As we mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’s birth, there can be no doubt that the celebrated author is alive and well in the hearts and minds of readers. Never, it seems, has the timelessness of his work been more apparent. In honor of his bicentennial, websites, celebrations, essay contests, exhibitions, and, of course, a rash of new books exploring the man and his work have emerged in recent months.
Born to an upper-middle-class family in 1812, he turned toward the plight of London’s poor after an early experience laboring in a blacking (shoe polish) factory while his father was in debtor’s prison. Though his fame reached mythic proportions within his own lifetime, Dickens never strayed from his mission to address society’s ills through his literature and charitable work. It cannot be said, however, that he remained as faithful or steady in the treatment of those closest to him, including his family. It is precisely this combination of a colorful, sometimes sordid personal life and a brilliant body of work that has proven so irresistible to generations of biographers and now fiction writers and graphic novelists.
The titles that follow range from exhaustively researched biographies and the latest editions of Dickens’s works to fresh graphic adaptations and fiction that seamlessly weaves in Dickensian references and literary devices. Does that copy of A Christmas Carol on your shelf look a little tattered? Are you in need of material for the Dickens amateur or budding Victorian scholar? Simply fancy a good read with a little Dickensian darkness mixed in for good measure? There’s never been a better time to update a collection. For modern readers, young and old, seeking comedy, satire, social activism, and intrigue, Dickens continues to deliver.
Elementary and Middle School
MANNING, Mick & Brita Granström. Charles Dickens: Scenes from an Extraordinary Life. illus. by authors. Frances Lincoln. 2011. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-84780-187-6.
Gr 4-7—The authors chronologically construct this picture-book-length portrait around quotes from Dickens’s books and letters. A snippet from David Copperfield that alludes to Dickens’s birth, for example, launches the first spread. A fresh approach that incorporates graphic-novel-style illustrative elements and breaks the biography into manageable pieces for novices.
OSBORNE, Mary Pope & Natalie Pope Boyce. Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens. Bk. 22. illus. by Sal Murdocca. (Magic Tree House Research Guide Series). Random. 2010. PLB $12.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96010-9; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86010-2.
Gr 3-6—A companion to A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (Random, 2010), this guide answers Jack and Annie’s (and presumably readers’) questions about what everyday life was like for children in Victorian England. A blend of text and illustrations succinctly, yet colorfully, depicts the child’s world of 19th-century England, presenting difficult issues in easy-to-understand language.
ROSEN, Michael. Dickens: His Work and His World. illus. by Robert Ingpen. Candlewick. 2005. RTE $19.99. ISBN 978-0-763-62752-2; pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-0-763-63888-7.
Gr 5-8—An excellent introduction to Dickens for neophytes, this title explores Dickens’s life and 19th-century London before diving into a basic literary study of four of his best-known works: A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations. Ingpen’s rich watercolors punctuate and dramatize the text.
WARREN, Andrea. Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London. Houghton Harcourt. 2011. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39574-6.
Gr 5-8—The zealousness with which Dickens championed London’s poor serves as the basis for this thought-provoking, well-researched, and accessible title. Warren expertly weaves Dickens’s biography into the plight of Victorian London’s poorest children and explores the evolution of child labor through contemporary times. Evocative photographs and reproductions give a face to the faceless and to the writer’s life.
WELLS-COLE, Catherine. Charles Dickens: England’s Most Captivating Storyteller. (Historical Notebooks Series). Candlewick/Templar. 2011. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5567-9.
Gr 3-6—A scrapbook homage, this title’s gorgeous, high-quality reproductions make a strong visual impact. Flaps, folds, and envelopes hiding letters, maps, and excerpts make readers work to uncover information in the author’s “notebook.” Children will be quickly drawn into the hunt for more treasured tidbits about Dickens, his work, and Victorian England.
High School
CARAVANTES, Peggy. Best of Times: The Story of Charles Dickens. (World Writers Series). Morgan Reynolds. 2005. PLB $28.95. ISBN 978-1-931-79868-6.
Gr 7-10—Caravantes fleshes out Dickens’s personal experiences and his works in this readable biography. Dickens’s sincere passion for social causes shines through, but his volatility and difficulty maintaining personal relationships are not ignored. Suited for general biographical research or a fast-paced read.
NAYDER, Lillian. The Other Dickens: A Life of Catherine Hogarth. Cornell University Press. 2010. Tr $35. ISBN 978-0-801-44787-7.
