My thanks to the Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books for a temporary digital edition of ‘A World Full of Dickens Stories’ by Angela McAllister and illustrated by Jannicke Hansen in exchange for an honest review. It is due to be published on 7 July 2020.

Written for young readers, aged 7-11, this is an illustrated anthology that retells eight of Charles Dickens’ novels. Each one is retold in a simplified fashion, while retaining the essence of the original. Those included are: Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, and Hard Times.

Each chapter opens with an illustrated cast of the main characters, which is very useful, and the volume concludes with a timeline of Dickens’ life and a glossary of terms. Jannicke Hansen’s illustrations are charming and utilise a muted colour palette that suits the period.

While I have read some of the novels included, others I only had a passing awareness of. So, even for me as an adult reader, it served as both a reminder for the ones I knew and a taster for those yet to be read.

Dickens’ novels are quite somber in their themes and I appreciated that ‘A World Full of Dickens Stories’ didn’t shy away from the disappointments, turns of fortune and deaths within them.

Overall, I feel that this book will be of interest to parents and educators who are looking to introduce young readers to the works of Dickens. Also, one for both public and school libraries.

A beautiful anthology of Dickens stories for young readers. The eight best loved stories are retold in an accessible fashion for readers of the pre-teen age. Each story begins with a character list and is beautifully illustrated throughout. I think the illustrations are a real selling point.

This would be an excellent gift for a young person and a great addition to any family bookshelf.

I really liked the glossary and timeline at the end to help readers learn. Although aimed at a primary age reader I think it could be used in some contexts at secondary school for understanding of the plot for pre-reading texts or maybe in a SEN setting to help hook readers into the text.

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Would definitely recommend! I love this addition to the anthology series.

"A World Full of Dickens Stories" recounts for kids the stories found in major novels by Charles Dickens. They can best be described as stories abridged for the “modern child.” The stories tell the basic plotline and action points, including key conversations among the characters. Cameo portrait drawings with short descriptions of the main characters precede each story. Illustrations in muted colors also accompany the text; the illustrations resemble those found in some graphic novels.

The book serves as an appropriate introduction for children to the works of Dickens. Hopefully, readers will want to read the original versions of the novels once they are introduced to the basic stories. This would be a good book for family read-alouds and sharing between kids and adults.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

A whimsical delight, brimming with stunning illustrations carefully curated by Jannicke Hansen. Angela McAllister has mastered the impossible; enabling younger readers to successfully access the literary wonders of Charles Dickens. This captivating anthology includes 8 familiar classics: Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, and A Tale of Two Cities.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this book, my interest was particularly piqued through the visual representations of ‘title pages’ followed by the characters, in a clearly presented ‘cast’ style format. This enabled a higher level of engagement, which in turn produced a flow and ease of reading that I believe the younger audience would benefit from. In addition, the content is cleverly condensed and each story lasts 15 pages or so.

‘A World Full of Dickens Stories’ both captivated and maintained my interest from the first story to the last and I believe that upon publication, this will quickly become a firm favourite in my class and potentially across the school- it will certainly be one that will come highly recommended by myself.

As always, many thanks to NetGalley and the Quarto Group (@quartokids) for this wonderful ARC.

I will be honest. I've never been a big fan of Dickens. Reading him as an 8th grader for the first time, I found his writing to be very challenging to dive into. I wish I had had access to "A World Full of Dickens Stories" by Angela McAllister back then! In my opinion, she's been very successful of making Dickens accessible to younger readers without "dumbing it down" or losing the nuances and messages Dickens intended. I particularly liked the cast of characters that was included with each story. I'm a visual reader and it was helpful to have a "picture" of what each character looked like while reading. The illustrations are lovely and I can see this book being read by parents to children or happily living on a school library shelf. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

* I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. *

This collection includes eight of Charles Dickens' most famous stories: Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol and Nicholas Nickleby.

Rewritten by Angela McAllister for a younger audience, these classic stories familiarise the children with the work of one of the best writers of English literature. Of course, novels that are hundreds of pages long cannot be quite the same when they are summarised in fifteen pages or so, subplots and supporting characters have to be omitted; still, it is very important that the children meet at least the main characters of these stores. When they will read Dickens at a later stage of their lives, they will meet again the old friends that they first encountered thanks to this collection.

Each chapter opens with a title page that showcases key objects and animals: a dog, a bonnet, cards, a book - whatever plays an important role in the story. My personal favourite is one of the little dogs, it is a dead ringer for Wishbone - if you remember the series.

That page is always followed with a 'Cast of Characters' section with little portrait pictures of the main characters. Jannicke Hansen presents each figure beautifully, the drawings always reflect the personality of the portrayed person.

The volume ends with a short biography of Charles Dickens, followed by a glossary of terms that the younger readers might be unfamiliar with. Words like churchwarden, dodger, notorious and stately home are explained in a way that is understandabe for the children.

