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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Audiobook6 hours

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Written by Avi

Narrated by Alexandra O'Karma

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Avi's swashbuckling tale of murder and mutiny on the high seas has a fascinating twist: the heroine is a 13-year-old girl. In 1832, Charlotte Doyle boards a ship bound for America and is caught in a battle between a mad captain and his ruthless crew. If you're looking for an action-packed adventure story for girls, you'll find it in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 21, 2011
ISBN9781464012914
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Author

Avi

Avi's many acclaimed books for young readers include the Newbery Medal-winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead and the Newbery Honor books Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle as well as The Fighting Ground, Poppy, and The Secret School. He lives in Colorado.           

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Reviews for The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Rating: 4.0017286917891095 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,157 ratings72 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This story was pretty intense. It reminded me of “A Series Of Unfortunate Events”, and the thriller movie “Flightplan”, in that there was almost nothing sincerely good happening to the protagonist for nearly the whole book, and most all of the adults in the book offer a level of manipulation and betrayal. Fairly heavy for a children’s book. I found the book a bit depressing, with little relief. It was, however, very well written, and the narration is good as well. It is a great story of resilience and character growth.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An incredible tale that will have you guessing at every single turn!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favorite books. I love how she went back in the end. Such a beautiful ending!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Wow, so many things happen in this book that are really, really messed up. I do understand intellectually that children as we now know them did not really exist as such in the 1800s, but to listen to it acted out is a whole 'nother level of harshness. Also, the world truly sucked for girls/women, people of color and sailors. Not, however the rip-roaring adventure I hoped it would be, too realistic for that. Well narrated, though.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    For years, Avi's books have been floating around my to-be-read "raffle". Finally, I managed to read at least one book.
    This is a story about a girl named Charlotte who became the only girl passenger aboard a ship with all-make crew. I like how the author wrote an authentic language that's set in its intended period. If you're into books with strong female lead on an adventure by the sea, check this out!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A childhood fav. I am grateful to this story for showing me that you decide how to live your life. Either by new action or submission, both painful.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This novel is one of the best historical fiction, high-seas adventures for young adult readers. It’s not every day a young lady finds herself on a voyage that has her become part of the crew of a ship, "Accused of murder and brought to trial."
    I loved this story and I think you will too.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    As a child reading this novel, two things struck me immediately. First, and I realize how superficial this is now, but it still holds true, was the look on Charlotte's face on the cover-- Her sense of daring, of adventure, of going out to sea on this voyage and not knowing how it will end... so accurately painted in her features..(which in reading, made this more apparent.)There was attraction to the the contrast of uncertainty of the empty seas and the full sense of freedom in her eyes.

    The second thing was how brave this girl was in the book. Being young, cast unto a ship full of grown gritty sailor types, and being so bold as to become "one of them" at the end... Spontaneous, freeing.. The writing style conveys the emotions very well for such a book.

    Haven't read it since, not sure how it holds up these days, but good memories there.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I was forced to read this in the 6th grade and I couldn't stand Charlotte Doyle and the sheer unbelievability that this loser 12 year old participated in a mutiny and became the captain of a ship.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very exciting!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There have been nearly a dozen different covers for this book, and none of them really made me want to read it. I finally did, just because it was a Newbery Honor book. And I loved it.The time is 1832. The book is divided into two nearly equal parts. In the first part, Charlotte Doyle, 13, has finished her year of school in England, where she has been attending for some years, and is returning home to Rhode Island by ship, alone. Her father arranged for her to travel on a specific voyage, which would have a couple of families with children also traveling. But Charlotte arrives on the dock to discover that both of the families have backed out of the trip, and she is to cross the Atlantic, an unchaperoned 13 year old girl, aboard a ship captained by an unpopular master, and operated by a crew of 10 or so mutinous sailors. She quickly attaches herself to the Captain, as the only gentleman on board. When she discovers the crew is planning a mutiny, she dutifully reports this to the captain.It is difficult to go further without significant spoilers. While Part 1 of the book is interesting, Part 2 is exciting and action packed. Charlotte comes of age on the voyage, and not at all in the manner that she or her family would ever have expected. Regardless of how slowly or quickly you read, plan your reading so that you can finish the second half of the book in a single sitting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am reviewing this book because every year I pull it out as part of our Exploration Unit the students groan. They see the old cover, how worn it is and they do not equate that with it being loved. This is a n excellent tale of a girl who changes throughout the tale, she goes from simpering rich girl to a boat hand and someone who will climb the rigging just to prove she can. It has excellent characters but it s dated, so sometimes the descriptions can go on and on. it does have racism, whipping, men are killed and Charlotte is condemned to hang. It is not for the light hearted, but it is an excellent tale.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    5450. the True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi (read 9 Mar 2017) This is juvenile fiction, telling of a 13-year-old girl traveling on a ship in 182 returning to the United Sates. The ship has a crew of about twelve, and the Captain is evil and the crew mutinous. The girl becomes a part of the crew, improbably climbing barefoot up the rigging over 100 feet. There is hurricane, a murder, and he girl is convicted in a shipboard trial. It of course all works out, but there is an unexpected twist at the end. It is exciting and if I were 13 I would have been, I suppose, entranced.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is my favorite book EVER, and one that inspires me even as an adult. I think it should be essential reading for girls.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I'd recommend this YA novel for anyone who loved Pirates of the Caribbean - it has similiar air of nautical adventure with a 'not-too-unwholesome' air about it.... 13-year-old Charlotte Doyle, through mischance, ends up as the only passenger (and only woman) on a ship bound from England to Providence, RI (my hometown!) If that wasn't scandal enough, the ship is bound for mutiny, and Charlotte is caught between the cruel gentleman captain and the unsavory - but possibly more honest - crewmen. A fun light read!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Make sure you have about 5 hours straight of reading time - you can not put this book aside! Charlotte Doyle struggles with her identity aboard a ship full of some good men and some not so good.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I like the premise of this book. I read it to learn about ships and a bit about the time period. However, I found the heroine unpleasant, and her transformation unbelievable in the short time that was allotted. It is an indulgent book for pre-teen girls who have a spirit of adventure but sets them up with unrealistic expectations. It maybe contributes to the idealistic Gen Y 'the world is your oyster' mentality, especially for younger girls. I did enjoy the prose and story line itself. It was a good read and I did what I set out to with it, which was learn a bit about nautical terms.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's been a long time since I read this book, but it has stuck with me for over 10 years.

