Answer:

Answer by admin on Thu 15, Mar 2007 12:57pm:

Hello.

This is probably "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" (1990) by Avi.

"The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" is available on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/053105893X?ie=UTF8&tag=whatsthatbook-20&linkCode=as2
(Purchasing from Amazon.com via one of our links helps support this
site).


Various descriptions of the book:

"Charlotte, a wealthy young girl, becomes a working crew member on a ship.
I think she disguises herself as a boy. I thought it was fascinating as she
learned the workings of the ship and became a true sailor."

"She becomes a sailor, just like the men. "

"The year is 1832, and thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is excited to make
an interesting voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, being transported from
Liverpool, England, home to her family in Providence, Rhode Island by way
of ship. She is lead to believe that other families with children her age
will be accompanying her on this trip, as it is improper for a girl of her
age to be traveling with a group of men, but when they never show up, she
is forced to board by herself, and is soon thrown into a tailspin. Before
Charlotte even knows what is going on, she is not only accused of murder,
but brought to trial, and found guilty, as well...
 Charlotte is an intelligent, strong willed, strong minded, and brave young
girl, who makes the best of all of the challenges she faces on her journey.
She is not afraid of a little hard work, and even enjoys it to a certain
extent. Through her adventures she keeps her head up and a smile on her
face, just to prove to everyone around her that she can do anything that a
man can, and sometimes she can even do it better."

"The plot is unbelievable--particularly the unconvincing ending, where we
are supposed to believe, despite merely being told instead of shown, that
Charlotte has developed some sort of insatiable camaraderie with Mr.
Zachariah and the rest of the crew."

"Eventually she decides to leave her family and return to life at sea, the
place where she now believes is home."

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subjects:
Mutiny--Fiction.
Sex role--Fiction.
Self-perception--Fiction.
Ships--Fiction.
Sea stories.
sailors-fiction
juvenile fiction