The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle ~ 5 stars!

     The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi is a real treasure of a book. This is the story of Charlotte Doyle, a proper, ladylike girl of thirteen who is sailing the Atlantic to be reunited with her family in America after several years of schooling in England. The voyage does not go as planned, because the crew of the ship she has boarded, the Seahawk, plans to mutiny against the cruel Captain Jaggery. Charlotte must decide who she sides with, the unwashed, uncivilized men of the crew, some of whom have become her friends, or the gentlemanly Captain Jaggery, who seems to praise her for her ladylike behavior. In the end, the girl who boarded the ship in England will be nothing like the girl who gets off in America.

     Because the crew will mutiny, and Charlotte will be forced to choose a side. And though she has been basking in the warm glow of Captain Jaggery's favor, he will turn on her in an instant if it suits him. Charlotte has to learn who her real friends are: is it the wrinkled old black man Zachariah, or the well-dressed and refined Captain Jaggery? And once she's made her choice, will she be brave enough and strong enough to stick with it - even if it means hanging?

     The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a book that represents a lot of things to me. It's a real transformation story, with Charlotte becoming a very different person. She goes from the proper lady to a girl who has climbed the rigging of a ship in a hurricane to cut free the sails. The Charlotte who boarded the Seahawk would never have been able to do that. Another thing I liked about The True Confessions is that Avi really did his research. He really figured out how a ship is put together, what the things are called, and what would be necessary during a voyage and during a storm. And then he presented it in a very gradual unfolding, so that I always knew enough but never got a load of disconnected sailing ship information dumped in my lap. That's how that sort of thing should be done, and it really made this book stand out among the list of other books where everything takes place aboard a ship at sea. 

     The other thing I love is the characters. Characters say a lot about a book, and The True Confessions has so many good ones. To be honest, the cast of characters is fairly small - just the crew, the captain, and Charlotte, and then a handful of family and servants who crop up in the last chapter or so after she reaches land. But no more than a dozen are important and present for 90% of the book, and those dozen were very good. I wanted to know more about Zachariah from the first time he tried to befriend Charlotte. I also despise Captain Jaggery with a deep and profound loathing, and I have my particular favorites among the crew. Mostly Fisk...I really love Fisk. 

     But the character who was the absolute best was Charlotte herself. She narrates the entire story, and I really like her voice, which has the right blend of humor and reality. But the thing about her I want to highlight is the way Avi handled that pivotal moment when Charlotte turns from her upbringing to join the crew.That's a pretty drastic choice, but the way the story flows, there's been plenty of soul-searching, regret, remorse, and plenty of tears as well. It's not a snap decision. When you begin the book, making that choice seems completely out of character for Charlotte, but by the time it happens, it fits. Charlotte has changed, but it happened so gradually and fit so well with everything that was happening that you never notice it. And when Charlotte makes that choice there's the right amount of reluctance and just plain guts behind her actions. It was superbly done.

     It should be fairly obvious now that this book is one I highly recommend. It's not a girly book, though it's about a girl, and there's adventure and action, but also powerful character moments going on. There's something for everyone, and to my opinion, it's a book that's very easy to read and easy to love. This is another book I think everyone should read, particularly if you enjoy books about sailing and being at sea and pirates.

     I actually have a personal story to go with this book. The True Confessions was something I read and liked when I was 12 and 13, but I haven't read it in two years, and I actually thought I had outgrown the story. In a moment of boredom the other day I picked it up, and was surprised. This book is so good, I couldn't believe I hadn't read it in so long! It's definitely reminded me I need to go back and reread books I liked when I was 13. Some of them are probably books I will still love.

Link to author website: http://www.avi-writer.com/books/books/true.html