“Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty.” -From inside cover.

For the first time since she was six, 13 year old Charlotte is returning to her home in Providence, Rhode Island. It is June 16, 1832 and Charlotte Doyle has just finished her school year at the Barrington School for Better Girls. Her parents and siblings have already made the crossing from England to America, leaving Charlotte to finish her school year, then follow on a ship owned by her father's company. As with most stories, the journey home is more interesting than the destination. Once on board, Charlotte finds herself in a world she has not been equipped to live in, and must make her own rules for survival. Making both friends and enemies, Charlotte struggles with what it means to be a lady in a world of men, what it takes to be just and fair, and learns just how deep loyalties and hatred can run in a person.

The first chapters of the book were hard for me to get into, but by chapter three I was hooked. Knowing from the descriptions that Charlotte would be accused of murder kept me reading to find out how it happened. At times the language was a little stilted, but like the plot, it only took a chapter or two to get into. There is a mystery subplot, as the reader tries to figure out when and how Charlotte will be accused, who will be murdered and why. The story felt historically accurate and entirely believable even through the more “unbelievable” situations. In the beginning of the novel, Charlotte is very much a pampered, sheltered, well-off, 13 year old who associates nice clothing and belongings with nice people. By the end, she has grown up and discovered that you can't always “judge a book by it's cover.” I love how young she is at the start of the novel, and also the order in which she realizes things and finally comes to her grand conclusion. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction, England, ships, mystery, adventure and/or strong willed young girls.

this was a great book i love how Charlotte changes and almost becomes a better person. She makes good and bad choices and it is just a great adventure sort of book. ( )

I LOVED this book if you have not read this book you should because it is my 2 fav book! ( )

13-year-old Charlotte Doyle's exciting 1832 journey from England to her home in America is captured in the diary she keeps along the way. At the start of the trip, she is an innocent, uptight schoolgirl. She is the only female aboard the ship.

When the crew rebels, Charlotte first sides with handsome, civilized Captain Jaggerty, but she soon realizes that he is not an honorable man. She joins the crew as a seaman and works and suffers alongside them until she earns their respect. A murder occurs during the trip and Charlotte is tried and convicted. But that's not quite the end for Charlotte...

Charlotte is a strong character who grows up during her journey and finds out what home really means. Marvelous. ( )

This story of a young woman who lives as a man on a ship crossing to America was one of my favorites growing up. ( )

Interesting story with plenty of action, but some of the plot twists are preposterous. ( )

This is as entertaining (though unrealistic) as historical fiction gets. In this story of adventure the 13-year-old female protagonist is forced to choose between right and wrong and then live with her decision. In choosing to side with the crew, Charlotte knows she will be giving up the protected status of a young wealthy woman and become no better than the lowest of the crew. Despite her inexperience, Charlotte is able to learn quickly and adapt to her situation to become a respected addition to the crew. This is a great book for the MS reader and should be of high interest thanks to the recent Pirate trilogy of movies. ( )

The thrilling account of Charlotte's seafaring adventure is told in great detail. As she was instructed by her father to keep a travel journal, Charlotte's transformation from proper schoolgirl to full-fledged sailor is powerfully described in her own words. The sailing terminology did not detract from the story (I feared the fine details might cause me to lose interest!), but rather enlivened it. Both girls and boys will appreciate Charlotte's plucky character, and the surprise ending will make them cheer! ( )

For fun and giggles I decided to read this book again. I read it a long time ago when it was more age appropriate for me. This is a nice period piece that covers a young woman’s journey through things. If you liked Pirates of the Caribbean you are very likely to enjoy True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. It is age appropriate, but it is also enjoyable and amusing for the older crowd if they wish to watch that. ( )

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This book is realistic fiction because Charlotte Doyle, along with the rest of the ship’s crew and plotline, do not actually exist in real life. However, I do know that Avi wanted to make this book as realistic as possible, and so it is also realistic fiction because the ship is true to description and form of what an actual ship looks like, and there is a map and picture drawings in the back. I feel like this is realistic fiction because during that time, passengers did sail aboard different cargo ships or other merchant ships, and mutiny is not something that was all too uncommon. The setting is very engaging and descriptive, and I found myself very interested in the next scenes. We see a variety of human relationships and interactions, and we know that human relationships can change, and not always for the better, in real life as well.