    This was probably the first book that I read cover to cover on my own, for a school assignment. I believe I was 14 or 15, I can't quite remember because it was school and it was so long ago.

    I recently bought this book myself, because my mom couldn’t find the ragged copy I had from my teenage days. (It was a hand-me-down from my older brother).

    I loved this book, it had a few of my favorite things. Three masted (could have been four I can't remember) schooner,(aka tall ships), the ocean, (I grew up on an Island) and munity.

    The tail itself is one of self-discovery and the evils that are all around use. Some as close as, say, a clean cut looking Captain, who is black as tar when you aren't looking.

    I'm going to read this book again and add to this review, because there are certain scenes that I remember clearly but I want to know if they’re accurate before wiring any more.

    I recommend this book with the hope you will remember that this took place in 1832. Different time, different society.

    Until Then

    Happy Reading

    -Emily
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is about a girl sailing across the Atlantic in 1832. The Captain is cruel to his crew, and some men want to stage a mutiny! Poor Charlotte is trapped between angry sailors and tyrannical Captains, and she must use all her wits to survive for a month at sea. Armed with only a knife, can she make it through alive? This book has an interesting and engrossing plot, and Charlotte is a complex character with unique thoughts and troubles. I definitely enjoyed watching her change on the voyage, and so will you! I recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and fans of Avi.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was one of my favorite books as a young girl. I recently re-acquired it so that I can read it again through adult eyes.The story follows an eventful time in the life of a young woman, Charlotte Doyle, as she sails home to New England from England. The ship she is on, however, is frought with discord amongst the crew and Charlotte not only is a witness to this, but must choose a side. In this choice she finds herself in ways that she had not imagined.Like most Avi books, this is about a young person doing extraordinary things. And it inspired this little girl to march boldly in to life and be a little less afraid of the rough and tumble parts. I highly recommend this for young readers as well as adults.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is about an adventurous 13-year-old girl named Charlotte Doyle. Charlotte leaves her home in Liverpool to ride the legendary, and dangerous, ship, "SEAHALK", to Rhode Island. Many people warn her not to ride the strange ship, but her own father told her to ride it, and that it was safe. And she boarded it. So when Charlotte's new friend, Zachariah, gives her a dagger for safety, she is confused. But she will soon find out why she has it. So, will Charlotte be able to cross safely aboard the SEAHALK? I liked this book because it was very suspenseful. I also DIDN'T like it because the chapters were too long and the beggining was boring. I recommend this book to people who like mystery and crime books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Personal Response-- I enjoyed this novel because the main character was the underdog and she proved everyone wrong. I liked that I learned a few words about sailing and customs in the early America days. The plot was fast paced and you sympathized with many characters. Race was an issue and the main character Charlotte didn't let that affect her opinion. I love books that make you angry at certain characters because you related with the heroine of the novel. Curricular Connections- Anti bullying and justice could be discussed. What is a fair justice system? What are the proper ways to handle difficult situations so that all is fair and equal. Discuss male and female roles and how that evolved over time in the novel and in our actual human history.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.

    Length? – A couple day’s read.

    Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

    Setting? – England to America on board a ship in 1832.

