Charlotte’s father insists that she finish the school year before returning home to America from England. Plans are made for Charlotte to travel with a couple of different families that have children her age, on a boat that is owned by her father’s company. When Charlotte arrives at the Seahawk, prepared for her journey across the ocean, she finds that she is the only person, aside from the crew, that intends to travel to America on the boat.
Somewhat abandoned and unable to remedy the situation, Charlotte is forced to board the boat. Her living conditions are unfavorable to say the least. But despite the situation she finds herself in, Charlotte is relieved when she meets Captain Jaggery, her father’s employee and an obvious gentleman. Jaggery is the type of person Charlotte is accustomed to being around and trusting.
It isn’t long before Charlotte realizes that something is amiss on the Seahawk: one of it’s crew even gives her a knife in case an occasion arises where she needs to protect herself. Charlotte’s perspective on life quickly shifts as she is thrown into circumstances beyond her control and that threaten her very life.
In addition to it’s Newbery Honor Award, I had heard a lot of great things about this book from people who had read it. Unfortunately, I was unable to suspend reality enough to be able to enjoy it myself. From the opening chapter to the end of the novel, multiple aspects of the story seemed completely unrealistic and unbelievable to me.
I’m all for strong feminine characters that stand up for themselves and prevail amidst difficult circumstances. Charlotte Doyle certainly fits that description, but because of the historical nature of the book, and all of the details that seemed quite authentic, I was unable to buy into the choices made by the individuals surrounding Charlotte.
I was also disappointed with how Charlotte put so much trust in and was willing to sacrifice for people (dangerous criminals none the less) who continually betrayed and disregarded her, including being completely comfortable with her obviously unjust execution order. Those are the people that she ultimately decides she should run away with and associate with a feeling of ‘home’.
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Overall Rating: 
Parent’s guide:
- Sex: none
- Language: there may have been one or two mild swear words
- Violence: mutiny on a ship, a person is shot and killed, a person is whipped to death, a person is stabbed to death, a hurricane hits the ships and causes dangerous situations, a teen is accused of murder and sentenced to be hung, a person falls from a ship and drowns
