Another Twist in the Tale

by Catherine Bruton

You have heard, no doubt, the tale of Master Oliver Twist – that rags-to-riches boy; the parish orphan who became heir to the Brownlow fortune. But what few know is that was a second Twist – a girl, brought into this world moments ahead of her brother.

This is the story of Twill Twist – and her journey through the gambling dens and workhouses of London, as she attempts to make a life for herself, rescue her friends, and uncover the mystery of her past – while meeting some familiar faces along the way…

Re-discover the Artful Dodger, Fagin, and Oliver Twist himself, along with a host of fantastic new heroes and villains, in this brilliantly-imagined, rip-roaring sequel to Dickens’ much-loved classic.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Family

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2020

About the author

I live just outside Bath with my husband, Jonny, and my two children (plus two toy monkeys, six goldfish and we’re hoping to get some chickens!). I teach English two days a week at a local secondary school. I also write articles for newspapers and magazines. Oh, and I write novels too!

Reviews

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Twist in the Tale is a fantastic concept that was beautifully executed by Catherine Bruton.

A seemingly impossible task of writing a sequel to Oliver Twist is nothing for Bruton as she flawlessly channels Dickens in this historical middle grade wonder. I loved this! We follow Tilly Twist who is the twin sister of Oliver, abandoned in the cold because she’s a girl in a Dickensian London (because all girls were deemed worthless and undesirable). She’s rescued by a kind but poor woman, and as Tilly grows up, circumstances take her to some unexpected places.

Tilly is a great protagonist who shows a lot of courage and wisdom in the terrifying streets of London. I loved the commentary on how girls were seen by misogynistic men back then and how Tilly seeks to overcome this. It’s simply wonderful! The ending really is quite beautiful.

Obviously a huge part of why I love this is due to all the Oliver Twist references - we have the Artful Dodger, Fagin and even Oliver himself. They all seem so genuine in this; Bruton was spot on in her portrayal of them. It felt like Dickens could have wrote this himself. The narrative was great at channeling the original Oliver Twist author. Also loved the chapter names and how they mirrored the chapter name style of the original novel - a fantastic touch!

This book is out in November so if you’re a fan of Oliver Twist and you’re looking for the next best thing, then look no further and get yourself a copy of this!

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! I waited to read it until I had read Oliver Twist. So as soon as I finished it, I immediately picked this up. The idea of Oliver having an unknown twin sister, & how the story would be with a girl MC was so intriguing. The way women & orphans were treated back then(so a girl orphan had a HORRIBLE time), I can totally see her being abandoned as a baby on a rubbish heap. So sad & infuriating that these things happened-as well as other things that happen in this book, & also all of Charles Dickens books. I love how he used his books to champion against issues he felt strongly about-the more I learn about him,the more I love-the authors note in the back of this is amazing, & it made me love this author even more as well.


This was so imaginative, great humor, had serious messages at its core, & paid amazing homage to the classic. The chapter names even paid tribute to the original, by having the same “style”. I think Mr. Dickens would love it. The characters are so amazing. I love also that you don’t see a lot of Oliver in here-that would’ve made it harder not to compare it against the classic. This made it even more a story of its own to me. However, even comparing it to the classic, this book held its own, & did a phenomenal job.

Twill is AMAZING! I actually LOVED Dodger in here too-has my heart. And Baggage! What an amazing woman! We have villains of past, but a whole new villain to be feared & to despise-Madam Manzoni. We also have amazing new heroes like the the Sassy Sisters & the Blue Boys. This has fantastic villains, endearing characters who you root for with your whole heart, humor, adventure, suspense, danger, friendship, & the fight for what’s right. This was amazing! Even if you’ve never read the original, & don’t want to-still think you should read this one. Highly recommend! Beautiful cover by the amazing Thy Bui too!💜

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and just couldn’t put it down. I was in a reading rut before picking up this book, and it absolutely did the trick. Twill's character was such a breath of fresh air, and I appreciated how feisty she was and how she kept her ground, especially in some fairly uncomfortable moments. The way Bruton managed to take characters we already knew and give them a fresh spin was also great, and I am very intrigued to read more of her books.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced, fun read about the sister of Oliver Twist. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read more by this author.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost no one knows that Oliver Twist actually had a twin sister, not even Oliver himself. But after being completely abandoned, she was found and looked by the sweetest person! This is what happened to Twill.
There are lots of colourful and interesting characters plus a lot of humour in the descriptions and happenings. Of course the big question is will Oliver and Twill ever actually meet? It is a bit predictable sometimes but still a sweet story and an enjoyable read.

