I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937

Hugo Ballard is the 11-year-old protagonist of the novel, a dynamic and round character whose perspective shapes the reader’s experience of the historic disaster. Initially, Hugo is defined by a deep sense of responsibility and anxiety, driven entirely by the grave illness of his younger sister, Gertie. This worry overshadows the novelty of traveling on the famous Hindenburg, an airship he knows much about. His knowledge of the zeppelin’s safety record, which he uses to reassure his nervous mother, contrasts sharply with his powerlessness in the face of his sister’s malaria. This establishes his central internal conflict: the struggle between his intellectual understanding of the danger and his inability to protect his family from it. Hugo’s knowledge also functions as character-driven exposition: The author uses Hugo’s point of view to provide background knowledge on the science and culture of the era, filtering complex political tensions through the focused, personal lens of a child’s immediate concerns. This makes the historical event both accessible and emotionally significant to the book’s middle-grade audience.

Hugo’s character development is catalyzed by his involvement in the espionage subplot centered on Mr.