Charlotte Mary Yonge est née dans une famille aisée et pieuse. Son père l'initia dans son enfance au latin, au grec, au français et à l'algèbre. Il se montrait parfois sévère, mais Charlotte recherchait tout de même plus que tout sa reconnaissance.
Elle commença à écrire en 1848 et publia en tout 160 œuvres (des romans, pour la plupart).
Son œuvre connut un grand succès de son vivant, mais de nos jours ses livres ne sont, pour la plupart, plus réédités. Lewis Carroll faisait partie de ses admirateurs.
Aunt Charlotte's Evenings at Home With the Poets. A collection of poems for the Young, with conversations, arranged in twenty five evenings, etc. London: Marcus Ward, 1880.
The Christmas Mummers and other stories. London: J. & C. Mozley, 1858. Contains The Christmas Mummers, The Rail-Road Children, Leonard, the Lion-Hearted, Ben Sylvester's Word, Midsummer Day; or, The Two Churches, Harriet and Her Sister, and London Pride.
A Book of Golden Deeds of All Times and All Lands. London: Macmillan, 1864.
A Book of Worthies gathered from the old histories and now written anew by the author of The Heir of Redclyffe. London: Macmillan, 1869.
Aunt Charlotte's Stories of Bible History for the little ones. London: n.p., 1873.
Aunt Charlotte's Stories of Greek History for the little ones. London: n.p., 1876.
Aunt Charlotte's Stories of Roman History for the little ones. London: n.p., 1877.
Aunt Charlotte's Stories of German History for the little ones. London: Marcus Ward, 1878.
Bye-Words. A Collection of tales new and old. London: Macmillan, 1880.
Aunt Charlotte's Stories of American History. London: Marcus Ward, 1883.
Aunt Charlotte's Stories of French History for the little ones. London: Marcus Ward, 1893.
—, ed. Biographies of Good Women, chiefly by contributors to The Monthly Packet. Edited by the author of The Heir of Redclyffe. 2nd series. London: J. & C. Mozley, 1862.
—, ed. A Storehouse of Stories.London: Macmillan, 1870.
Du Boys, Albert. Catherine of Aragon and the Sources of the English Reformation. Edited from the French, with notes, by C. M. Yonge. 2 vols. London: Hurst & Blackett, 1881.
Wilford, Florence. Beneath the Cross: readings for children on Our Lord's Seven sayings. Ed. by Charlotte M. Yonge. With a preface by ... R. F. Wilson. London: Masters and Co., 1881.
Cameos from English History. 7 vols. London: Macmillan, 1880-1890.
Burnt out: a story for mothers' meetings. London: n.p., 1882.
A Story of Mission Work in China. 1900.
History of Christian Names. 1863 (per her original Preface); Macmillan and Co., London, 1884; republished by Gale Research Co., Book Tower, Detroit, 1966.