[Emily Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of this book was slow, as it is written as though it is a classic novel (like Oliver Twist that it is based off). This book felt like quite a long read but I am so glad I finished it and got to the end! The last 100 pages are so thrilling and engaging I ended up not being able to put it down. Worth the slow start.

[Vincent Ripley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is my book review HERE. https://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.c...

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Lauren Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting twist on the tale of Oliver Twist. Enjoyable characters and a great plot of determination and good overcoming evil.

[LLG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Positives: The world is described very well, Victorian London really feels brought to life through its description and exploration, exploration by Burton and the characters themselves. The dialogue throughout the book is consistently fun and well written, making it an easy and enjoyable read. The original characters created fit in well with the existing characters originally created by Charles Dickens, they easily could have been written by the man himself, and the interactions between the characters (both new and old) were by far my favourite parts of the book. Speaking of the old characters, they feel consistent with their appearances in the original, yet feel sufficiently evolved and developed. The exploration into women of the era was both interesting and excellently done, focusing on their beauty standards and their standing when compared to men was a fantastic choice and gives it a distinct feel from the original, while still staying true to it by exploring class issues as well.

Negatives: I did not like the direct talking to the reader that happened every now and again, I felt it really pulls you out of the narrative and the world, a world as stated previously was very well described and immersive. In the first half, the narrative jumps around a lot, and there is not a lot of time to take in the setting and situation we find our characters in, skipping over events that could have been interesting to see for ourselves. I felt the main character Twill didn't have a lot of agency until the final act, she often felt just along for the ride, and rather aimless before said final act, in which she was much better written. I personally felt that the romantic subplot between Twill and Dodger was rather unnecessary, it felt out of character for both of them, and it would have worked much better for them to be just friends (I acknowledge other people did not have this issue, and is probably just down to my personal preference). My biggest negative is that one of the antagonists, Madam Manzoni, is reduced to a fat stereotype and fatphobia, her weight is often used as her primary describer and as a punchline, whereas her actual acts as an antagonist are overlooked and are not as important that her physical description. Lastly, not necessarily a negative, but it was fairly predictable.

Overall: A fun, easy read that really pulls you into the world, and an adventure fitting as a sequel of Dickens' original. Other than a couple of expectations, the characters where fun and written well, and the exploration of women in the era was the clear highlight. 3.5/5

[Michaela Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute! Anybody who knows me at all knows I have a fondness for Oliver Twist (and particularly Dodger!) so retellings about my favourite orphan are always a delight. This was so cute and such a fun take on the classic. Twill was such a joy and was fierce and strong willed and didn’t need a single boy to rescue her or take the lead. I loved each of her dynamics, with Dodger, Baggage, and all the girls (I had a particular soft spot for hers and Dodge’s dynamic with little Angel), and, for lack of a better word, I enjoyed all the twists and turns that the story took. Lots of fun and a very sweet ending.

One downside (and why I’ve docked a star) is that at times I found the writing to be a little… uninspired. Not by way of characters or plot, but moreso in the message that it was presenting? Had this been the outdated classic itself I would’ve been more understanding, but the fatphobic rhetoric this book often took didn’t sit well with me? One of the female villains of the book seemed more of a caricature than anything, with her weight remarked on frequently and in great detail, even going so far as to *SPOILER* refer to her as ‘big as a house’ and to have her drop dead so abruptly the first time we ever truly see her move. As a kids book in particular, it feels like a very dangerous move to poke fun at the weight and appearance did people and to have it happen so frequently when young children are so impressionable. Particularly when it didn’t really impact the narrative one way or another to keep commenting on it.

Otherwise, a fun tale and a very sweet adaptation.