Although I haven't read all the original novels yet, this collection makes me want to remedy that as soon as possible.

This book is an excellent introduction to the world of Dickens stories. This book provides 8 gorgeously illustrated Dickens stories with an illustrated cast of characters at the beginning of each story. This is something I know will appeal younger readers. This book is a fantastic intro to Charles Dickens for younger readers.

A World Full of Dickens Stories is delightful! A great entrance for readers into favorite Dickens stories. The title page for each story and the Cast of Characters helped to set the tone for what is to come. This book would be a great addition to any bookshelf.

A World Full Of Dickens is a wonderful Charles Dickens anthology for young people. This book of Children's Literature contains eight Dickens stories accompanied with colourful illustrations. These magical stories remove the length of the original classics and are great for parents and older children. I love many of these stories and it was great to read them in a simplified form. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy.

A World Full of Dickens Stories by Angela McAllister includes short retellings of Charles Dickens’s novels paired with gorgeous illustrations by Jannicke Hansen. Each story begins with a full title page full of images related to the plot and themes of the tale paired with a visual cast of characters.

The anthology includes Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, and A Tale of Two Cities. Of the novels I’ve read, the short retellings here are faithful and comprehensive, and a glossary at the end of the book assists young readers with new vocabulary. The book also includes a brief biography of Dickens along with a timeline of key events in his life.

Overall, I really like the design of the book, but the typography is small and dense on the page. On the one hand, it allows more fidelity to the original source, but on the other, it might make it harder for children to read the book. Of course, I can’t say enough about the accompanying art which is fabulous.

A World Full of Dickens Stories will equally appeal to adults who want to revisit Dickens but not commit to re-reading his novels and to young readers who will enjoy the stories and illustrations. I would recommend this for children’s personal libraries or as a gift to introduce them to this eminent storyteller.

This is a great collection of Dicken's stories. His most famous ones are included together with few less popular works (i.e. The Old Curiosity Shop, Nicolas Nickleby, and Hard Times.) Each story begins with a list of characters which is extremely helpful. The illustrations, as usual from this publisher, are simply stunning! Each story is about 15 pages long yet enough to capture the essence of everything young readers need to know. This is definitely a must-own copy for children who enjoy classic tales. I highly recommend!

A sensibly adapted selection of Dickens novels and other stories, prime for the primary school audience. Yes, Bill still kills Nancy, but "Oliver Twist" in ten pages or whatever it is is still suitably judged and unfrightening, and "The Old Curiosity Shop" and "Hard Times" still seemingly endless lists of suitable misery for all involved. Less successful is "David Copperfield" – the telling suffers by being a monologue from his hand, with only two lines of reported speech throughout, and there was a huge hiccup when Mr Peggotty seemed to be doing things just after he'd died. Elsewhere we see with much more economy for both the young and the time-short how everything is tied up in "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Nicholas Nickleby" – and yet another variant of "A Christmas Carol". "Great Expectations" crams it all in, and still manages to show how the title can be taken in multiple ways depending on where you are in the story.

What lets the side down is the artwork fashionably lacking in perspective, using the same bleak faces for all the stories and not helping us differentiate them by mood. But on the whole, the book was a very welcome one – at least for me, shockingly ill-read where Dickens is concerned, it managed to do more than summarise a few novels I have no intention of reading in the original. I doubt it will make any modern child a lover of his works, but it is still a very useful and well-done read.

This was great because I haven't read any Dickens, but have seen some different adaptation shows. This was broken down simply, but effectively, and I particularly loved the cast of characters before each story.
The illustrations in this are very striking; quite a unique art style.

I appreciated the timeline and about the author at the back.

Oliver Twist: 5 stars
What a beautiful story! This is probably one of the stories I'm more familiar with, with the original movie, but I never remembered much more than "please sir, I want some more" and the thriving shenanigans, so it was great to hear the story in this adapted/abrievated version. I think the original, full version would flesh out the issues of child trafficking, cruelty and other themes better, but it wasn't entirely glossed over, just calmed down for a younger audience. I loved how it ended.

The Old Curiosity Shop: 4 stars
I feel like I vaguely recognise the title and concept but maybe at the time didn't realise it was Dickensian (speaking of which, the Dickensian BBC show from around 2015 was amazing and I'm still hoping they do another series). This one was really sad. It left me feeling quite heartbroken and melancholy. I felt annoyance at the granddad for putting Nell I'm danger, but understand the struggles of addiction he must have faced. Just when I was thinking some things were confidently placed, there was a twist that left me rather sad.

David Copperfield: 4 stars
I've been wanting to see the new movie for this story, especially as it's one of the Dickens stories I know the least. I knew absolutely nothing about it. I was a bit nervous because there seemed to be a big cast of characters. It was so beautiful and despite the tragedies, very uplifting. I think I'll enjoy the movie adaptation and hopefully the full novel, if I ever get to it!

