A top-notch horse rider, a legendary stagecoach driver, the first woman to vote in the state of California and probably the United States, Charlotte Parkhurst, known as Charley, was a real person with a larger-than-life story. Pam Muñoz Ryan’s fast-paced historical novel combines the documented facts of Charlotte’s life with her own spirited imaginings, and Brian Selznick’s drawings celebrate the pluck and originality of this brave and colorful character.