At that age my son loved the Titanic trilogy (historical fiction). You'll likely want to preread. I don't remember any animals dying, but this is a story about the Titanic.
If he likes history, he might enjoy the "I Survived..." series written for his age range. Again, you'll want to preread.
For sports history, check out Dan Gutman's Baseball Card Adventure stories. Honus and Me is one example.
I'll let you know if I think of any others.