Charlie Wilcox: A Canadian Classic

Charlie Wilcox #1

by Sharon E. McKay

Newfoundland-born Charlie Wilcox wants only one thing in life: to go to sea, like his father, Captain Sam Wilcox. But never a strong lad to begin with and born with a club foot, Charlie seems destined for other, quieter pursuits - at least, that's what his parents think. Determined to prove them wrong, Charlie stows away on what he thinks is a fishing vessel, emerging days later to find himself far out to sea, bound not for the ice, but for France and the battlefields of World War One.

An exciting adventure story that is both heart-stopping and heartbreaking, Charlie Wilcox has quickly become a modern classic.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Canada, Fiction, War, World War I, Childrens

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2000

About the author

Sharon E. McKay was born in 1954 in Montreal, Quebec, and earned a B.A. from York University in 1978. She lives in Prince Edward Island.


Series:
* Our Canadian Girl: Penelope
* Charlie Wilcox

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2009): War Brothers - Winner

Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award: Fiction
◊ 2002 – Charlie Wilcox – Winner

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book like no other.....

[Brooke Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will always be my first young adult book. This book is a classical re tell of our canadian history and greatly and intriguingly describes the suffering of WW1. I absolutely love this story and will never regret reading it over and over. You must read it! <3
I LOVE U CHARLIE <3

[Mack Klyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this and it was the most exciting book ever!!!!!!!!!

[Aiyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really turned out to be amazing. It started out so boring, and continued (while still being boring) but the last 10 chapters really captivated my attention, and I'm glad I read it.

Charlie Wilcox lives a sheltered life, dreaming of going to the ice, but being held back by his clubbed foot. After going through surgery to get his foot going the right way, Charlie is ready to face life head on and full force. Now the only problem is his mother, the overprotective and overbearing. Coming up with a plan, Charlie decides to go live with his aunt, and while no one is looking, escapes hoping to get to sea one way or the other. Charlie goes on the adventure of a lifetime, and has to experience loss and pain like he's never felt before.

I started this book because I was looking for a war story that would hopefully captivate my attention like other war stories. It also looked a little small so I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it, but I'm glad I did.

I finished this book, because even though it was kind of boring, I really sympathized for Charlie. I can completely understand what he's going through, and I love that he broke free. I also was very happy that he was able to help fight in the war, and he definitely saved some lives.

I recommend this book to Tyler. I'm not sure if he would like Charlie's character as much as I did, but he would definitely like the story, and the details about the war.

[Evonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun little romp! Starts slowly though - you have to be patient. A lot of ink is taken up developing Charlie's character and situation. But once the story gets rolling it rolls very well, right from the docks of Newfoundland to the shores of France, WWI. By the end of the book you want to know this Charlie Wilcox fellow!

Disappointment alert: you don't get to know the end-point Charlie Wilcox. You get to know the young, foolish, impulsive one; and you get to watch him struggle with his immaturity; but several years pass between your last view of him and his final appearance. I felt a little ripped off! But I do understand there's a sequel, or something!

[Vicki McEwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about Canadian history and a young boy. Good for all ages.

[Brainyreads]

I liked this book a lot I liked the characters a lot and there parts in the book it is well written

[Jessica Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book when I was young and didn't put it down! I loved it, you really root for Charlie I couldn't wait to read the second one.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its honestly a really good book i love it.

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my, I think this was the first book I read that featured a kiss. I remember getting excited about it and later mentioned that to a classmate (a guy because ofc), as it was a class reading, and he was like, "What? That wasn't the first time you've read a kissing scene before, was it?" And I back pedaled so hard, lol. But he was being mean. But he was also a kid.

I remember not really liking it (some kids went on to read the rest! But I wasn't interested to do that).

Good times.

(Added the review in 2024. Read the book probably in grade 8.)

[Natacha Dubeau]

Still 'till this day i think back to my 10 year old self not being able to put this book down! First time i fell inlove with a read.

Just ordered it online for my little man's 10th birthday. He's ready for Charlie Wilcox 🥰 and the life changes that come from reading Charlie's story. I'm over the moon excited to share this with him!

[Bee Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. The time skip at the end was nice I enjoy a book more if I find out what happens to the characters at the end of a story in an epilogue or a time skip (like in this book). I don't have much to say about this book, but I liked Charlie's adventure throughout the story from going to the hospital, then onto the ship sailing for England, and then to the front lines.

