Charlotte Parkhurst was a real person with a larger-than-life story. Known in history and folklore as the "first women to vote in state of California", she went to the ballot box in 1868, more than fifty years before women's suffrage, and fooled everyone by dressing as a man.Orphaned as an infant and raised among boys, Charlotte was only twelve when she realized there were many more opportunities in the world for boys than girls. With a little help from her friend, Hayward, she cut off all her hair, donned boys' clothing, staged her own death, and ran away. From that day forward, she was taken for a boy.In this fast-paced, courageous, and inspiring story, readers adventure with Charlotte as she first finds work as a stable hand, becomes a famous stage-coach driver (performing brave feats and outwitting bandits) and ultimately settles out west on the farm she'd dreamed of having since childhood. It wasn't until after her death that anyone discovered she was a woman.Extensively researched, this fictionalized story combines all the known facts of Charlotte's life with author Pam Ryan's spirited imaginings. Brian Selznick's skillful black and white drawings add to the drama, and together, author and artist rescue a little known heroine from oblivion and bring her vividly to life for young readers.
Pam Muñoz Ryan is the recipient of the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award, the PEN Center USA Award, and the 2024 Children’s Literature Legacy Award for her body of work. She was the 2018 and is the 2026 US nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. She received a Newbery Honor Medal and the Kirkus Prize for her New York Times bestselling novel, Echo. Her other celebrated novels, Esperanza Rising, The Dreamer, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi León, Paint the Wind, Mañanaland, and El Niño, have received countless accolades, among them the Pura Belpré Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, and the Américas Award. Her acclaimed picture books include Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride and the Sibert Honor book When Marian Sang, both illustrated by Brian Selznick, Mice and Beans illustrated by Joe Cepeda, and Tony Baloney illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham, as well as a beginning reader series featuring Tony Baloney. Ryan lives near San Diego, California, with her family. Visit Pam at PamMunozRyan.com.
Brian Selznick’s books have sold millions of copies, garnered countless awards worldwide, and been translated into more than 35 languages. He broke open the novel form with his innovative and genre-defying thematic trilogy, beginning with the Caldecott Medal-winning #1
New York Times bestseller
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, adapted into Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning movie
Hugo. He followed that with the #1
New York Times bestseller,
Wonderstruck, adapted into the eponymous movie by celebrated filmmaker Todd Haynes, with a screenplay by Selznick, and the
New York Times bestseller,
The Marvels. Selznick’s two most recent books for young people,
Baby Monkey, Private Eye, an ALA Notable Book co-written with his husband David Serlin, and
Kaleidoscope, a
New York Times Notable Children’s Book of 2021, were both
New York Times bestsellers as well. He also illustrated the 20th anniversary edition covers of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Selznick and Serlin divide their time between Brooklyn, New York and La Jolla, California. Learn more at thebrianselznick.com and mediaroom.scholastic.com/brianselznick.
