Charles Darwin set out on a trip around the world at the age of 22. He risked his life many times to study plants and animals, and during this ve-year journey, gained the knowledge to write On the Origin of Species.

A fictionalized account of the first half of Charles Darwin’s life (youth through voyage on the HMS Beagle and marriage at age 30). Meyer has written an evocative account of the privileged life of an early 19th century English gentleman – complete with awful boarding school and what passed for medical “coursework” for the time (and which faithfully Meyer recounts in gruesome detail). Reluctant readers might enjoy Darwin’s steadfast boredom with all things related to traditional education and lack of career ambitions. Romance fans will enjoy Darwin’s late and awkward awakenings to the opposite sex. More sophisticated readers will enjoy the details Meyer includes that reveal how Darwin’s thinking about the origins of life and religion were shaped by what he experienced and learned. Language arts teachers will enjoy the vocabulary Meyer introduces (“savories” served at teatime, “ewers” of water for washing up, etc.). Meyer uses/defines the terms “fagging” and “fag” within her descriptions of boarding school life, providing food for thought about why the term used in other contexts might be offensive. Recommended despite a lack of strong plot and “action”. This is one of those books that deserves to be read but probably won’t be without some coercion. Would be a great pair to Charles and Emma : the Darwins' leap of faith by Deborah Heiligman (non-fiction) about Charles and Emma Darwin’s great love affair despite his scientific views and her deeply Christian beliefs.
Recommended. ( )

A fictionalized account of the first half of Charles Darwin’s life (youth through voyage on the HMS Beagle and marriage at age 30). Meyer has written an evocative account of the privileged life of an early 19th century English gentleman – complete with awful boarding school and what passed for medical “coursework” for the time (and which faithfully Meyer recounts in gruesome detail). Reluctant readers might enjoy Darwin’s steadfast boredom with all things related to traditional education and lack of career ambitions. Romance fans will enjoy Darwin’s late and awkward awakenings to the opposite sex. More sophisticated readers will enjoy the details Meyer includes that reveal how Darwin’s thinking about the origins of life and religion were shaped by what he experienced and learned. Language arts teachers will enjoy the vocabulary Meyer introduces (“savories” served at teatime, “ewers” of water for washing up, etc.). Meyer uses/defines the terms “fagging” and “fag” within her descriptions of boarding school life, providing food for thought about why the term used in other contexts might be offensive. Recommended despite a lack of strong plot and “action”. This is one of those books that deserves to be read but probably won’t be without some coercion. Would be a great pair to Charles and Emma : the Darwins' leap of faith by Deborah Heiligman (non-fiction) about Charles and Emma Darwin’s great love affair despite his scientific views and her deeply Christian beliefs.
Recommended. ( )

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. ( )