Charlotte “Charlie” Baker

The Girl with the Notebook

In Charlie’s Big Chance, twelve-year-old Charlie uses a wheelchair and dreams of being a reporter like her dad. But no one takes her seriously—until she stumbles onto the biggest secret on Earth: aliens crash-landed outside Roswell, and she’s one of the only witnesses.

Introduced as a precocious aspiring investigative reporter. Charlie’s initial motivation stems from a desire to prove her capabilities despite using a wheelchair and her father’s overprotective nature.

Her journey is marked by an innate “reporter’s instinct” and keen observation skills, which she employs to investigate the Roswell crash, even boldly confronting military personnel. Her bravery, wit, and unique perspective lead General Jones to recruit her as the project’s official, albeit clandestine, historian, operating under the cover of a “research assistant”.

Charlie forms deep and genuine friendships with the Zalmen children, Janara and Takar, effectively bridging significant cultural gaps through shared experiences like baseball and patiently explaining complex human concepts such as the “circle of life”.

Why she matters: Charlie proves that being underestimated doesn’t mean you’re unimportant. Her curiosity and courage are the heart of the story—and she’s the one writing it down 75 years later.