Nonfiction Monday: Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London

As many of you know, last year I was lucky to serve on YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. (Sometimes ENYA for short). ENYA is a fun award, because in December they announce their shortlist and then the winner is announced as part of the Youth Media Award announcements in January. In addition, they release a long-list of nominations. In the past, this list was every book the nominated. This year, the list became vetted-- so it's not every book we looked at or nominated, but rather, after discussion, every book we felt was excellent (just not as excellent as our winner and shortlisted titles.)

Personally, I really like this change. The best way to get the committee to discuss a book was to nominate it-- but what if, after discussion, you realize that a book is seriously flawed? Then it still goes on the list! (And there is an ALA seal that long-list titles can use.) I know I was hesitant to nominate a title because I was afraid of accidentally putting an unworthy title on the list. The freedom in knowing that it could get taken off the list if it didn't hold up to group scrutiny was useful cover!

Anyway, I've been covering the long list since the list was made public this winter. This is the final title from the list...

Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London Andrea Warren

This biography of Dickens ties his life story in with the plots of his books, showing how his real-life experiences inspired his work. It especially focuses on his work with England's poor and disenfranchised, showing how he used his wealth and fame to help and draw attention to the major social issues of the day.

I think this book stands apart for a few reasons. For one, it's one of the best that I've read in fully describing what life was like for the poor of Victorian London. It does an excellent job of explaining what life was like in debtor's prison and the workhouses and why these institutions were to be avoided at all costs. One of the other reasons is that it does an excellent job of showing what a major celebrity Dickens was in his time and why his work was so important. It hink it also makes a good case for why Dickens is, and should be, read today and studied in school.

It's also heavily illustrated, using artwork from the time period to help convey the life of Dickens and the poor. Surprisingly, many of the pictures are colored-- a nice touch.

Overall a great book that will appeal to the Dickens fan sure, but will also turn many other readers into fans of Dickens.

Be sure to check out today's Nonfiction Monday roundup, over at Instantly Interruptible.

Also, as a reminder, please check out my other project, YA Reading List, where I post a themed and topical reading list every.single.day.

Book Provided by... the publisher, for award consideration

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Dodger

Dodger Terry Prachett

You know the Dodger from Oliver Twist, but this is a different side to him. One night, he's scavenging in the sewers (which is how he earns his living) when he witnesses a girl being beat. He comes to her aid and is immediately drawn into a different world. For Charles Dickens and Henry Mayhew see Dodger rescue the girl, and help further, by finding her food, medical attention, and a place to stay. Dodger wants to find the people who did this to her, and why, but the answers draw in the biggest political names of the day. Dodger is called Dodger for a reason, and these skills have allowed him to survive on London's streets thus far. Will they also help him survive in the city's finest drawing rooms?

I love Prachett's Dodger. His Dickens is also great. Some of the book is a little Shakespeare In Love but the mystery and action won't let you dwell on that for long. It's a fun read. Knowing your Dickens and your Victorian London personages will be helpful to fully appreciate it, but not necessary. I love the way Prachett paints Seven Dials, it's rough and tumble and a hard life, but the people who live there are real, and just trying to best they can. I also loved his take on Sweeney Todd and what was really going on there.

It doesn't speak to the LARGER TRUTHS that a lot of Prachett's work does, but it's also not as zanily weird, as it's firmly set in and grounded in historical facts and realities.

All in all I loved it. It's a great book that reminds me that I really do need to be reading more Prachett.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

[INSERT WITTY TITLE HERE]

I am so sleepy. And then I had a too much super-greasy super-yummy food for lunch. Now I am super-sleepy.

I stayed up too late last night, reading Eclipse. So, now I've started Breaking Dawn. Next week will be Twilight review week. I have some things planned that have me excited, but might actually be really lame. I hope they're not lame.

Anyway, before then, I have a review of an amazing book, which was an Alex Award winner this year that I am highly recommending:

Mister Pip Lloyd Jones

Set during the rebellion of the early 1990s in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, Mister Pip tells the story of the one white ma who stayed on the island after every one else fled and the island was blockaded. Mr. Watts was not a teacher, but he started school again and read Great Expectations to the students. Pip’s story grabs the attention of the small village as they make do with fewer and fewer supplies. However, both sides of the rebellion have heard of this Pip and wonder why the villagers are hiding a man among them, a man who is probably fighting for the other side. Pip, who allowed the children to escape to another world, may well be the undoing of the entire community.

Matilda, the narrator, is thirteen when the book begins. Caught up in Pip’s adventures, she struggles with her mother over the role he plays in her life. Teens will identify with Matilda’s desire for independence as she searches for her own voice. Jones’s description of the tropical island, and the villagers’ loss of a sense of time, lulls readers into the story, even if their memories of reading Great Expectations are less than fond. The message on the power and importance of imagination will reverberate with teens and adults. Although it details a great many horrors, especially in the end, Jones’s novel is quiet, but guaranteed to stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.

Highly, highly recommend for adults and older teens. (Mom, I mean YOU)