Oliver Twist

by W.T. Robinson (Adapted by), Martin Hargreaves (Illustrator), Charles Dickens

Oliver's fate is in the hands of villains and thieves, one kind old gentleman, one woman with a change of heart, and a twisted man who follows his every move.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Chapter Books, Childrens

182 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1838

Reviews

[lizé · Rating 5 out of 5]

never read the actual oliver twist but his story is so special & i love him <3

[Genesis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing fun read & the illustrations were simplistic yet so detailed. Definitely recommend.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver Twist follows a young, orphaned boy, Oliver Twist, who is the protagonist. He is poor and works in a factory. One day, Oliver ventures out onto the streets, and by chance meets a boy, who offers to bring Oliver back to his home, where there is "a merry old gentleman who will feed [Oliver] and take [him] in." He is taken to the home, where the gentleman, Fagin, gives him food and offers shelter. Fagin seems to be a kind and generous man, as he gives his children money to spend when they go out. Oliver loves his new home and delights in playing a strange game with Fagin.
Fagin puts a bunch of riches in his giant coat pockets, and tells the boys to take them out of his pockets without him noticing. He is training them to steal from wealthy men on the streets, although Oliver is oblivious to that. The game is practice for the real “job” that is done outside. Before long, Oliver is begging Fagin to let him work as well, as he sees that the boys come home from “work” every day with their pockets full of riches.
Finally, after many days of practice, Fagin sends Oliver out to “work” with two boys names Charley Bates and the Dodger. They find an old gentleman who is reading a book and steal his handkerchief. Oliver is stunned to find that the “job” is stealing, and tries to run away. However, the old man turns around and catches him.
Of course, Oliver is innocent, and the kind old gentleman, Mr. Brownlow, believes him. He takes Oliver under his wing, and grows to love him more each day.
However, before long, Oliver is recaptured by Fagin, once again returned to the life he had once loved, and now despised.
To read the rest of the story, you will have to read Oliver Twist.

I gave this book five stars because I really enjoyed discovering Oliver. I was very happy when he got his own happily ever after ending. My favorite character was Mr. Brownlow, because it was because of him that Oliver found out who his parents were. It was also fun seeing how everything in the story connects.
If I could change one thing about this story, I would change Nancy’s death. She was so innocent. It was just an unlucky twist of fate that brought her to Fagin and Bill Sikes. I would’ve liked to see her relationship with Rose develop and grow, because they have so mush in common. Nancy did not deserve the death that she got (Bill Sikes clubbed her over the head). I was happy to see it avenged when Bill sikes hanged himself, albeit accidentally.
Even though Oliver Twist was a short book, I think every bit of it was worth much more. I can see why Oliver Twist is seen as a classic. I recommend this book to fourth graders.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be fair, I've never read the actual Oliver Twist. Dickens and I don't have a fabulous relationship and I've never had much success with his novels. The only one I've made it all the way through without DNF'ing was A Christmas Carol and I didn't like it that much. I always feel a little bit bad that I don't like Dickens more than I do. He's so classic.

I have this one in my class library and randomly picked it up during the read-a-thon. I know the rough outline of Oliver Twist, but not the full story and I decided it was time I learned it. I knew that I'd probably never read the actual classic and figured this was better than a summary online.

I actually quite enjoyed it. It cruised right through and I didn't feel burdened down as I usually do when I try reading Dickens. I think this is a great book for introducing kids to classic stories. (Or adults, like me, who find Dickens a bit long-winded.)

[T.E. Antonino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story. I remember reading this book when I was younger. The ending was the only part of the book that I found lacking. The ending gave a lot information as to how many different characters lives played out. A lot of the characters weren't mentioned in detail in the book, so I wasn't really emotionally invested in their outcomes. All in all one hundred percent worth reading!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone’s review said this was “an amazing fun read”. No…no it wasn’t.

It wasn’t fun. It was sad and heartbreaking, but it also shows the resilience of one little boy.

It truly is a well written novel and I can see why it’s a classic.

Read aloud this version to my kids 5, 7, 9, and 12.

To quote my 9 yr old…”it was dark”. She isn’t wrong.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of my very favorite stories are by Charles Dickens -- "Great Expectations," "Hard Times," "A Tale of Two Cities," "A Christmas Carol." I have always enjoyed Dickens for his scathing critiques of 19th century society and his ability to tackle through his art issues like poverty and education in Industrial England; Dickens is among that rare breed of social writers whose works have led to meaningful changes in society. He represents one of the finest examples of artist as activist. I also love the characters that first germinated in Dickens' wild imagination, which later grow into terrific creations on the page, figures larger than life that cast tremendous shadows over many of the less memorable characters in literary history. Unfortunately, "Oliver Twist" is not a Dickens work that I have had the pleasure of reading before, so my ability to judge this abridged work against the original classic is impaired. I am not a big fan of condensed/abridged works, though they are a good way to share classics with my son. He enjoyed this work greatly. I, on the other hand, appreciated the characters -- Oliver Twist, Monks, Fagin (characters that have cast their giant shadows over the history of literature) -- and the general storyline, but I think I would enjoy the book in its original form much better. There was too much plot and too many characters to fit them neatly into 180 pages. The story progressed too rapidly (something I would rarely say about Dickens' work) and it was difficult keeping track of so much in such a relatively short book; also, it lacks much of the social commentary that I so appreciate in Dickens' classics.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty damn depressing.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a thrift store, thinking it would be a great addition to my daughter's little library in the future but it's been floating around my office and I wasn't exactly sure where to put it. I've been in a huge slump for the past few months now so picking up a book and reading hasn't been easy and I'm behind on my reading goals so I thought a quick read would be a great idea. I love Charles Dickens' writing and have been putting off the rest of his books to fall in love with at intervals. It has been 3 years since I last read anything by him and it seemed like the right time.
I do remember this story from films but this is the first time I've read it (or an adaptation of it, I mean) and this Junior classics edition was nothing but a literary tease. I was actually quite disappointed when I started that this was most definitely not Dickens' original prose. It was too simple and lacking; but the story was there and that is what really matters. As for me, I am off in search of an original copy which I'm pretty sure I have in both physical and ebook format.

