Toppsta - Childrens Books – Reviews

Charles Dickens has to be one of Britain’s most important authors. Dickens’ books are full of intrigue, twists and turns but it is the vivid characters that make them so enduringly popular. Characters that are grotesque, endearing, sinister and comic and include some of the best-known literary figures: Fagin and Oliver Twist, Miss Havisham and Ebenezer Scrooge to name but a few. His books were written in Victorian times but are still enjoyed today, studied at schools and universities the world over and have been made into countless films, plays, TV series and musicals.
 
Dickens rose to fame as a journalist, his stories “The Pickwick Papers” were first published as a newspaper serial and he subsequently went on to pen many classic novels including David Copperfield, Bleak House and Great Expectations. The dismal backdrop of Victorian London gave Dickens plenty of material for his dramatic novels, plenty of it drawn from his own experiences. Dickens himself had been sent to work in a blacking factory as a child while his parents were in debtors’ prison and much of one of his most popular books, David Copperfield, is based on his own life.
 
For many parents (or indeed children!), Dickens may not seem like an obvious choice. Whilst many of his famous works like A Tale of Two Cities and Hard Times are rather serious and tragic for young people, plenty of others can be the perfect way for children to cut their teeth on the classics. The novels are rich and absorbing and totally transport you to a new world. They are also extremely thought-provoking and teach us a lot about Victorian daily life. In fact, even at the time Dickens used them to raise awareness of social problems and working-class injustices and poverty.
 
Books like A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations are simply fantastic reads, the plots may be complex, but the books listed below are all suitable for children and confident readers 10+ will be able to tackle them with enjoyment.
 
Browse the list of novels below or start your younger child with one of the abridged versions of the classic tales. David Copperfield or Oliver Twist are a great place to start your exploration of one of our finest writers. Don’t dismiss Dickens, the winding plots, mix of comedy of tragedy and cast of characters make his books hugely satisfying for the voracious reader, young and old.