Carlotta Brown

**Carlotta Brown** is a main character in the St Clare's series. She first appears in Summer Term at St Clares.

## Backstory

Carlotta's Spanish mother ran away to a circus with her when she was a baby, and died soon after, so Carlotta grew up in the circus. Carlotta's father tried to track her down and found her years later, and decided to send her to school.

## History

### Summer Term at St Clares

Carlotta is prone to fly into fiery rages at people and does her own thing, such as sneaking out alone to ride horses. Prudence Arnold discovers this and that she lived in the circus, and tells all the girls as a way of hurting Carlotta, but the girls think that it is marvellous and like Carlotta more. Prudence is sent to Coventry, and all the girls look down on her behaviour. Carlotta and Bobby Ellis catch Prudence cheating at a French test, and Miss Theobald discovers. A man gives Prudence a note, which Prudence assumes is for Carlotta, but it is for Sadie Greene instead. Sadie is kidnapped, and is being taken to Jalebury, which is where the circus has gone. Carlotta telephones them and rides to Jalebury to see the action, but arrives too late. She takes Sadie back to St Clares afterwards.

### Second Form at St Clares

Carlotta joins the second form along with the rest of the form and takes an immediate dislike to head girl Elsie Fanshawe. When Mirabel Unwin acts up in Miss Quentin's class, Carlotta treads on her toe and refuses to apologise. For the second form concert, everyone is entranced by Carlotta's display of acrobatics. Carlotta's manners impress her father and grandmother at half-term, so he gives her £5 and her grandmother gives her a box of goodies for a birthday party. Carlotta decides to have a midnight birthday feast for the second formers, and invites Elsie on the condition that she behaves better, but Elsie scornfully refuses. Elsie plots to ruin the feast, and when Carlotta discovers her plans, she moves the night of the feast and they plot to make Elsie look stupid. After the feast, Carlotta offers Elsie a slice of birthday cake.

### The Third Form at St Clares

In the start of the book Carlotta is getting a lift from Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan to school. This is when Mrs O'Sullivan suggests that perhaps she will be the head of form. Along the way the girls stop and Carlotta meets Libby Francis and her cousin Fern Francis. Carlotta is appointed head of form and producer of the school play. She and Libby become fast friends. Fern, spitefully sabotages which leads to her losing the position of producer and a big row between Carlotta and Janet Robins. During the midnight feast Carlotta is ill and avoids getting caught by Mam'zelle. After Fern attempts to frame her by using her scissors to cut up all the costumes, Carlotta saves her but gets hurt. She spends a few days in the hospital. When she gets back she and Janet make up. Carlotta receives a letter from Fern apologising and promising to do better at her new school. At the end of term Libby and Rachel Denman leave and Janet takes Carlotta's place as head of form.

## Trivia

* Carlotta is the Italian form of Charlotte, which means 'strong'.
* In the original print of Second Form at St Clares, Carlotta slapped Mirabel, but in later reprints this was changed to treading on her toe.