[Hailey Starnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn’t get into this book. I guess I had the misconception that this book would mainly be in Oliver’s perspective, however as the narrative plays out, it’s just one set of actions after the next and it was difficult for me to become invested in the book. There were a lot of characters who, all in the end, became connected either by family or by marriage. I feel like the plot was explained and the mystery spelled out by dialogue in the last five or so pages, so that all the characters could suddenly become related.

The themes were also very dark and would not be suitable for a child. It talked about characters hanging themselves, murdering, and animals dying. Overall, I just couldn’t understand the appeal of the abbreviated book version.

[Kimberly Cayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was unaware before starting this book that I had the kids version of Oliver Twist, which makes me feel kind of dumb.

Regardless of the fact that it was intended for 8 year-olds, I read the book. It seemed like a good book to get children started on reading classic literature. I probably would have enjoyed it as a child myself.

There isn't really much else to say, but I would not recommend this for adults, as it can get boring or painfully obvious that a lot is being cut out of the original story.

[Aimée Reisert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read the original...and I am sure there was plenty that was left out. Just the same I was a little surprised at the graphic images this book portrayed in two deaths. I felt a little bad reading it to my 9yr old at bedtime when those two violent deaths occured. I did think it was maybe a little tough for him to follow some of the relationship connections throughout the book (it is at his reading level). Though the timeline in the back of the book was helpful and I wish I would have seen that sooner. The list of characters in the front of the book was also helpful to reference.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read the actual Oliver Twist, but I’ve had this book on my shelf since I was a child. It was a very quick read, of course, but worth it. I went into this book knowing next to nothing and I was pleasantly surprised by it. Since this particular version was made for young readers, I was not expecting the dark storyline. If I had read this when I was younger, I think I would have been very confused, but it was still good. I like that the last couple pages summed up the characters nicely in case you got lost within all of the characters.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Oliver had a rough life right from the day of his birth when his mother died in a poor house. As a young child, he was forced to work with an undertaker but eventually ran away to London. There, he met up with a gang of thieves who tried to introduce him to a life of crime. At long last, he is rescued by some caring people who adopt him, and he learns about his birth family. This version was a quick, easy read for children.

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't really beat Dickens. That said, as an introduction to his work for children this is decent. I liked that some of the themes of the original and some of the death and deviousness was not 'glossed' over. Flo enjoyed and clapped at the end when all turned out well.

I can't wait to read the real thing with her though...

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good and quick read. Wasn't amazing, but the illustrations kept me engaged because if not I might have not finished this book. This tells the classic story of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens but in a short summarized way. I probably won't read the full book by Dickens so this was an easy way for me to know that classic story without reading a huge classic.

[Anna Chesnokov · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adapted junior classic version.

Its an overall pretty sad book heavy with violence:
The murder of Nancy
Sikes attempt to kill/drown his dog
Oliver is severely mistreated, beaten, starved, shot
Sikes hangs himself accidentally trying to escape a mob
Hanging of Fagin

Oliver remains a kind innocent boy and at the end is adopted by the warm and generous Mr. Brownlow.

[Kevin Godinho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to the kids in the evening before bed. It was good and kept their attention. The pictures helped. I'd give it a higher rating if it wasn't for that nagging voice in the back of my head saying, "You should be reading the full version." I appreciate that there are classics for children, but I'd rather read them the real thing.

[Bryndee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great book, has a ton of plot twists at the end that you wouldn't really expect, and I absolutely loved it! Makes you see some of the things you take for granted. Those poor boys, and the struggle they went through! I really recommend this book.

[n · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliver Twist is one of the most innocent and pure boy ever. Omg I just love him so much 😭😭😭

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this illustrated junior classic. It was basic and easy to read to my children.

[Jaicee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great book and after I read the book watched the movie.

[asiya | アセヤ (free palestine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I had originally had this book because I fell in love with the cat-dog version Disney movie, but even this adapted piece was amazing! Anything by Charles Dickens will be on my happy list.

[Samara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just great book! I read it a long tie ago, and enjoyed it greatly :D

[Xen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both me and my mom read this book, i sat down and read it in one night and it was enjoyable. All love goes to bullseye.

[Kenadie Margias · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book. I recommend if you like classics.

[MEHMET ISA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orta seviyede beğendim

[Christopher Buenrostro Urias · Rating 4 out of 5]

un buen clasico más aparte por ser infantil ayuda bastante a practicar la lectura 😊

[Julie Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this brief classic

[Sarah Ponath · Rating 1 out of 5]

This may have not been the correct adaptation I have read, but, I would not recommend this book.