[Childrens Sequels · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've seen the film Oliver! Or read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens you'll love this new book from Catherine Bruton.
This is literally another Twist, a girl brought into the world minutes ahead of her better known brother Oliver, who is now heir to the Brownlow fortune. But baby girls left at the workhouse in Victorian London are considered less worth than boys and too expensive to keep. So she is left by the riverside on a rubbish heap in the snow.
But all is not lost. The baby girl is discovered by Baggage Jones who names her Twill, as she makes a noise like a little bird, and she grows up with Baggage and her friends who work in one of the more notorious gambling dens South of the river
The time passes quickly until Twill is 14 and she is growing up fast. The owner of the gambling den has plans for her but Baggage manages to get Twill to safety in time. Left to her own devices Twill begins her adventures North of the river meeting the Sassy Sisterhood, the Artful Dodger, and other characters we recognise from Oliver's story.
Twill is a string charter, capable of making her own decisions and not shy of coming forward to say what she thinks.
It's a great book, full heroes and villains , and you can almost smell the atmosphere in some of the scenes. A great take on a classic story. Buy it or reserve from your local library and you won't be disappointed.

[Sarah Corcoran · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've seen the film Oliver! Or read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens you'll love this new book from Catherine Bruton.
This is literally another Twist, a girl brought into the world minutes ahead of her better known brother Oliver, who is now heir to the Brownlow fortune. But baby girls left at the workhouse in Victorian London are considered less worth than boys and too expensive to keep. So she is left by the riverside on a rubbish heap in the snow.
But all is not lost. The baby girl is discovered by Baggage Jones who names her Twill, as she makes a noise like a little bird, and she grows up with Baggage and her friends who work in one of the more notorious gambling dens South of the river
The time passes quickly until Twill is 14 and she is growing up fast. The owner of the gambling den has plans for her but Baggage manages to get Twill to safety in time. Left to her own devices Twill begins her adventures North of the river meeting the Sassy Sisterhood, the Artful Dodger, and other characters we recognise from Oliver's story.
Twill is a string charter, capable of making her own decisions and not shy of coming forward to say what she thinks.
It's a great book, full heroes and villains , and you can almost smell the atmosphere in some of the scenes. A great take on a classic story. Buy it or reserve from your local library and you won't be disappointed.

[Jo Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Another Twist in the Tale,’ by Catherine Bruton is a thrilling adventure inspired by Charles Dicken’s, ‘Oliver Twist.’ What if Oliver hadn’t been an only child but instead had a twin sister born just before him, who was tossed into the gutter left to die. Rescued by Baggage, Twill Test is brought to live in a gambling den, no life of luxury awaiting for her as Oliver found. But as she gets older she is forced to flee the den and ends up on the streets of London and encounters a group of girls who are robbing for themselves and not at the behest of a wicked master. Twill seems happy with her way of life until a chance encounter with some familiar figures makes her question everything she’s ever known about herself. This brilliantly imagined reinterpretation of this famous story is completely wonderful, I loved the contrast between the misery of Fagin’s boys and the Sassy Sisters. In this feminist take of the story we see how little value there is in the life of girls and how this merry band use this to their advantage and to ultimately challenge those who would threaten their existence. The characterisation is superb, the dastardly villains are truly evil and Twill is truly remarkable despite what life has thrown at her. An absolute triumph in storytelling that is bound to captivate and thrill readers.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m aware that reading this may seem a bit odd for me, given how I recently declared my lack of interest in reading any of Charles Dickens’ works, but Catherine Bruton’s No Ballet Shoes in Syria was such an incredible read that I vowed I’d read whatever she released next, which ended up being this incredibly fun and adventurous sequel to Oliver Twist, which focuses on his unknown twin sister Twill. Although I haven’t read the original text, I was pretty familiar with the original story, which definitely helped as I think I would maybe have been confused if I’d never heard of Oliver’s story before, plus it was a lot of fun to be able to guess who certain characters who popped up were and catch the fun little references that are thrown in. There was also a reference I loved to the Merchant of Venice, which is by far and away my favourite Shakespeare play that I’ve read! All that said, this is very much it’s own story with an incredibly compelling plot (I finished it in pretty much one sitting because I couldn’t put it down!) and although it was nice that it incorporated some of the cast of Oliver Twist, I personally much preferred Catherine’s own creations (especially Twill, Baggage, Mr Scapegrace and Chelsea and Angel of the Sassy Sisters!). I will say that the Artful Dodger is a great addition though, and I loved his relationship with Twill a lot. After reading this, I most definitely plan to continue picking up whatever Catherine Bruton releases in the future, no matter what it may be, because this confirms for me that her huge talent for writing can very easily transcend genre.

