Charlotte Sometimes (novel) facts for kids

Charlotte Sometimes is a popular children's novel written by Penelope Farmer. It was first published in 1969. This book is the third and most famous story about two sisters, Charlotte and Emma Makepeace. Their adventures are often called the Aviary Hall books.

The story is about a girl named Charlotte who starts at a new boarding school. One morning, she wakes up and finds herself in the same school, but it's 40 years in the past! The teachers and students in the past call her "Clare."

Charlotte and Clare mysteriously switch places each night. Charlotte goes back to 1918, and Clare comes to Charlotte's present time. They never meet, but they leave notes for each other in a secret diary. The story is told only from Charlotte's side. As the book continues, Charlotte gets stuck in Clare's time. She has to fight to remember who she really is.

About the Book's Creation

How the Story Started

Penelope Farmer first wrote a collection of short stories. One story was too long, so she turned it into the first chapter of The Summer Birds (1962). This was her first book about Charlotte and Emma.

A second book, Emma in Winter, came out in 1966. Charlotte Sometimes was then published in 1969.

Real-Life Inspirations

Penelope Farmer used many of her own family experiences for Charlotte Sometimes. She said that Charlotte and Emma were first based on her mother and her mother's sister. They grew up without parents and had to rely on each other. One was responsible, and the other was a bit difficult.

The boarding school in the book is based on the West Heath Girls' School in Kent, England. Penelope Farmer and her twin sister went to this school in the 1950s. Parts of the school, like the front door, glass porch, and a big cedar tree, are in the book. Some characters were even based on real students. For example, the scene where Charlotte breaks the glass porch really happened to Penelope Farmer.

Different Versions of the Book

There are two versions of the novel. A revised edition came out in 1985. The author made small changes, like updating words and punctuation.

The biggest change was that some events at the end of the story were removed. This included a sad part where Charlotte, back in her own time, gets a package and letter from Clare's sister, Emily, as an adult. The original ending, where the students leave school for the holidays, was also removed.

The book has been re-released with its original text.

Story Summary

Part One: A Strange Swap

Charlotte arrives at a new boarding school. A student named Sarah shows her around. Charlotte shares a room with other girls. The next morning, Charlotte wakes up in the same room, but it's the year 1918. A war is happening.

A younger girl named Emily calls Charlotte her sister and "Clare." Charlotte tries to act like Clare without anyone noticing. Each night, Charlotte switches between her own time and Clare's time. They both have to live two different lives. Charlotte and Clare write notes to each other in Clare's diary. They hide the diary in their bed.

Emily and Clare are supposed to move out of their room soon. They will go to stay with the Chisel Brown family. Charlotte and Clare must make sure this happens when Clare is in 1918. If they move, they might not be able to switch places anymore.

Part Two: Trapped in the Past

Charlotte expects to return to her own time for good. But she is shocked to find she is still in 1918. She has to move in with the Chisel Brown family. It seems she is stuck in the past.

Miss Agnes Chisel Brown shows Charlotte and Emily her old toys. These include toy soldiers and a solitaire board with marbles. She tells them about her brother Arthur, who died in the war. Charlotte thinks about Arthur in the past, her own sister Emma in the future, and Clare, who is stuck in Charlotte's time. Charlotte struggles to remember if she is Charlotte or Clare.

Charlotte and Emily make a plan to sneak into the school at night. Charlotte hopes to get back into the bed that will send her home. But when she gets to her room, it is now the school's sickroom, and someone is sleeping in her bed. She cannot go home. Charlotte almost gets caught by Nurse Gregory, but another student, Ruth, sees her.

Emily talks about how hard it is to be motherless and unwanted. She moves between homes while her father fights in the war. Charlotte dreams she is fighting to stay herself. She also dreams about Arthur.

A letter arrives for Clare and Emily from their father. Emily does not let Charlotte read it. Charlotte wonders if Sarah's mother could be Charlotte herself, if she stays trapped in 1918.

Charlotte dreams about Arthur again, as a drummer boy. She also dreams she has turned into Agnes. She feels very confused about who she is.

One evening, the Chisel Browns try to talk to Arthur's spirit in a seance. The girls hide behind curtains to watch. During the seance, they hear Clare's voice crying for Emily. Emily cries out, and the girls are discovered and punished. Later, Miss Agnes asks about Clare's voice. She then tells Charlotte and Emily about Arthur's war experiences.

Finally, the Armistice comes. The war is over! People dance and celebrate in the street. Charlotte and Emily join in, even though it would make Mr. Chisel Brown angry. Because of this, Charlotte and Emily are sent back to the school. Miss Agnes gives them the toys as a gift.

Part Three: Back Home and Discoveries

Ruth remembers her "dream" of seeing Clare in the sickroom. Because of the flu epidemic, students can play wild games in the dorms. Finally, Charlotte can sleep in the bed that will take her back to her own time.

When she returns, Charlotte is surprised. Her roommate Elizabeth had figured out the truth about Charlotte and Clare switching places. Charlotte wonders about Sarah's mother and what happened to Emily and Clare. At school, Charlotte sees an elderly teacher, Miss Wilkin. Charlotte realizes she knew Miss Wilkin as a young teacher in 1918.

One day, Charlotte learns what happened to Emily and Clare from Sarah. Sarah's mother is Emily! And Clare died in the flu epidemic after the war. Later, Charlotte and Elizabeth talk about everything that happened. They find the exercise book in one of the bed legs. It has been there for forty years. It still has the last letter Charlotte wrote to Clare.

Charlotte receives a package from Emily, who is now an adult. It contains a letter from Emily and the toys Miss Agnes gave them over forty years ago. Charlotte puts the marbles from the solitaire set in a jar of water. The other girls admire them. Charlotte feels like she finally has something of her own for her dresser. But she also thinks that the marbles belonged to her when she was living as Clare. The school term ends, and the students leave on the school bus, singing songs.

How the Books Connect

Charlotte Sometimes starts one year after The Summer Birds ends. It covers Charlotte's first term at boarding school. Even though Emma in Winter was written later, its events happen after Charlotte Sometimes.

Charlotte's sister Emma and their grandfather Elijah are not in Charlotte Sometimes. But they are mentioned. For example, Charlotte compares Emily to her sister Emma. She also compares the Chisel Brown family home to her own home, Aviary Hall.

Emma in Winter begins during the same Christmas holidays when Charlotte Sometimes ends. It says that Charlotte will stay with a friend she made at boarding school. Emma in Winter then follows Emma's story while Charlotte goes back to boarding school.

Impact and Other Works

TV Show and Audio Books

The BBC One children's TV show Jackanory featured Charlotte Sometimes. It was read in five parts in January 1974 by Rosalie Crutchley.

In 1993, an audio version of Charlotte Sometimes was released on cassette.

Music and Film

In 1981, the English band the Cure released a song called Charlotte Sometimes. The song's lyrics are about Charlotte, the main character in the novel. They mention parts of the book, like the opening paragraphs and events near the end. These include people dancing in the streets when the war ends and Charlotte crying when she learns about Clare's fate.

The Cure also released another song based on the novel, "The Empty World," in 1984.

In 2002, a filmmaker named Eric Byler released a movie called Charlotte Sometimes. The movie's story is not related to Penelope Farmer's novel. However, its title comes from the song by The Cure, which was inspired by the book.

The American singer-songwriter Jessica Charlotte Poland used "Charlotte Sometimes" as her stage name for a while.

See also

In Spanish: Charlotte A veces (novela) para niños