curriculum Ties
Titanic
Booktalking
In the point of view of one of the characters, pretend it is 50 years after the sinking, and what your life is like now.
Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: 5th grade
IL: 9th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Possible challenge issues may include the point of view of the rat and iceberg.
In my defense file, I would include the following:
1) Library Mission Statement
2) Library Selection Policy approved by any or all of the following individuals—principal, school board, district librarian OR library manager, city council, mayor.
3) Library Bill of Rights adapted from CSLA Bill of Rights, AASL Bill of Rights and/or ALA Bill of Rights
4) Reviews, both positive and critical, from respected sources such as School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist
5) Rationale for book inclusion for titles anticipated to be controversial, frequently challenged, or created when a book is challenged including: summary, audience, purpose, controversial issues and how they are handled
6) How the book fits within Common Core Standards or State Standards
7) Reconsideration form for challenger to complete—include a section asking which part was of particular concern, if the entire book was read, and what other similar titles are suggested instead
8) Student reviews from those who have read the book and either enjoyed or disliked the book and why.
Why Included
The 100th anniversary of the Titanic was last year, and there is still immense interest in the disaster.
Others in the Series
N/A
References
Wolf, A. (n.d.). Biography. Retrieved from http://allanwolf.com/bio.htm
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