Charlotte's Choice

From The Critics

When fourteen-year-old Jesse Irwin finds her way to Turner's Crossing, Missouri, aboard the Children's Aid Society Orphan's train, no one could have predicted she would find tragedy instead of the promised salvation. Jesse's story is told through the voice of Charlotte Ann Matthews, Jesse's only friend. Charlotte Ann must decide whether to reveal Jesse's horrible secret of sexual abuse at the hands of her adoptive father—and risk their friendship, or to keep her silence—and watch Jesse face the possibility of hanging for her father's murder. This novel presents a fictitious dark side to the Orphan Train experience. In addition to providing historical insights to Missouri of 1905, the characters of this good read speak through the rich textures of colloquial language. Charlotte's family interactions prove that adolescent discomfort with parental and sibling relationships transcend time. Charlotte's Choice would be a solid and engaging selection for middle school readers. 2001, Boyds Mills Press, 184 pp., Ford

Children's Literature

Charlotte Matthew, a quiet girl who does not like to rock the boat, cannot possibly imagine that her world is about to turn upside down simply because a train is coming to town. Admittedly, this is not just any train; it is the orphan train, carrying homeless children from New York City. On board the train are boys and girls of all ages who need new homes and new lives. One of the orphans who comes to live in Charlotte's hometown, Turner's Crossing, is Jesse. She looks dreadfully uncared for and unattractive. At school, the new girl is quiet and aloof. Over time she begins to come out of her shell and to bloom in the most remarkable way. With new dresses and decent meals, Jesse becomes a startlingly attractive girl. She is also strong-willed. Jesse turns out to be everything that Charlotte is not, and Charlotte wishes she were more like the strange city girl. Charlotte becomes Jesse's one real friend. Jesse also becomes devoted to a kitten, Max, whose life she saved. All seems to be going well until Jesse leaves home. The old lady who took Jesse in refuses to let Max move into the house. Jesse finds a new place to live, a place that frightens Charlotte. Something dreadful happens and Jesse shares a terrible secret with her timorous friend. What should Charlotte do with a secret that is so damaging, so frightful? Charlotte's Choice is a very powerful story. Through Jesse we are also able to see how people with strong personalities influence others and how hardships shape the young. Jesse gives the people of Turner's Crossing something to think about and a lesson that should not be forgotten. 2001, Boyds Mills Press, Ages 12 up.
—Marya Jansen-Gruber

VOYA

In this coming-of-age novel, thirteen-year-old Charlotte's quiet, uneventful Missouri town is impacted forever in 1905 by the arrival of an orphan train from New York. Charlotte befriends Jesse Irwin, the unsmiling orphan with an unreadable face. The slow-paced narration introduces readers to the daily existence, family relationships, prejudices, and quirky characters that dominate life in a small town. Two of the most unlovable people in the town, an aging spinster and the villainous owner of the general store, adopt Jesse, but her life is very harsh. Charlotte attempts to incorporate Jesse into her loving family, giving her a kitten and encouraging a romantic involvement with her brother, Daniel. As the plot advances, the meager but enjoyable events in Jesse's life are threatened, and it becomes obvious to readers that she is being abused physically. When her situation grows desperate, Jesse confides a secret to Charlotte, demanding that she never betray her trust. After a violent death, Charlotte must be strong and make an agonizing choice to save Jesse. Unfortunately, in the end Charlotte never knows whether she made the right decision. The development of the strong bond between the two well-developed main characters is believable and will appeal to middle school girls. Teens will commiserate with the dilemma of betraying a best friend, but the slow action, unfamiliar setting, one-dimensional secondary characters, and stiff dialogue might make this novel difficult to recommend to any but those readers interested in historical fiction. Teens who enjoyed the courtroom drama in Frances O'Roark Dowell's Dovey Coe (Atheneum/S & S, 2000/VOYA June 2000) or Julius Lester's When Dad Killed Mom(Silver Whistle/Harcourt, 2001/VOYA October 2001) might be enticed with a skilled recommendation. VOYA CODES: 3Q 2P M (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2001, Boyds Mills, 184p, $15.95. Ages 11 to 14. Reviewer: Eileen Kuhl SOURCE: VOYA, February 2002 (Vol. 24, No.6)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-The orphan train takes 14-year-old Jesse Irwin to Turner's Crossing, MO, in 1905, and she quickly becomes Charlotte Ann Matthews's best friend. Jesse finds affection and caring in Charlotte's family, while Charlotte admires Jesse's independence and pride. After Jesse leaves her original placement to live with a local shopkeeper, she is beaten and reveals to her friend that she is also being sexually abused. When Jesse kills her abuser, Charlotte is forced to make the title choice-to keep Jesse's secret and leave her to face possible hanging or to betray Jesse's trust. Her decision is realistic and bittersweet. Charlotte's first-person narration has an authentic, engaging voice and is used to record details and dialogue that bring life to the girl's family, friends, and neighbors. The themes of friendship and trust are integral to the story and developed through details about the various characters' relationships. Charlotte's Choice offers a darker look at the orphan-train experience than Joan Lowery Nixon's "Orphan Train Adventures" series (Gareth Stevens) and "Orphan Train Children" series (Delacorte), but minor characters show the positive placements that resulted from this effort. This powerful book creates a realistic picture of life and pressures in the early 1900s and is fast paced enough to engage even reluctant readers.-Beth L. Meister, Queens Borough Public Library, Flushing, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.