49 pages • 1 hour read
AviThe Secret School
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2001A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Literature
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (1990) by Avi
The author of The Secret School pens another historical novel about a young girl who must think for herself and solve difficult problems in the face of opposition from grown-ups. This time, though, failure could mean death. Charlotte Doyle, age 13, is an upper-class American girl who returns from England in 1832 as the only female on a sailing ship bound for mutiny. Charlotte experiences life below decks, learns quickly the arts of sailing, and helps save the crew from a tyrannical captain. The book won a Newbery Honor and other awards.
- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle on SuperSummary
Further Reading: Beyond Literature
A presentation of the Morgan County Community History Writers, this article with photographs describes the history of schoolhouses in Morgan County and Routt County in early-1900s Colorado. (Routt County is where The Secret School takes place.) Rural life was hardscrabble, often impoverished, and bone-chillingly cold in winter. Teachers received minimal pay yet performed repair and janitorial work, doctored their student’s injuries, and dealt with recess fistfights. Students walked or rode for miles to attend; teachers often lived in the schoolhouse or boarded with a farm family.
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