85 pages 2 hours read

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1990

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Introduction

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

  • Genre: Fiction; middle grade historical
  • Originally Published: 1990
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 740L; grades 7-8
  • Structure/Length: 2 parts; 16 chapters; approx. 278 pages; approx. 6 hours, 27 minutes on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict (or Central Concern): Set in 1832, 13-year-old Charlotte Doyle must travel alone by ship from England to her family home in America.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Moderate violence and scariness

Avi (Edward Irving Wortis), Author

  • Bio: Born in 1937 in New York City; currently lives with his wife in Clark, Colorado; started his writing career as a playwright; worked as a librarian; has published more than 70 books; frequently travels to schools to meet his young readers
  • Other Works: The Fighting Ground (1984); The Man Who Was Poe (1989); Nothing but the Truth (1991); Crispin: The Cross of Lead (2002)
  • Awards: Newbery Honor (1991); Horn Book-Boston Globe Award (1991); ALA Notable Book (1991)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

  • The Barriers of Class
  • Challenging Gender Roles
  • Transformation and Growth

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

  • Gain an understanding of the historical context regarding gender and class in the 19th century, the time period of Charlotte’s story.
  • Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Barriers of Class and Challenging Gender Roles.