Adult/High School—After 22 years of marriage and 10 children, Dickens claimed that his wife, Catherine, was mentally unstable and an unfit mother. A very public separation followed, and they never met again. Relying heavily on primary-source material, including Catherine’s letters from Charles, Nayder paints a sympathetic portrait of a Victorian woman with few options.
SMILEY, Jane. Dickens: A Life. Penguin. 2011. pap. $14. ISBN 978-0-143-11992-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-101-21543-2.
Adult/High School—Originally published in 2002 and reissued with a more appealing cover, Smiley’s portrait reveals Dickens not through his chronological biography, but through those parts of the author that are reflected in his books. Perfect for readers familiar with Dickens’s biography and interested in a close analysis of the intersection between his life and works.
STANDIFORD, Les. The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits. Crown. 2008. pap. $14.99. ISBN 978-0-307-40579-1; ebook $11.99. ISBN 978-0-307-44973-3.
Adult/High School—After a flurry of initial success, Dickens’s career slowed down considerably and financial woes encroached. Still, the man persisted in publishing the non-profitable A Christmas Carol, a classic tale that would become an integral part of the holiday in Western culture. Standiford deftly explores the work with the eye of a literary critic and as a social historian.
TOMALIN, Claire. Charles Dickens: A Life. Penguin. 2011. Tr $36. ISBN 978-1-594-20309-1; ebook $19.99. ISBN 978-1-101-54799-1.
Adult/High School—Tomalin expertly dissects Dickens’s literary career and his larger-than-life personality. Exhaustively researched, rich in historical detail and literary analysis, but still accessible, this title is an excellent choice for high-school researchers or budding Dickens fans anxious for a source that provides a more intimate portrait.
Elementary and Middle School
BUZBEE, Lewis. The Haunting of Charles Dickens. illus. by Greg Ruth. Feiwel & Friends. 2009. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-312-38256-8; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4299-6174-5.
Gr 5-8—Meg’s older brother, Orion, has mysteriously disappeared. Unable to bear his absence, the 12-year-old steals away one evening and sights him in an unlikely place. That same night, she bumps into her family print shop’s famous patron, Charles Dickens, and the pair partner to bring Orion home. Naturalistic black-and-white drawings bring the tale to life.
DEEDY, Carmen Agra & Randall Wright. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale. illus. by Barry Moser. Peachtree. 2011. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-595-9.
Gr 5-8—Alley cat Skilley finagles his way off the tough streets of London and into a life as a mouser at a local inn where he strikes up an unlikely alliance with the resident mouse and befriends Dickens. A zany scheme and high jinks ensue. Dickensian references pepper this playful, clever tale illustrated with pencil drawings.
HOPKINSON, Deborah. A Boy Called Dickens. illus. by John Hendrix. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Jan. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86732-3; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96732-0.
Gr 3-6—Hopkinson captures a snapshot of time in young Dickens’s life, from a day spent spinning tales in the factory to his long-awaited reinstatement in school. A final nod is given to his ultimate success as a writer and the role played by characters from his boyhood. Spectacular, full-bleed, mixed-media illustrations bring the book to another level.
OSBORNE, Mary Pope. A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time. Bk. 44. illus. by Sal Murdocca. (Magic Tree House Series/A Merlin Mission). Random. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85652-5; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95652-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89467-1.
Gr 2-4—Jack and Annie travel to Victorian England and meet Dickens, who is suffering from writer’s block (as he was famously known to do). The siblings take a page right out of Dickens’s own book and summon the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, an act they hope will result in the publication of A Christmas Carol.
High School
ARNOLD, Gaynor. Girl in a Blue Dress: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles Dickens. Crown. 2008. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-307-46226-8; pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-307-46302-9; ebook $11.99. ISBN 978-0-307-46227-5.
Adult/High School—On her deathbed, Catherine Dickens gave her daughter the letters from her late ex-husband so that “the world may know he loved me once.” In this version of their story, Dodo (Catherine) reminisces about her life with “the One and Only” following the very public spectacle of his funeral. A believable portrait grounded firmly in Dickens’s personal history.
ERWIN, Sherri Browning. Grave Expectations. Gallery Bks. 2011. pap. $15. ISBN 978-1-451-61724-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-451-61725-2.
