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Charlotte Sometimes  By  cover art

Charlotte Sometimes

By: Penelope Farmer
Narrated by: Hannah Gordon
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Publisher's summary

It is Charlotte's first night at boarding school. But when she wakes up, the girl in the next bed is not the person who was sleeping there the evening before. And the new building outside her window seems to have metamorphosed into a huge, dark cedar tree! Somehow, Charlotte has slipped back 40 years....

A classic time-travel mystery from acclaimed author Penelope Farmer.

©1969 Penelope Farmer (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Charlotte Sometimes

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My favorite book as a child

I ordered this book off the school scholastic papers in 6th grade back in 1987. I was so fascinated with the story. It is a story that has always stayed with me. What a joy this was to hear it read to me after all these years. It is still as wonderful of a story now at age 40 as it was to me at age 11. Highly recommend!

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4 people found this helpful

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Phenomenal Time Travel book!

I admit that I read this book because of the Cure song Charlotte Sometimes. Had I not been familiar with the Cure and the song I know for a fact that I would never have read this lovely book. This by far has been my favorite time travel story. It’s up there as good, or better than Back to the Future. I did not expect the twist at the end. Seriously, one of the best books I’ve read. I was expecting a children’s book and what I got was so much more.

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2 people found this helpful

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excellent story, for any age or gender

This is marketed as a children's story, but it's exceptional gravity and dark atmosphere really lends itself to standing up as literature for anyone. I tend to think it's themes of identity and the horror of war may be lost on all but the most gifted of children. This is why I believe the piegenonholing of it as YA lit is pretty misguided. It rises above that on so many occasions along the way. It's really quite haunting at times, though nothing overtly horrific happens.

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Excellent

Wonderful story skillfully read. Rich in images and poignant considerations of what “self” means and “when” it means it. Well worth the read or listen.

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1 person found this helpful

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Perfect retelling of a classic

This was always one of my favorites as a child. Listening to it now while working brought me comfort.

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Fan of The Cure

I listened to this because I’m a big fan of the band The Cure and learned that this book inspired their song Charlotte Sometimes. It was really good! I didn’t want it to end! The narration was perfect too.

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  • 03-28-23

Charlotte Sometimes

Charlotte Sometimes was a well written book that was creative & a brilliant read. I loved it! Definitely will have a hardcopy of this book in my library because it is one I will would loved to read occasionally.

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  • Overall
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Please read it as if it were 1969

If I had read it as a young boy, I might have thought cute story but too much girly emotional stuff. Now, I found the story a great change of pace from the frantic fantasy of our current era. In concert with modern stories, this tale continues the literary tradition of harsh autocratic school matrons, which still lives on in books today; I long for someone to write about caring nurturing teachers. In some ways the story is also the kind that is slightly annoying when writers make characters meekly keep secrets in order ratchet up the tension. The bed magic reminded me of Mary Norton's 1947 novel, The Magic Bed Knob.

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Wonderful, sensory, empathetic

I loved it! Can't wait to order more of Penelope Farmer's books. A wonderful listening experience

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