[Jim Toner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book about a teenage boy who had club foot. He gets harassed by neighborhood bullies. He is from Newfoundland. In spite of disapproval from his relatives, he joins the army. Some of the novel takes place during World War I in France.

[Hope Hinchey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. The ending was very good. Why I gave it 4 stars was because the first bit was a little boring, but all in all the book was very interesting.

[Andy Iakobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this on my way to & back from Newfoundland. Writing is a little clumsy at times, but it was a good bit of cultural background for my trip.

[London · Rating 3 out of 5]

charlie was from Newfoundland born charlie Wilcox only wants to go to sea just like his dad who was a captain

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very first book I ever read from start to finish without having to do a school assignment. Still love this book to this day.

[Solomon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fantastic read if you struggle to sleep.

[Veron!ca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm normally not this mean (key word here being NORMALLY) however I must say this book was a total piece of shit(In my opinion!!!So please don't bash me!!!) My class read it in school a while back (grade 7, to be exact) and boy, did i hate it! First of all, the book was at a much too easy reading level for me to enjoy. Also the author only created one decent female character, which is Mac. Claire is ugly, Emma is a maid, Charlies mom is a little weird and aunt Maude, she's, well, she's aunt Maude. Mac is funny, pretty and smart, and wow, did that description just sound a lot like me!!!!!!!!!!! OH, and the accents. Don't get me started. They're bloody accents were just driving me nuts!!!! When it's been years, and you can still remember dreading English class everyday, you know it's a bad book.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story follows Charlie, a young boy from a fishing family who stows away on what he believes is a fishing ship, but is actually a transport ship carrying troops to WWI. He becomes an unofficial Red Cross volunteer ending up in the trenches at the Font Lines. This story has a very slow start, but is well worth the read by the end. It also covers medical practices of the day in Newfoundland. Charlie had a surgery on his clubbed foot near the beginning of the story.
There is some bad language in this one, as well as a couple kissing scenes. Charlie “borrows” his father’s treasured spy glass without asking, thinks he’s lost it and other than feeling guilty doesn’t really ever learn a lesson from this.
This is by no means my favorite book, but it is one of the best WWI stories I have found to date for young adults.

[Andra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was around ten or eleven years old. Ever since the first chapter I was in love. This story was full of emotion and heart wrenching pages that made you want to cry and scream and rip the book at its spine out of what I like to call "Reader's Rage." It occurs when your feelings for a book are just too strong for words. Now, I don't ever read books more than once, I feel it takes away that original feeling you had and the connection you made with the book, however, if I owned this book,I would read it over and over until I had it committed to my memory and the words fell off of the pages.

[Alabama Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book two years ago and loved it. Finally convinced my thirteen year old brother to let me read it to him. We started it in the evening and finished it the next day by 5pm! It's perfect for his age group and it's an awesome work of historical fiction.
There are some gory parts (it does take place in a war) and a few swears which I skipped over when reading.
Also, tons of funny little parts that make it such an awesome experience. Highly recommended!

[Jayme · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 3.5 stars. I did enjoy the story, but found it pretty hard to get into at first. Again its not my usual novel, as from a male perspective, not to mention set during WWI. I did find that the end did leave me hangin, but there is a sequel to this book if I really want to know what happens.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to teach your students are World War I? Make them realize when Newfoundland joined Canada? This is a solid book. The characters are well done, the plot is enjoyable, the pacing is solid. The reading level is quite good. This is worth your time.

[Shannon M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. It ties in really well with what is learned about the 1st World War in Grade 7 Social Studies in Nova Scotia. The students really enjoy the fact that they are able to make connections.

[Meghan]

Read this for grade 8 English class.

[Olivia Riddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome children's novel of WWI. It is about a young Newfoundland boy who lies about his age and becomes a field medic for the front.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade 8 English....those were dark times...DARK TIMES

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second half of the book was quite good, once the reader becomes a little more invested in Charlie as a character, but the first half of the book really lost me. I understand, after finishing the book, how the characters and plot lines were being set up, but I really didn't care much about them when they were first introduced. There were so many female characters, in particular, introduced in the first chapter that I had no idea who was who.
I particularly enjoyed the appendix part of this book, which includes an interview with the author, and a section on the real Charlie Wilcox, who was McKay's great-uncle. I find that relating the text to reality lends so much more meaning to the story, and I love that it is told from a Canadian perspective.
I have to say, though, that I had to read part of this to a grade 10 class last week, and they were bored out of their minds...