Good exciting story with a plucky heroine but a little hard to believe! ( )

READING LEVEL: 5.3 AR POINTS: 8.0

I think young readers will really enjoy this adventure on the sea if they could only get past the very hokie beginning. As was typical in early 1800's, Charlotte was sent across seas to England for "proper" schooling in becoming a "proper" young lady. But, on her voyage back home to Rhode island where her family were part of the elite slave owners, anything that could go wrong went wrong. This is her adventure as she tried to cope with the hard and dangerous realities of life...and of hard sailors, testing her courage, strength and survival skills. ( )

I read this once in elementry, once in middle school, and now again as an adult. I loved it every time that I read it. The story of a 13-year-old girl who finds the freedom of the open sea more inviting than the sheltered and stuffy existance she was leading. She finds the strength to overcome her fears, and stand up to those who feel she is beneath them. ( )

Fun read, needed to suspend disbelief just a tad but enjoyed it nevertheless. Looking for more books by this author. ( )

3.5 stars. I read this because my sixth-grader is reading it for language arts. While I enjoyed the story, Charlotte's huge transformation is extremely difficult to believe! ( )