Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London

“Explores how Charles Dickens used his stories to effect social change for London’s most destitute children . . . A lively biography” (Kirkus Reviews). Charles Dickens is best known for his contributions to the world of literature, as the author of classics from Great Expectations to A Christmas Carol. But during his young life, Dickens witnessed terrible things that stayed with him: families starving in doorways, babies being “dropped” on streets by mothers too poor to care for them, and a stunning lack of compassion from the upper class. After his family went into debt and he found himself working at a shoe-polish factory, Dickens soon realized that members of the lower class were no different than he, and, even worse, they were given no chance to better themselves. It was then that he decided to use his greatest talent, his writing ability, to tell the stories of those who had no voice. In this book, award-winning author Andrea Warren takes readers on a journey into the workhouses, slums, factories, and schools of Victorian England, and into the world of a beloved writer who used his pen to do battle on behalf of the poor, becoming one of the greatest reformers of his or any age. “Warren writes in a clear, direct, vivid manner that brings it all to life.” —Booklist (starred review)