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the world of Victorian London, this is the story of Oliver Twist's twin sister, Twill, born a few minutes before him and left to die on a rubbish tip as being deemed worthless. She is found and taken in to become help in the kitchen of a gambling den but fate has a strange twist in store for her. In this sequel to the original story, we once again meet the Artful Dodger, Fagin and Oliver Twist. It's a fast-paced and engaging fun read with some fantastic scenes set in the backstreets of London. It's also contains some great female role models despite its depiction of the treatment and value of women.

[Cecilmgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine is a wonderful writer. She has woven a tale using Dickensian-esque language, perfectly pitched to make it appealing and accessible to a young audience.

I loved every part of this book, particularly setting & character description & development, which made the book come to life so vividly in my mind. (Her concluding acknowledgements essay is also beautifully written.)

I am now inspired to attempt Dickens once more and to learn more about how he used fiction to shine a light on societal inadequacies, that sadly still ring true today…and of course to read the rest of Catherine’s work.

I really can’t recommend this book more highly.

[Rachel Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Year 7s loved this book and I loved teaching it to them! This text choice made the Victorian era accessible to all the students and we had so much fun exploring the adventures in this book and the other texts we used to support it. I’ll also have the wonderful memories of my first World Book Day as a teacher due to this book - the English department dressed up as characters from Oliver Twist and the Victorian era in honour of teaching this text. I can’t recommend this book enough and if you prefer audio books this has a great version narrated by Miriam Margolyes.

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this concept - a kid's sequel to Oliver Twist? - but I was really pleasantly surprised. It was excellent! The writing is perfectly old fashioned and there are some great links and references to the original while crafting a very readable and engaging new tale.

I think you'd need to know the basic story of Oliver to get the most from this Twist in the Tale, but you certainly wouldn't need to have read it.

If you too aren't sure - give it a try. It's well worth it!

[Cath Wigham · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an English teacher always on the look out for YA fiction, I came across this and thought it was worth a try. It fulfilled all my expectations and more!
Its plot, with lots of little twists and turns, kept me interested and nothing detracted from the original story, but instead complimented it.
It was a really enjoyable read and I will be recommending it to my daughters, students and friends.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered if Oliver twist had a twin sister, well wonder no more. He did.
This is the tale of his sister and what became of her.
Amazing story. I'm not a Oliver twist fan but this book is a must read

[sgh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped reading at chapter four because of the highly visceral and disgusting fatphobic descriptions. It’s cruel and irresponsible to constantly depict fat people as evil or lazy, and I’m sick to the back teeth of it. Expected more from a book published last year.

[meg 🎀🌟🧁🌷 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Twists and turns round every corner a excellent representation of the original but still has it’s own personality! Absolutely recommend if you enjoy a bit of a thrill or a Victorian era based book.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to think of this book as a self-insert fanfic set in the Oliver Twist universe. The main character, Twill, gets to share her origin story, experience her own adventure and even have a sprinkling of a love life...

I actually quite like it.

[Steph Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this reimagining of the world of Oliver Twist. Twill was such a bright and bold character. Baggage was full of warmth and love. Dodger, perfectly captured. I loved it and will be recommending it to my daughter. I think she'd love it too.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new slant on Dickens - a fantastic read. Reviewed for LoveReading4Schools

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one greedy session and thoroughly enjoyed it. Takes the story of Oliver Twist down an entertaining, girl power side road much to my delight.

[Carol W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what it says in the title. Fabulous storyline introducing us to another twist.
Fans of Oliver twist will love this book.
In my opinion this would suit 12+ readers.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. I enjoyed Twill and Baggage. Great villains, the plot a little convoluted but Dickens was like that too.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Definitely recommending it year 7 next year as they study Oliver Twist for English.