Great Expectations: 3 stars
A classic that I must admit I also don't know anything about! In saying that though, I have a vague recollection of a BBC drama adaptation of this. The description about a seemingly empty house sparked this. I felt like this one was really full of life lessons, failed love and connections (once more, always so many connections, I noticed) to name a few. I wouldn't say I necessarily enjoyed this one, but it was an interesting story and I reckon would be a good, slow, character study in the original novel.

A Tale of Two Cities: 3 stars
Another I knew nothing about (I've realised there's a lot of Dickens I don't even know the general plot about). The ending made me a bit down. It was a kind act, but I don't feel like it was right!

A Christmas Carol: 4 stars
One of the most well known, for me personally. I enjoyed this one, despite not being in the mood for a more festive story telling. It was interesting to read it, because I've only ever seen tv show or film adaptations, so seeing it written was a fun experience.

Nicholas Nickleby: 3.5 stars
This one was a nice showcase of friendships and family, but oh my goodness the occurring theme of starved and mistreated children makes me so sad. And why does every bad person brew over revenge of something so minor?

Hard Times: 3 stars
I don't have much feeling about this other than another tragically woeful plot, but ultimately filled with kindness and hope. I really liked Sissy.

This book is a great way to introduce children to the stories of Dickens without overwhelming them. I love how at the beginning of each story there are pictures and descriptions of the characters in the story.
The illustrations were nice. Overall it's an excellent introduction to the world of Dickens.

An informative and enlightening writing on the works of Dickens and how he achieved popularity. Having an interest in the Victorian era assists the reader in understanding the characters and the situations Dickens gave them.

Explanations on how to further investigate Dickens writing is helpful as is the places where the information for the book was found. You can see as you read each section, that the writer has fully explored the life and writing of such a pivotal character and it appears not many stones were left unturned. A very informative read.

This is a delightful book. I loved it as did my son and my students in school will love it also when we return after Covid 19 Lockdown. It is so well written, so well thought out and so well compiled. It is a beautiful introduction to some of the greatest classics of our time and will serve to foster a love of literature and reading among some of our youngest readers. It is a book that should be on every child's bookshelf and most certainly in every classroom in the country. I loved it and will promote it to all I know.

I love this collection of Dickens stories! They are perfectly made for younger readers and seems like a great way to intrigue younger audiences with classic Dickens stories. They are bite-sized with wonderful illustrations. The cast of characters with portraits before each story is a perfect addition. I want so many other books and authors made into a series like this one.

Like Shakespeare, the language of Charles Dickens is an enormous part of our lexicon and everyday life. A familiarity with his stories is a key part of a well-rounded general knowledge about British literature, history and culture. Dickens’ links to the Industrial Revolution and Victorian Britain also make him an important part of the Key Stage Two and Three curriculum. His passion for speaking out about social issues brings this period of history to life through tales of wealth and class divide, homes, schools, workhouses and ambitions for the future.

A World Full of Dickens Stories is an accessible abridged version of eight of Charles Dickens’ classic tales. Starting with the quintessential story, Oliver Twist, readers soon find themselves immersed in the world of hardships, pickpockets and hiding in the shadows. Each story begins with a clear introduction to the main characters and the vocabulary choices allow children to make sense of the complex stories. Many of the words from the Year 5/6 statutory word list can be found within the stories, giving excellent examples of how to use these words in context. The characters are well-developed, painting a picture of life and struggles for people at the time. It is wonderful to see well-known lines included such as “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” from A Tale of Two Cities. The intriguing illustrations by Jannicke Hansen are suited to the hardships of the time period and highlight the most important elements of the plot.

This book would make an excellent addition to any classroom or home library and a valuable resource to support Upper Key Stage Two and Key Stage Three English and History lessons. It makes the lengthy original stories more manageable for younger readers and allows children to be exposed to a greater range of stories in a shorter period of time. Seeing the breadth of Dickens’ writing is so helpful for making comparisons and understanding his contribution to literature as a whole.

A World Full of Dickens Stories includes:

– Oliver Twist

– The Old Curiosity Shop

– David Copperfield

– Great Expectations

– A Tale of Two Cities

– Nicholas Nickleby

– Hard Times

– A biography of Charles Dickens

– Timeline

– Glossary

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for this fantastic book. It will be published in May 2020.

Let's face it, Dickens writes some amazing stories, but most of them are just so darn long. McAllister's book takes his beloved stories and gives it to us in a much more manageable size. With each story taking up only ten to twelve pages (this includes the illustrations), these would make wonderful bedtime stories for a young reader who doesn't have the patience or wherewithal for a full Dickens novel. I would have loved to have something like this back in junior high, when I was exploring the classics but didn't want to commit myself to such lengthy reads. This is perfect for people who want to begin their journey with Dickens, or for those who just need a quick refresher course in these charming classics.

This is an absolutely delightful book. The illustrations are lovely. My children all adored this book. It is one we'll return to again and again. We highly recommend it!