Adult/High School—In this reinvented tale, Pip hungers for the beautiful Estella, but has resigned himself to his lot as a lowly werewolf. Estella, it turns out, has a proclivity for slaying supernatural beings, an obvious kink in Pip’s plans. Fans of mash-ups who like their classics served with a side of sarcasm won’t be disappointed.
LEVITHAN, David. Marly’s Ghost. illus. by Brian Selznick. Dial. 2006. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-803-73063-2; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-142-40912-1.
Gr 7-10—Since his girlfriend Marly’s death, Ben no longer sees the joy in life. On his first Valentine’s Day without her, he is escorted by three ghosts to confront Valentine’s past, present, and future. Levithan’s prose, coupled with Selznick’s drawings (based on Leech’s original etchings), pays homage to A Christmas Carol while spinning a quirky, contemporary tale.
PEARL, Matthew. The Last Dickens. Ran dom. 2009. pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-8129-7802-5; ebook $11.99. ISBN 978-1-58836-858-4.
Adult/High School—In this historical literary mystery, Charles Dickens has just died, leaving behind his unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. When a clerk who was sent to the docks by Dickens’s American publisher to receive the final installment of the manuscript is suspiciously murdered, a juicy trans-Atlantic mystery unfurls.
SIMMONS, Dan. Drood. Little Brown. 2009. pap. $15.99. ISBN 978-0-316-00703-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-04068-6.
Adult/High School—Toward the end of his life, Dickens and his mistress, Nelly Ternan, were in a terrible train crash. While they lived, many did not. Simmons spins a fantastical mystery from the episode, imagining what horror Dickens might have witnessed that night that haunted his last years and played into his final, unfinished work, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
DICKENS, Charles. Great Expectations . Bk. 1. adapt. and illus. by Rick Geary. (Classics Illustrated). Papercutz. 2008. Tr $9.95. ISBN 978-1-59707-097-3.
Gr 5-8—A few years ago, this edition launched the new generation of Classics Illustrated titles. Though this graphic adaptation is succinct, it captures the spirit of the original tale through lively text and Geary’s signature comically flat style. A worthy introduction to readers on the verge of readiness for the actual text.
DICKENS, Charles. Great Expectations: The Graphic Novel: Original Text. ISBN 978-1-906332-59-4.
—–. Great Expectations: The Graphic Novel: Quick Text. ISBN 978-1-906332-60-0.
ea vol: adapt. by Jen Green. illus. by John Stokes, et al. Classical Comics. 2009. pap. $16.95.
Gr 5-8—Available in two versions, these graphic adaptations were crafted for instructional purposes and are designed to provide two very different access points. While it could be debated that the text, especially in the “quick” version, is too stripped down, the incorporated teacher resources and the opportunity for differentiation will be worth the purchase for many educators.
DICKENS, Charles. Zombies Christmas Carol. adapt. by Jim McCann. illus. by David Baldeon, et al. Marvel. 2011. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-785-15772-4.
Gr 9 Up—What could be more Dickensian than zombies? In this version, Scrooge visits Christmases past in order to uncover the cause of the Hungry Death overtaking the land. Gruesome and gory as only zombies can be, this compilation of a five-part Marvel Comics series is not only fun, but strikingly illustrated.
Recent Illustrated Editions
DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol. adapt. by Josh Greenhut. illus. by Brett Helquist. HarperCollins. 2009. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-165099-4; PLB $18.89. ISBN 978-0-06-165100-7.
Gr 3-6—Who better than the illustrator of Lemony Snicket’s Dickensian “A Series of Unfortunate Events” to present the master’s timeless tale in a picture book? Helquist’s composition draws readers’ eyes to Scrooge on every page, often crafting the mood of the tale through the expressions on Ebenezer’s oversize features. An abridged text renders the tale accessible to a younger audience.
DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol. adapt. by Stephen Krensky. illus. by Dean Morrissey. HarperCollins. 2004. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-06-443606-9.
Gr 4-7—The realism of Morrissey’s rich illustrations dramatically heightens the tale’s immediacy in this successful adaptation. Interior scenes, evocative of Dutch oil paintings in their purposeful use of light and dark, pull readers into intimate moments throughout the book. An excellent option for those ready to move beyond picture-book adaptations.
DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol. illus. by P.J. Lynch. Candlewick. 2006. RTE $19.99. ISBN 978-0-763-63120-8.
