The True Adventures of Charley Darwin

Young Charley Darwin, growing up in early 19th century England, has a fascination with science from a very young age. He'd rather perform secret experiments than do his schoolwork. This fascination continues into his young adulthood, when he receives the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to sail around the world with Captain Robert FitzRoy on the Beagle. The voyage will be long and dangerous, but Charley doesn't hesitate, even though it means leaving behind Fanny, the girl he cares for who can't promise to wait for him. The hardships of the journey are lessened by Charley by the many discoveries and observations he makes about the natural world, through the collection and observation of many plants, animals, and other living things. The True Adventures of Charley Darwin is an interesting historical novel about the childhood and young adult years of the famous naturalist Charles Darwin. It is very different on the surface from Carolyn Meyer's recent books, because it features a male main character as the narrator. However, it is not really all that different as it features the same attention to historical detail and brings to life the early years of a famous person from history. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction.

As the author states in her epilogue, "Books about Charles Darwin fill libraries." In fact, with Darwin's centennial birthday this year, there seems to be a sudden influx of such books. But few of these books manage to examine Darwin quite like //The True Adventures of Charley Darwin// does. Long before Charles Darwin became famous (or sometimes infamous, as it were) for his theory of evolution, there was Charley Darwin. He was the young British schoolboy who enjoyed rambling walks and collecting plants and animals more than lessons in Latin and Greek. This book follows Charley as he makes his way through school, university, and through that fateful trip on the HMS Beagle. Carolyn Meyer has applied her signature charm and voice to a character who few authors have examined in the same human light. Readers get to know Charley from childhood and are better able to understand how Charley becomes the man the world knows as Charles Darwin. Rich with historical detail, //The True Adventures of Charley Darwin// will be enjoyed by those already familiar with Darwin's history and those who have yet to discover it. Reviewed by Alyssa Feller

In 1818, nine year old Charley Darwin is sent to boarding school in his hometown. By sixteen, Charley is not doing very well in his studies because he spends his time working on science experiments. When his father finds out, he sends Charley to medical college with his older brother. He finally admits that medicine is not for him and his father sends him to study for a career as a clergyman. Charley interviews with Captain FitzRoy and becomes a naturalist on the HMS Beagle for an around the world ocean voyage. In late December 1831, the Beagle and crew begin the trip. He enjoys the adventures and sends crates of specimens home from the exotic locations they visit. After returning to England in 1836, Charley works with other scientists on organizing his notes and specimens. Soon, he begins forming his own scientific theories about life based on his research. This is an interesting story about Charles Darwin's youth and early adulthood told in the first person point of view. While I typically do not read much historical fiction, I enjoyed reading about Darwin as a real person and not just a historical figure and scientist. In the story, Darwin has all the typical problems most people have while growing up and finding his place in the world. While the language is more formal than what is used today, it does fit with the historical setting. Additionally, the use of English spellings of the period adds to the authentic feel of the story. The more violent details of Charley's adventures, such as meeting angry groups of natives, are not too descriptive and younger teens shouldn't have problems with this. The scientific theories in the story are explained in simple non-scientific language. A short bibliography included at the end will give readers a chance to find out more about Darwin in his own words.

