The White Mountains/The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by John Christopher/Avi

In a futuristic England, the majority of characters in The White Mountains do not have free will nor do they seem to want to think and act for themselves. Will Parker, the exception, cannot bring himself to live in a world where machines control his mind, career, and actions, so he leaves home to avoid being controlled by machines. Will struggles to develop his own identity without the guidance of adults, has internal and external conflicts, and experiences injustice and isolation. By learning to align himself with true friends, Will experiences success and happiness. He learns the importance of free will and making his own decisions and overcomes seemingly impossible obstacles to attain his dream. Major themes include the importance of both individuality and teamwork to reach a goal, the dangers of tyranny and conformity, and the notion that sometimes the best decisions or actions are not always the easiest.

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. In The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, 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.

About the Series:

Novel/Drama curriculum units contain complete lesson plans with preliminary and follow-up work, teacher notes with plot summary, background, and rationale, ready-to-use worksheets, and suggested answers for student questions. These study guides encourage the development of thinking, reading, speaking, research, and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.