Review by Booklist Review
Josefa, Hinnah, Emilie, and Violet do not seem like they have a lot in common at first glance, but they are all residents of a girls-only boardinghouse, and they are also all involved in an elaborate heist to steal a jewel-encrusted edition of The Rubaiyat from the unsinkable new ship, the Titanic. Josefa, the leader and organizer of the heist, recruits each girl for her specific set of skills. As time ticks down to mark the end to the fateful journey, the girls race against the clock to secure the book that will help change each of their destinies. Jaigirdar's newest novel is a fast-paced, action-packed story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Along with a tightly plotted storyline, the diverse cast showcases characters unique enough to support the alternating narrations, and touches of real history--a bejeweled edition of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám really was aboard the ship--are fun to discover. This story is a must-read for anyone who loves plot-driven historical novels.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this fast-paced historical heist novel by Jaigirdar (Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating), four teenagers board the Titanic to steal a priceless artifact. It's April 1912, a handful of days before the ship is due to set sail, and Irish thief Josefa has just procured a coveted ticket for passage. She's hatched a plot to steal a bejeweled copy of Rubaiyat, a book of Persian poetry that will be transported aboard the ship, but she can't do it alone. The crew she assembles each has their own motive: actor Violet yearns to reunite with her brother; Hinnah, an Indian acrobat, is eager to leave her job at the circus; and Emilie, a French and Haitian artist, plans to use her cut to visit family in Haiti. But even as the group schemes, unexpected setbacks and missteps imperil their operation. While historical description sometimes feels shallow, an underlying sapphic romance and a racially and ethnically diverse cast lend a refreshing dynamic to the familiar backdrop. The girls' four alternating perspectives aid in the narrative's propulsive storytelling, and chapter headers counting down to the Titanic's inevitable fate impart suspense and immediacy. Ages 13--up. Agent: Uwe Stender, Triada US. (Dec.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--An ordinary boardinghouse in Dublin hides four extraordinary young women. And while they end up on the Titanic, this diverse crew is the real star of the show: Josefa, an Irish petty thief and mastermind of the heist to steal the Rubaiyat once aboard; Violet, a Croatian actress working to reunite with her brother but unwilling to return home; Hinnah, an Indian acrobat eager to leave the circus for a new adventure; and Emilie, a French Haitian artist who recently lost her father and her life of luxury, whose doubts about the heist are suppressed by her desire to meet her family in Haiti and her growing attraction to Josefa. Heart-pounding tension and pure adrenaline-fueled fun, along with an urgent countdown in the chapter headings, keep this heist novel on its toes, as accidental setbacks and unexpected faces in the second half force the plan to change, sometimes literally, in midair. It is particularly rewarding and refreshing to see the girls, through multiple-POV narration, actively work through those changes, and work to understand one another and their differences. Even as they grapple with motives, mistakes, and secrets within their own crew, the four also grapple with obstacles from the outside world: sexism, racism, parental abuse, parental loss, and being underestimated and taken advantage of for those reasons and many others. VERDICT Dramatic, moving, and energetic, this diverse historical novel about found family and choices at the end of the world is a YA must-have from the author of Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating.--Madeline Newquist
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Four young women board the Titanic to steal a rare, gem-studded copy of the Rubaiyat, the classic book of Persian poetry. It doesn't take long for Josefa, a thrill-seeking Dublin thief, to select her crew. Croatian Violet, who wishes to reunite with her younger brother at home, has a natural talent for acting and gathering information. Emilie, a skilled painter and forger, is reluctant to take apart the Rubaiyat for profit but is swayed by the thought of using the money from selling the individual jewels to travel to Haiti, her birth country, and visit her deceased mother's family. Hinnah from Karachi is the youngest of the group, and she's eager to leave a thankless job at the circus and put her contortionist abilities to better use aboard the Titanic by sneaking through circulation vents and into locked cabins. Stolen tickets and false identities get the four onto the famously unsinkable ship, where they must nab the priceless volume before it arrives in America. While the planning and execution of the heist keep the story ticking along, the action and excitement really escalate in the latter half of the book. Earlier it's the shifting dynamics between the girls that build tension as brief chapters in alternating perspectives reveal conflicting interests, hidden motives, and mutual pining. A countdown in the chapter headings adds a sense of urgency--will the girls succeed before time runs out? A character-driven story that builds to a dramatic end. (content warning, author's note) (Historical fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
