Charlotte Doyle begins her journey as a naïve young girl eager to finish her journey and return to her parents. As she crosses the Atlantic Ocean aboard a ship with a corrupt captain, she realizes the dangers of stereotyping and learns a difficult lesson about appearance versus reality. Charlotte makes both a figurative and literal journey on which she learns independence and the importance of both friendship and loyalty She returns to her parents much wiser and more mature.
Students review and analyze literary terms specific to mystery stories, including plot, setting, character, and theme; predict the outcome of suspenseful portions of the story; and write an original mystery story. They also analyze characters, evaluate the novel as suspense fiction, and participate in a mock trial determining Charlotte’s guilt or innocence.
Supplementary materials include vocabulary study, quizzes, and objective and essay tests for average and above-average ability levels. Answer keys are provided.
