A review by jselliot
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

adventurous informative inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Probably one of my favorite historical novels when I was younger, and one I kept coming back to even as I got older. The attention given to how the ship was run on a functional level was interesting, and I remember that when I was writing a short story as a kid I referenced the schematics in the book at one point. 

This one does have an initially slow start, but it really picks up and gets going by about the 1/3 mark. The lead character is also plucky and adaptable, which makes it fun to ride along with once she's forced to reexamine her biases.