The Watch that Ends the Night by Allan Wolf

As everyone boards the maiden voyage of the Titanic, even third class passengers are excited. This is the largest ship afloat, ready to cross the Atlantic.

While the crew deals with the usual--demands of the first class, rats, the captain--they try to keep an eye on things.

When the first notice of ice comes across the wire, the captain wants to be notified. After a while, the reports get repetitive. And no one expected to run into an iceberg they couldn't see.

Told in many voices, in verse form, this is the tale of the Titanic. It begins April 1st and goes through the 26th with the recovery of some of the dead.

A fictionalized account and moving. The iceberg even has a voice here, waiting for the Titanic to cross its path. While it does get confusing to keep following the different voices, the flow of the story never stops. What caught me the most was when the survivors are in the lifeboats, listening to the people dying in the water.

Historical notes at the end and an acknowledgement of some factual errors.

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Mercy is a servant girl in the Putnam household. Her life hasn't been easy, especially since her whole family was murdered when she was young. Ann Putnam, Jr. follows Mercy around and wants to be like her. Her mother practically ignores her existence. Their friends Margaret Walcott, trying to attract a boy she wants to marry, Elizabeth Hubbard, who is beaten by her relatives on a regular basis, and Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, who both started this whole mess, begin a dangerous game of devil possession and naming witches. So many innocent, and maybe not so innocent, people die because of their stunts.

Each girl has her own motivation and doubts. And as the 'witches' are put to trial and then killed, each girl has to decide if it was all worth it.

Exceptional retelling. Completely told in verse, each of the main 'Afflicted' have a side. No one is victimized or villainized. A new look at the Witch Trials of Salem.

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

This novel-in-verse follows Jane recovering from a shark attack that leaves her without most of her right arm. Jane is an artist and a successful one--but without her right hand she's not sure she'll ever be able to draw again.

Jane's life isn't the only one that changes, but Jane has a hard time seeing that. Her friends don't know how to act and the only one who understands is a 10-year old, Justin, who lost his leg. But Justin is still living his life and adapting while Jane struggles to accept what's happened.

Jane strives to teach her left hand to do all that her right no longer can.

A great novel-in-verse. There are plenty of flashbacks and doubts. Eventually Jane realizes the good in things--which works with this story. Well-written and told.