85 pages 2 hours read

Avi

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1990

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Narrator’s Note-Part 1, Chapter 7

Reading Check

1. Who is the book’s narrator?

2. Why is Charlotte not traveling with her family?

3. What is the ship’s name?

4. What does Zachariah give Charlotte?

5. How long is Charlotte ill?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What might be suggested by the narrator’s warning in the Narrator’s Note that “[i]f strong ideas and action offend you, read no more”?

2. Why does Charlotte’s father give her a daily journal to fill in?

3. Why does Charlotte think it would be “wrong” for her to travel without a companion?

4. Why does Charlotte immediately think that she can trust Captain Jaggery?

5. What does Charlotte’s father have to do with the relationship between Captain Jaggery and his crew?

Paired Resource

“What Is an Unreliable Narrator?

  • A resource from Oregon State University describes the concept of an unreliable narrator
  • Charlotte tells us that she is the narrator. Do you trust her? Why or why not?

Gender Roles in 19th-Century Victorian Patriarchy

  • An article about the expected behavior of women during the 19th century
  • How does this article help us understand Charlotte’s perspective and protests when she is expected to travel alone aboard the ship? How does this article connect with the novel’s theme of Challenging Gender Roles?