A fictional diary of a young Irish-English girl who is raised in a Catholic orphanage in London and is hired as a companion to a wealthy lady for the duration of the Titanic's voyage to America (where she hopes to meet up with her older brother). Margaret, having lived on the streets with her brother for some time before coming to the orphanage, is wise beyond her years with a somewhat cynical streak. Her attitude toward the opulence of the Titanic and the lifestyle of her first class passengers gives the reader both a sense of the historical reality of the Titanic and the times in which this tragic event took place. It is within this context that mankind learned a severe lesson about his own limitations. I think it is a rather good way to illustrate these details of the Titanic – through the eyes of someone who, like us, is unaccustomed to such things.

The author attempts to treat the Catholic Church and Margaret's Irish-Catholic upbringing with respect. However, she betrays a lack of understanding of at least one rather significant detail... In the story, Margaret makes no distinction between a Catholic Mass and a "Mass" [according to the story] which is presided over by the ship's captain. In reality a girl who had spent five years in an orphanage (and become close friends with the nuns there) would have been familiar with these distinctions and considered them important. We also know that there was a Catholic Mass said aboard the Titanic that fateful Sunday (as explained on the website about Fr. Thomas Byles).

Margaret has a rather innocent romantic interest in one of the ship's stewards (although I imagine that the two of them spending time alone together would probably have been frowned upon) and receives a farewell kiss from him before he goes down with the Titanic.

It might make an interesting point of discussion to consider how Margaret (or someone in her position) might have turned to her Catholic faith in order to try to cope with her loss in this great tragedy.

The Fairchild family – Father, Mother, Chris, Althy, Emmy, Debby and Bonnie – live in the hills of Kentucky in the early 1900s. We are particularly treated to simple stories of everyday life through the eyes of four-year-old Bonnie: her frustrations with trying to keep up with her older siblings, the love of her understanding father, the importance of "little" things, like sunbonnets and arrowheads. The large text, comfortable length and engaging storyline make it a great choice for young readers. This was a well-liked read aloud in our family (particularly for my 4 and 6 year old girls) and even my eight year old son (who can be a reluctant reader at times) gobbled it up on his own quite eagerly. The book includes many lovely black-and-white illustrations. Three more volumes in the series will be published by Bethlehem Books some time in the future. This made a very welcome addition to our home library.

Six year old Bonnie and eight year old Debbie decide early one summer that they want to get rich. Nosing their way through magazines they decide upon some simple investments – selling a few items around to their neighbors and raising ducklings. They keep up the projects all summer, but the rewards don't turn out quite the way they expected. Rejoin the Fairchild family for a charming summertime in a time and place where the pace of life was a little slower and the joys of childhood were many.