Charlotte's Rose

By Ann Edwards Cannon

Book Overview

Charlotte's Rose--justifiably back in print--tells the story of a young Welsh girl, Charlotte Edwards, who, soon after her mother dies, sails with her father from England to the United States to become part of a company of Mormon handcart pioneers--emigrants with no horses or oxen who themselves pulled the heavy carts filled with their belongings. These were arduous journeys. While on the Mormon Trail, Charlotte befriends a young mother who later dies in childbirth. Though only 12 years old, Charlotte assumes responsibility for the infant and carries her to Utah. Over the course of their journey together, Charlotte becomes deeply attached to the baby she calls Rose, which makes Charlotte's choice at the novel's end particularly poignant.

The author, A. E. Cannon, is adept at creating vivid, multifaceted, believable characters and has crafted a story of pioneers that will seem relevant to today's young people. The reader will quickly be drawn into the story as Charlotte struggles to navigate the trials of an adolescent moving into adulthood. Although this is a book about Mormon pioneers, it is in fact about the larger American experience of immigration--a drama still unfolding today­--and Charlotte's coming-of-age journey will resonate with readers young and old.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1607811413
• ISBN13: 9781607811411
• Release Date: October 2011
• Publisher: University of Utah Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Charlotte takes on a chalange

Charlotte's Rose is a book about a young teen who takes on a chalange of caring for a baby whos Mom died giving birth and Dad is not ready to take care of her. This book has a small bit of romance and action. But mostly about a young teen who is trying to show everyone (including John her boyfriend/crush)that she is not a young girl anymore.

Read this one with a box of tissue handy!

Ann Cannon brings to the national market the tender story of twelve-year-old Charlotte, a Welsh immigrant who crossed America with a handcart company. Along the Mormon trail, Charlotte volunteers to care for the baby daughter of a woman who has died. At first, she is proud of herself, believing she has shown the adults that she is nearly a woman. But she soon realizes how difficult a task she has undertaken. Charlotte is frustrated by the baby's cries, her own lack of sleep, and not being able to spend the time she would like with John, who she wants to see her as more than a child. Eventually she can stand it no longer and she leaves the baby sleeping beneath the handcart on a rest stop, going on a walk with John instead of taking care of her obligation. When she returns, the baby is gone. Charlotte searches frantically, but finds the infant Charlotte has named Rose being cared for by Catherine Jones, a strange woman with a marked scar on her face. This coming of age novel demonstrates that the feelings that come into the hearts of adolescents remain the same through all generations. Read this one with a box of tissues handy.

A Story Of Courage

This book describes one of the many Mormon journeys to what they called Zion (now Salt Lake City). Some of these brave folks pushed and pulled 700 pound hand-carts from Iowa City to the Great Basin. The story has a good mix of charactes and illustrates the trials and emotions experienced by these adventurers. I am a gentile (non-Mormon), and I enjoyed the story.