Charlotte's Choice

The author knows her setting, small town Missouri, early 1900's. She also knows children and school relationships. I found her characterization and description captivating. Charlotte, known as Sissy by her loving family, is consistently crafted as the unpopular girl seeking to be accepted by the in- group, a classic problem. Her relationship with her kind brother and again with Jesse, her unwilling friend who has come on the orphan train to find a home, shows her sensitive goodness of heart. Sissy's mother is real. The story takes a menacing turn when secrets are revealed about the orphan girl, Jesse. What follows is a girl's unfailing love of a friend and complete honesty. I found myself choking up as I read Sissy's words, "You don't have to understand people to love them," and from then to the complete ending, my throat was tight with unspent tears. This book is a must for teens who feel deeply, and are trying to untangle their lives.

Charlotte's Choice is a story that deals tastefully with an on-going evil. The gently unfolding plot keeps the reader turning pages as home-town girl Charlotte Matthews reluctantly becomes friends with newcomer/orphan Jesse Irwin. Jesse thrives on the acceptance and love surrounding her in Charlotte's family circle. Yet her past--anything-goes survival on the streets of New York--sets a stage where Jesse chooses to relive that past rather than jeopardize the stability of the Matthews family. Charlotte's simple understanding of life is shattered when Jesse becomes victimized by a cruel man. Eventually, Charlotte must choose whether or not to betray her best friend's confidence. As the jacket cover denotes, "The story's unflinching ending, which is neither entirely tragic nor entirely happy, deepens the credibility, power, and contemporary relevance of CHARLOTTE'S CHOICE."