Gr 5-8—Lynch’s dark and brooding, ethereal illustrations are pitch-perfect in this beautifully imagined version of the tale. The artist moves from full spreads of breathtaking landscapes to framed views of quiet interior scenes with ease, echoing the pace of the tale as Scrooge is whisked from place to place across time and then pulled into quiet, intimate moments.
Recent Editions of Note
DICKENS, Charles. Great Expectations: 150th Anniversary Edition. intro. by Francine Prose. illus. by Michael Sala. Penguin. 2010. pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-14-310627-2.
Adult/High School—Quite possibly Dickens’s most famous book appears here with an eye-catching graphic cover that will undoubtedly lure a few new readers. Prose’s insightful introduction puts the tale in historical context and offers a concise analysis of the story’s most characteristic elements.
DICKENS, Charles. The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose. ed. by Michael Patrick Hearn. illus. by John Leech. (The Annotated Books). Norton. 2004. Tr $29.95. ISBN 978-0-393-05158-2.
Adult/High School—An extensive introduction coupled with heavily footnoted text provides ample fodder for both Dickens researchers and obscure fact hounds. Information from reviews and articles (shown in blue font to aid in easy reading) is paired with Leech’s original engravings and etchings to paint an exhaustive picture of this well-loved tale.
FORSTER, John. The Life of Charles Dickens: The Illustrated Edition. ed. by Holly Furneaux. Sterling Signature. 2011. Tr $45. ISBN 978-1-402-77285-6.
Adult/High School—Forster, a personal friend of Dickens, published the original three-volume biography of Dickens in 1872. Long out of print, it has been abridged, illustrated, and reissued in honor of the bicentennial. Full of excerpts from Dickens’s books as well as contemporary literary criticism, this is a primary source of note for high school researchers.
ON THE WEB
For Middle School
The Cheshire Cheese Cat. cheshirecheesecat.com. Peachtree. (Accessed 11/23/11).
Gr 5-8—Whether or not viewers have read Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright’s The Cheshire Cheese Cat (Peachtree, 2011), there is much to be found on this companion site about Dickens, Victorian London, and the Tower of London. A “Resources” section provides classroom activities for each of the topics as well as a printable “Teacher’s Guide” to the book.
For Teachers and High School Students
Charles Dickens at 200. www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/charles-dickens-at-200. Guardian. London, UK. (Accessed 11/23/2011).
With articles, book reviews, video clips, and podcasts, this ongoing series in the books section of the Guardian is designed to explore the author and his modern relevance. It’s presented with an underlying jubilance and sense of humor as evidenced by the downloadable wall chart of Dickens’s heroes and villains.
Dickens. www.pbs.org/wnet/dickens. Educational Broadcasting Corporation. (Accessed 11/23/2011).
Though the site is a companion to a three-part documentary that aired on PBS in 2003 and 2005, the information is still rich and pertinent. Dickens’s life and works are explored through essays, a virtual tour of London, and a quiz. Links to further resources and books are provided, and the series is available on DVD.
Dickens 2012. dickens2012.org. Charles Dickens Museum and Film London in association with The Dickens Fellowship. London, UK. (Accessed 11/23/2011).
International organizations joined forces to produce this site as well as numerous events celebrating the bicentennial. Links to festivals, theater programs, exhibitions, film, TV and radio programming, and to literature and education-based opportunities offer one-stop shopping for locating Dickens-related activities around the world.
Dickens in Context. www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/dickens/dickenshome.html. The British Library. London, UK. (Accessed 11/23/2011).
This site archives and breathes new life into key primary sources for Dickens researchers. Manuscripts, newspapers, letters, workhouse menus, performances, and more will help students put the writer’s books in their sociocultural context. The expertly arranged materials can be viewed through various lenses, from “Prisons & Crime” to “Caricature.”
The Dickens Project. dickens.ucsc.edu. University of California. Santa Cruz, Ca. (Accessed 11/23/2011).
While this scholarly consortium, “devoted to promoting the study and enjoyment of the life, times, and work of Charles Dickens,” advertises for scholarly papers and other matters not yet in the realm of most teen researchers, there is still much to be found for a high school audience, including an essay contest and access to recent research.
| Author Information |
| Jill Heritage Maza is the Head of libraries at Montclair (NJ) Kimberley Academy. |
