A Boy Called Dickens

As a fan of Dickens it is nice to see someone try to connect the author and his books to young readers. That said, I'm not sure how well this book can lead the way for many modern kids to discover Dickens and his books before they are required to do so in high school or college. Writing is a bit

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preachy but younger readers will appreciate it.

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Sweet enough, and fun... but I didn't much like the illustrations. That seems to be my picture book review theme lately- but I just don't like illustrations that are cartoony. And though the buildings here are quite atmospheric and interesting, the people are cartoony and goofy and silly and don't

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add to my enjoyment of the story. The story is interesting enough, with fun little quotes worked into the narrative. But the illustrations stopped me cold.

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A spirited fictional account of the writer's childhood.

A fictionalized account of Charles Dickens' childhood. A good story about opportunity, dreams, and never giving up.

Have you ever wondered what Charles Dickens’s life may have looked like when he was a young boy and from where the inspirations for his classic tales came? Deborah Hopkinson has attempted to recreate a partially fictionalized answer to that question in her picture book, A Boy Called

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Dickens.

Dickens follows the author at age 12, as he works in a factory to take care of himself while his parents and younger siblings are in a debtors jail. While this part of his life is fact, as Dickens himself wrote in an autobiographical essay, young Dickens depicted telling versions of David Copperfield to his fellow child laborers is not. Hopkinson refers to other works by Dickens throughout, as do the illustrations provided by John Hendrix, highlighting A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations. Hendrix’s artwork frequently supports Hopkinson’s text; other illustrations evoke industrialized London with dusty, dull colors. Even the endpapers at the front of the book illustrate rats and waste, while the back feature books to signify Dickens’s eventual transformation.
Once Dickens’s family got out of jail, his father was able to get him out of the factory and back to school. One can see why this book has been so well-received; it’s a useful introduction for children to this classic author, and many people are drawn to this type of real-life rags-to-riches tale. However the ending drops the ball, feeling far too heavy-handed and treacly than necessary.

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Genre: Historical fiction
Audience: 3-5th
In this book a period from the childhood of Charles Dickens is portrayed. The illustrations in the book are typical of old London streets and factories and the story is about young Charles Dickens gathering ideas for his stories from his own life. This is a

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great book that I will use to introduce Charles Dickens to students when they start learning about his classics like Oliver Twist and while doing author studies in the classroom.

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Summary: A biographical tale of Dickens. a boy who works a 10 shifts and wants to return to school.
Personal reflection:Story is well told and I like the author notes at the end.
Classroom use: yes

This book is a good introduction to the life and works of Charles Dickens. It seems a fairly accurate account of the phase in Dickens' life when his father was in debtors' prison and young David was forced to work for his keep. It also accurate relates this phase of Dickens' life as his inspiration

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for David Copperfield. The illustrations were a good supplement to the narrative.

This book would be a good intro to a unit on Victorian writers. This book would appeal to readers who like biography. This is also a good book for a unit on life in Victorian England.

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