Media: I found the cover art to be spectacular; it looks like pen and ink and etching, and it captures the essence of what I believe Avi wanted to get across in this book,
which was adventure, courage, and complexity of interactions between male and females, as well as the treatment of youth during that time. There are maps in the back of
the book but throughout the book there are no drawings of any kind or illustrations and I thought it was interesting, and also good because it lets the reader use his or her imagination more. ( )

This is a great read-aloud for 4th grade. It is fairly high for 4th graders to read on their own and requires a fair amount of discussion throughout the book to ensure all students are understanding the plot. It is great exposure to more proper English language and once kids get used to the way it is written, they do not want you to stop reading. This book has several plot twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. It also touches on many social issues such as racism, social class, and gender roles of the 1800s. Avi also depicts a true experience on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean during this time and can be used to discuss the hardships of such a journey as well. Charlotte is an empowering female protagonist that is loved by all who read this book. ( )

My favorite book of all time!! ( )

Like many of the other readers, I found Charlotte's quick transformation from elitist snob to egalitarian girl of the people to be a bit hard to swallow. However, that didn't stop this story from being a thumping good read. It was suspensful, the villian was deliciously evil (I think in a movie, he'd be played by either Alan Rickman or Hugo Weaving), and there is a lot of info about sailing but the teaching aspect doesn't interfere with the story too much. The targeted age group, both boys and girls, will love this book. ( )

A fast-moving nautical story of a girl's transformation from being conventional, obedient, and reliant on other members of the upper class to becoming unconventional, independent, and in solidarity with those she would have once considered her inferiors. ( )

This book may have been the first I devoured as a child. The protagonist is smart, the story is intriguing and, especially for young girls, it is a story of empowerment. ( )

I loved this book in grade 8. One of the few books that I got as an assignment and actually read and really enjoyed. ( )

A children's classic and a reread! It's Pirates of the Carribbean-esque, though it was written pre-Pirates of the Carribbean. A book with a strong female character and lots of action. ( )

Personally, I loved the book. I have got my friends to read it and some of them hated it and some loved it; no one seemed to be in between. 4 1/2 stars because it wasn't the best book I've ever read. [[Avi]] is an amazing author and this book got me hooked on him ( )

Winning multiple awards, this fast paced sea yarn with a female protagonist will appeal to young readers. There's nothing objectionable here, although I find the transformation of a proper Victorian young lady into a heroine of modern day sensibilities to be rather quick and somewhat unconvincing.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Charlotte Doyle is a strong and courageous woman up to whom many readers will look. This is Avi's best work in my opinion. ( )

Given that it was a Newbery Honor Book and is a class reading selection in grammar school, I expected a bit more from Avi's story of a well-to-do young girl who gets caught up in mutiny on a trans-Atlantic crossing in the early 19th century. The book is not bad—it's an adventure story with plenty of action; it's quick and easy to read; the dialog is fairly age-appropriate for its target audience; the characters are a bit one-dimensional, but not unduly so.

My objection is simply that it's not that believable. Hardened criminals, their comrades murdered because of betrayal by a 13-year old girl passenger, are unlikely to adopt her as a fellow crew member, nor is the Captain...no matter how psychotic...likely to countenance it when that girl is the daughter of his ship's owner. Upon the Captain's death, the elevation of that same 13-year old to Captain, despite every member of the ship wishing to maintain the illusion that she never became part of the crew, can only be met with a snort of laughter. I also find it somewhat unbelievable (were the unpleasant life of an ordinary seaman truly depicted) that Charlotte would deal with her father's insistence on proper behavior by running away to return to a life at sea...or that a newly-elevated captain would be willing to accept the runaway daughter of the ship's owner as such a seaman.

Small complaints but I think there are better historical novels, and better Newbery candidates, that can serve as class reading projects. ( )

I read my way through three -- count 'em three -- paperback copies of this book between the ages of seven and eleven. The tale of Charlotte Doyle's transatlantic voyage gone horribly wrong was engaging and thrilling to me then. I've read it since I was in grade school, and while it didn't quite captivate me the same way, it has held up reasonably well. ( )

A really fantastic book that every young adult (and adults for that matter) should read. It's a great coming of age novel for girls who feel really out of place in their lives. ( )

One of my favorite books growing up. In 1832 Charlotte is returning to America from her school in England on the seedy Seahawk, a ship run by a cruel captain and a scurvy crew. Charlotte is aboard when a dangerous mutiny occurs in which Charlotte is found guilty of murder. Through her cunning she becomes a seaman on the ship and eventually leads the other sailors. When they reach their destination Charlotte's family doesn't believe her tail and she sets back out to sea. ( )

I read this book so long ago i don't remember too much, but i remember loving it. ( )