About this item

Now in paperback, a heart-wrenching, beautifully written account of a forgotten maritime tragedy that rivals the Titanic disaster, for readers of Ruta Sepetys and Elizabeth Wein.On her first voyage as a stewardess aboard the Empress of Ireland, Ellie is drawn to the solitary fire stoker who stands by the ship's rail late at night, often writing in a journal. Jim. Ellie finds it hard to think of his name now. After their wonderful time in Quebec City, that awful night happened. The screams, the bodies, the frigid waters ... she tries to tell herself that he survived, but it's hard to believe when so many didn't. So when Wyatt Steele, journalist at The New York Times, asks her for her story, Ellie refuses. But when he shows her Jim's journal, she jumps at the chance to be able to read it herself, to find some trace of the man she had fallen in love with, or perhaps a clue to what happened to him. There's only one catch: she will have to tell her story to Steele and he'll "pay" her by giving her the journal, one page at a time.



About the Author

Caroline Pignat

Caroline Pignat is the two-time Governor General?s Award winning author of highly acclaimed young adult novels. Her historical fiction, contemporary, and free verse novels use multiple points of view and varied forms to engage readers of all ages. As a Writer's Craft student, Caroline wrote a short story that years later became Greener Grass, the first of a critically acclaimed series, and went on to win her first Governor General's Award for Children's Literature in 2009. A teacher with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Caroline has taught elementary, intermediate and high school students. She spends her mornings teaching grade 12 Writer's Craft and her afternoons working with students in Writing Workshops and Author Visits, or deep in her next work-in-progress. A confident and inspiring speaker, Caroline has presented to students and educators; to historical societies and library groups; and at writing conferences such as: MASC, CANSCAIP, and SCBWI. In 2012, she was one of 12 Canadian authors chosen to tour with TD Book Week. Recipient of two Red Maple Honour Book Awards and the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year Honour Book, Caroline has been shortlisted for many others including: the CLA Book of the Year, three Geoffrey Bilson Awards for Historical Fiction, and the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Born in Ireland, she grew up in Ottawa where she lives with her family.



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