    Written approximately? – 1990.

    Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – No.

    Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Many children today would be confused about the lack of cell phones, and the length of time it took to cross the ocean.

    Short storyline: Charlotte leaves England on board a troubled ship with a skeleton crew. Along the way she makes friends, enemies, and joins the crew. Upon her arrival in America, she is no longer the frightened picture perfect little girl her parents left in England. She is mature, knows what she wants and needs, speaks her mind, and is not afraid to be useful in the family.

    Notes for the reader:
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book growing up.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Historical Fiction, adventure, pirates, drama, Interest Level: Grade 3, GLE: 5, 2003.Charlotte Doyle is prepared to voyage home to Rhode Island from her school in England, but she is not prepared for the turmoil she quickly finds herself in aboard her ship. The captain and mutinous crew are caught in a conflict that Charlotte is quickly pulled into. The voyage only becomes worse when she is put on trial for a murder.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read this book when I was in elementary school. The highest reading group read it and I always listened to them talking about it, so I decided to read it. I never understood why I wasn't put in that reading group, especially after I enjoyed reading that book so much in fifth grade. I loved the book then and I still enjoyed reading it now. I actually noticed a theme while I was reading it that I had not noticed when I read it when I was younger: gender roles. The emphasis that is placed on Charlotte knowing her station and her place as a young girl was there for a reason, and when Charlotte ends up joining the crew, it is viewed as something that would never be done. One part of the book where this theme really stuck out was when Charlotte was on trial for murdering Mr. Hollybrass, the first mate. Captain Jaggery argues that her place on the crew is unnatural, while Charlotte calls it unusual: "'Is the way your dress unnatural?' 'Not for the work I do...' 'What work is that?' 'As a member of the crew.' 'Is being a crew member not unnatural for a girl?' "Unusual,' I insisted. 'Not unnatural.'" At this moment she recognizes that she has proved herself as a sailor and women are just as capable as men of doing manual labor on a ship. She knows what she can do and societal norms will not keep her from what she enjoys doing. Personally, I enjoy books that go against society's expectations, so finding this aspect in this book was a treat. I also liked how developed and strong the main character, Charlotte, is, and how she stands up for what she believes is right, even if it causes her to break the rules that she is supposed to follow. An example of when this happens is when she attempts to get Captain Jaggery to stop flogging Zachariah, who had been kind to her the moment she walked onto the Seahawk. One of the big ideas of this book is you never know how strong you are until it is your only option. This is exhibited when Charlotte finds out she will be travelling alone and she leaves her comfort zone and interacts with the crew and when she decides to join the crew and has to climb the tallest mast alone.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In my opinion, this is an excellent book. I liked that this book was written in first person point of view. Being written in first person point of view allowed the reader to really get to know the narrator, which in this book is Charlotte. This book is very descriptive and uses a lot of imagery, making it very easy to picture everything that happened in the book. For example, “It extended the full width of the Seahawk. And I found I could stand up in it with room to spare. The walls were richly paneled and hung with miniatures and pretty pastoral prints of dear England. On the back wall—stern of the ship—there was a row of windows, below which stood a handsome stuffed sofa. A desk with neatly stacked charts and nautical instruments in velvet boxes faced it on the starboard wall.” I liked that the plot in this story was very suspenseful, and kept the reader interested. Each chapter ended with cliffhanger, begging the reader to read more. For example, chapter 6 ends like this… “I shrieked. The next moment the candle went out and I was plunged into utter darkness.” The central message of this book is that Life is not a straight path, because the people you meet and the events that happen can change the direction you are going in. Charlotte was from a wealth family, and when she got to America her family was able to give her everything and anything she wanted. But after being home, she realized that it was not the life she wanted to live, and choose to go back and work on ship that brought her to America. The book ends with this quote, “A sailor chooses the wind that takes the ship from safe port... but winds have a mind of their own.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book inspired me to write realistic stories about girl heroines, and the voyage at sea captured my imagination
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was a great coming of age story; very adventurous and intriguing. Most of all I liked that fact that it allowed the protagonist to make her own decisions and 'follow her own wind'. I agree with the message the author is trying to send. The only issue I had was that it was not as detailed as it could have been, and some parts simply did not seem like they would happen in the fashion that they did. Overall, I would highly recommend this novel to anyone; though it would be more suitable for younger girls.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've read comments on this book regarding history, social standing and upbringing, plausibility, physical realities like size and strength. Is this at all believable? Can suspension of disbelief be stretched this far? All I can say is that my ability to set these things aside in the face of such a wonderful adventure reaffirms my belief in a god. I cannot just be this lucky.

    I loved this. I have a new heroine. I found this so exciting. I could visualize and feel everything. Once the story got underway it stayed intense all the way up to the very last sentence. Such an adventure. Such a character. I'm stunned.