The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
From Publishers Weekly
Told in the form of a recollection, these "confessions" cover
13-year-old Charlotte's eventful 1832 transatlantic crossing. She begins her
trip a prim schoolgirl returning home to her American family from England. From
the start, there is something wrong with the Seahawk : the families that were to
serve as Charlotte's chaperones do not arrive, and the unsavory crew warns her
not to make the trip. When the crew rebels, Charlotte first sides with the
civilized Captain Jaggerty, but before long she realizes that he is a sadist
and--the only female aboard--she joins the crew as a seaman. Charlotte is
charged with murder and sentenced to be hanged before the trip is over, but ends
up in command of the Seahawk by the time it reaches its destination. Charlotte's
repressive Puritanical family refuses to believe her tale, and the girl returns
to the sea. Charlotte's story is a gem of nautical adventure, and Avi's control
of tone calls to mind William Golding's 1980s trilogy of historical novels of
the sea. Never wavering from its 19th century setting, the novel offers suspense
and entertainment modern-day readers will enjoy. Ages 11-13.
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