The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a wonderful fiction book about a very courageous young lady who is growing up in a time when women and girls didn’t have very many rights. This great 272 page novel by Avi was published in 1990 by HarperCollins Publishers and takes place in the mid-1800.

This book really drew me in and I think that it will for others too. Charlotte is around my age so I think that that made it a little more interesting; it was cool to hear what this fictional character had to say because she was growing up in a time where girls didn’t have very many rights. I liked this book also because Charlotte is a fantastic protagonist who has a lot of cool adventures.  I think that the author really succeeded in creating an exciting book that students of all ages would enjoy reading. I would certainly recommend it to all 4-7th graders who love breath catching paragraphs and lip biting chapters.

Charlotte Doyle’s family traveled to America from England and now Charlotte was going to join them. She got aboard the Seahawk and quickly realized that the trip wouldn’t be as enjoyable as she thought. The ship was full of rough sailors, but that captain gave the impression of a true gentleman. But little does she know that the captain isn’t someone she can trust, but then again, on a cargo ship, who could she? Charlotte tries to make the best by making friends with some of the crew members, but for some, that friendship doesn’t last long when they find out that she has been working with the captain “supervising” the crew. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle takes you on a journey through a girl’s hard life on a ship filled with murder, lies, and a horrible truth.

The Mysterious Benidict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

This book is a really great book about four kids who are all incredibly gifted. Their names are Reynie (short for Reynard), Kate, Sticky (short for George), and Constance. They see in ad in the newspaper, which all of them read, saying, “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?”

They all go and take a bunch of tests. A lot of kids go to take the tests, but only they make it through all the tests. After they’re done, they meet a man named Mr. Benidict who tells them about a troubling matter. He tells them about the sender, a man named Mr. Curtain. He sends messages through TV programs and radio stations. It makes people think things that aren’t very true.

Mr. Benidict sends the members of the newly formed Mysterious Benidict Society to the place where Mr. Curtain sends his messages, the Learning Institute For the Very Enlighted (LIVE). When they get there, they see Mr. Curtain for the first time, and are surprised to see that he looks just like Mr. Benidict. They use Morse Code to signal him. They say, “We see Mr. B. when we see Mr. C. How can this be?” They find that the two men are twins seperated by birth.

Reynie and Sticky do really well on the tests they take at the Institute and become messengers. Messengers are the children who send the strange messages. They know that the improvement, as Mr. Curtain calls it, is coming so they make all the messengers except themselves sick so the boys have a chance to go in the Whisperer (the sender of the messages). They get Kate and Constance to come and Constance defeats the Whisperer by using her obstinate attitude.

This is a great book and I recommend it to anyone who likes adventure, humor, and suspense. (There is two other books in the series. Read them all!)