As an older man, his pictures reveal a thin, white-bearded, imposing-looking figure. Charles Darwin built his reputation as an outstanding scientist and collector. His life's work was devoted to the study of nature and the development of theories that, in his time, made him the subject of controversy. Gentle, shy and ever curious, he seemed destined from childhood to enlighten those around him. Charley Darwin was born in the right place to pursue his avid interests in nature. In England's peaceful Shrewsbury district, with its lovely rivers and woods, he took every opportunity to be outside exploring. Being the youngest boy, with three older, hovering sisters, he was happily indulged. Even his older brother, Erasmus "Ras", had a keen interest in nature and often joined him in dragging back various specimens found in the area. His younger sister, Emily, along with the three older ones --- Marianne, Susan and Caroline --- adored their two brothers. When their mother died, the sisters took over the job of "mothering" eight-year-old Charley --- especially the oldest, Caroline. Though loving, she was also strict in trying to discipline him in his education. Charley's father, a physician with a very successful practice, had great expectations for young Charles, hoping he also would go into medicine. Though Charley had excellent communication with patients and was clever with medicinal formulas, it was not the life he wanted. He had been very unhappy with his time in the Shrewsbury boarding school, and when his medical studies did not work out, his father decided he was more fit for the clergy. At Christ's College, though, he finished his degree, still drawn to botany, hunting and specimen collecting. He did manage to take botany courses and was very influenced by the geologist/scientist Adam Sedgwick. He also had begun his fascination with insects and shells. His father indulged him, knowing he was an extremely bright young man and knowing that the blood of his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, a renowned scientist, ran strongly in the boy's blood. His sisters, on the other hand, were more frustrated that they could not find a perfect match for their brother. When an opportunity came, at the age of 22, for him to take part in an exploring expedition with Captain FitzRoy of the HMS Beagle, Charley did not hesitate --- though it would involve hardship and years away from England. At first his father was not pleased, but eventually supported him with blessings and financial aid. Three years aboard the HMS Beagle as a naturalist and companion to FitzRoy turned into five. The voyage basically took them around South America with stops at islands (such as the famous Galapagos) and inland areas along the way. Charley was often terribly ill from the effects of being seasick, and though he enjoyed all the explorations, he sometimes was overwhelmed by the hardships they endured. He sent hundreds of specimens back to England, and his father sent him hundreds of dol

"I struggled to gain my footing and held on as best I might to a leg of the chart table, which was bolted down; Midshipman King clung to another leg. His look of terror must have mirrored my own as doors and hatches burst open and water poured through in a great cataract. I was as frightened as I had ever been, certain I was on my way to a watery grave. My life seemed about to end just as my father had feared: I would be drowned, my body lost forever, my family learning of my death only months from now." "On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, a new Gallup Poll shows that only 39% of Americans say they 'believe in the theory of evolution.' while a quarter say they do not believe in the theory, and another 36% don't have an opinion either way. These attitudes are strongly related to education and, to an even greater degree, religiosity. There is a strong relationship between education and belief in Darwin's theory, as might be expected, ranging from 21% of those with high-school educations or less to 74% of those with postgraduate degrees." -- Gallup.com As a child, I enthusiastically collected baseball cards and Matchbox cars, and the coins that I would keep in those blue coin collection folders that many of my fellow kids from the Sixties should remember. In the summer I loved wandering along the Long Island beaches searching for pretty shells to bring home. And for many years, across the street from our house in Commack, there was a vacant lot with a long, exposed face of sand and rock where my friends and I sought out stones of all colors. We then headed home with our treasures and cracked them open with a hammer in order to observe the crystalline structures inside. I've never lost my affinity for collecting shells and stones. During my years as an early childhood educator, when I regularly frequented the Sebastopol Flea Market on weekends in search of cheap, used toys, books and other useful items for the preschool, I would buy up any modestly-priced shell collections I ran across. I provided many a box of shells for my young students' examinations, experimentations, and art projects, but always reserved the prettiest few for myself. To this day, I keep an assortment of them on a tray atop my dresser. And after being introduced to the beauty and warm currents of the Eel River, I would always choose a large rock to lug up from the river to the car to take home as a keepsake. I keep a few of them in my bedroom, too. "I'm curious. Is there anyone on the stage who does not believe in evolution?" [Hands raised by Mike Huckabee, Tom Tancredo, and Sam Brownback] -- Republican Presidential Debate, May 3, 2007 Given that it was the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin this week; given that I was blown away by that eye-opening hand raising when I originally watched that debate on TV; and given that I so enjoyed last year's RINGSIDE 1925, Jen Bryant's lively verse novel about the Scopes Monkey Trial; I was definitely up fo