If you are looking for a book with a strong, female heroine this is the book for you. I loved Avi as a young reader, and have loved rediscovering him as an adult even more. I taught this book with 6th graders, but I also think it could be used for 5th graders or possibly even advanced 4th graders. It would be a great way to introduce students both to an exciting time period (takes place in 1832) and a unique setting (a cargo ship voyaging from England to the United States). It also provides the opportunity to explore social justice issues regarding classism and is an excellent book for teaching about foreshadowing. To top it off, it is beautifully written, and most of my students (even several boys) said it was their favorite book of the year. A little more about the story:
Charlotte is the daughter of an American businessman. Her family is highly educated and wealthy. They had been living in England for several years but are now returning home to Rhode Island. The rest of the family went ahead of her because her father wanted her to finish out the school year. He arranged passage for her on one of his company's ship, Seahawk, along with two other families who will serve as her chaperones. Her father has instructed her to keep a diary on the voyage and warned her he will be paying special attention to her spelling. She credits the journal for her ability to retell her story (first person narrator) in vivid detail. The story immediately grabs the reader's attention by starting with this shocking statement:
"Not every thirteen year old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty."
As you can imagine, things on the voyage didn't go as planned! I can't say enough good things about this book!!
After reading the first line you posted from the book I now want to go pick up this book and finish it. I did not learn about foreshadowing until 7th grade so I think it would be very beneficial to learn about it a little earlier and this book seems like a great way to do that. I especially love the whole female heroine part. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe line from the book you shared is such a great hook. I would love to share this with my second graders but it seems like it would be too advanced, so I might just have to read it for my enjoyment in my free time!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the fact that you are featuring a book that has historical context. I think history and social studies are more interesting when you can personalize the experiences that others have encountered. I can see the potential for cross-curricular work with this book!
ReplyDeleteI read this book for my college kiddie lit class and remember liking it. That first line would be a great prompt for talking about writing good leads. What other Avi books do you recommend?
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