Dive! Dive!
Carbone, Elisa Lynn. Heroes of the Surf. New York : Viking, 2012.
Plot: Young Antonio, passenger of the steamship Pliny, enjoys playing throughout the boat with his friend Pedro. After a day of make-believe pirates, the boys settle in for the night. A storm brews and relentlessly drives the ship aground. Too far from any waterborne help, the ship's crew send out flares. Someone sees them. Actually, an entire group of people sees them. Thankfully, despite the boys' fears, they are not pirates. They are the Life-Saving Service, and they bring every soul to the safety of land before the ship sinks.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Picture Books
Reading Level: Grades 1-4
Similar Titles: Dreamstones, The Two Brothers
Personal Thoughts: The text is based on actual events. The Pliny did sink in 1882 off the coast of New Jersey, and every person on board was safely rescued by the Life-Saving Service. The men of the service provided safety and rescue procedures, while their wives and children provided clothing and food to the victims of the wreck. The Service no longer exists, though. It was absorbed by Revenue Cutter Guard and became the United States Coast Guard. A short, but insightful, view of one of the Service's most remarkable rescues.
