Graphic Classics Oliver Twist

by John Malam (Adapter), Penko Gelev (Illustrator), Charles Dickens

Oliver, an orphan in 19th-century London, falls into a den of thieves, but is finally rescued by Mr. Brownlow, a wealthy benefactor. In each of Barron's " Graphic Classics, " an English literary classic is transformed into a dramatic graphic novel with superb, atmospheric color illustrations and a finely-paced narrative. The tale--chosen from among important novels in the literary canon-- will keep young readers fascinated from first page to last. " Graphic Classics " make fine introductions for young readers to the riches of English literature. Books are available in both paperback and hardcover editions. In addition to the stories, each title features a brief biography and time line of its author, a list of his important works, a glossary, and an index. As such, these books are suitable for classroom use on junior and senior high school levels.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 1990

About the author

John Malam is a British historian, archaeologist, and author of children’s non-fiction books. Trained in Ancient History and Archaeology, he worked on excavations and led an archaeology unit before becoming an editor and later a full-time writer specializing in ancient civilizations.

Reviews

[Cynda reads little. Welcomes prayers for health. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a basic graphic novel. The narrator streamlines the novel into a tight narrative. The art is adequate. This book might work as a student's introduction to Oliver Twist upon which to base other better retellings. There are better movies, minseries that will tell the story better, and perhaps (I want to say likely) better graphic novels.

[Dharani Kannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The truth that what he had showcased is more or less the bitter situation of orphan kids during his times is Heart- wrecking.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oliver Twist is the story of a young orphan who continues to follow on hard times. At first he works in a workhouse, but is set up by the other children to get into a lot of trouble. He is then sold to work for other people who are also very mean, and he finally has to run away from them. He then finds himself working with a group of boys for a man named Fagin who is teaching the boys how to be thieves. One of the guys they try to steal from is Mr. Brownlow, and he takes pity of Oliver and lets him come to his house. Eventually, Fagin finds him and gets him back with the rest of his gang. It seems as if Oliver's life is never going to get better, but with the help of one of the thief's girlfriend, the right people are able to help Oliver. This is one of Dickens' great novels detailing what life was like for the poor in England during the Victorian Era.
Although this is set up as a graphic novel, it does not really read like one. I would say that this version is more of a series illustrated version than a graphic novel. While the speech bubbles and pictures help with the story, the majority of the story is written in the white space below each picture. The story, which is retold by John Malam, is an easier version to follow than Dickens', and I feel he does a good job of keeping some of the Dickens' vocabulary to keep the feel of the original novel. The illustrations, by Penko Gelev, are rather static for how much action takes place in this novel. Most of the colors are browns and grays, and that leads this to not be totally interesting to read. The beginning of the book does have a cast of the characters with a drawing of each to help the reader know who is who as they are reading. I found this to be very helpful.
The book also has some extra information that would be very helpful to children if they are also studying Charles Dickens and society during the Victorian times. There are sections about Charles Dickens, a timeline, London and the Poor, and the history of Oliver Twist. The book also includes an index and where to look up more information about Charles Dickens.
I would recommend this book to 6-8th graders who would like to see some visuals that go with the text. Mainly I would recommend that they read the actual novel, but this would be good for struggling readers who need those visuals. Hopefully, it would lead them to read the real classic someday!

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down through history, there have been many novels that have exposed some of the harsh truths about the societies of the context of the history. They can more accurately be described as generalist historical fiction in the sense that while they are not describing specific historical figures, there were no doubt many people that fit the roles of the main characters. “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens is such a novel.
The hard truths in this story deal with the plight of the urban poor in England in the early nineteenth century. Oliver Twist is orphaned at birth and then placed in a workhouse for the poor. At that time, the conditions in workhouses were designed to “encourage” people not to want to go there. However, since most of the residents were faced with starving or going to the workhouse, these policies simply made them miserable and exploited.
When it was originally published, the novel was read by a large number of people across all of the economic and cultural classes. Some were moved, but critics simply said that they did not like it. Yet, it was the truth and so it spawned some reforms of the social systems.
Presenting the classic tale in the form of a graphic novel makes it easier to read, yet does not diminish the power of the story. Therefore, this book would be very useful in both English and history classes at the middle school level. Teachers should look beyond the form and consider only the pedagogical substance contained within.

[Sevananazari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because I had to read it for English class.The story is about an orphan, Oliver Twist, who survives a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. Naively unaware of their unlawful activities, Oliver is led to the lair of their elderly criminal trainer,Fagin. My favorite quote was "There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts." I chose this quote because the theme is don't judge a book by its cover, the reading is what makes the book interesting, not how appealing the book looks, so don't choose a book because of how tempting it is. i love how the author uses third person point of view and describes events and repeats conversations so that I know what's going on. I would recommend this to a friend who loves these types of books and loves to read long books.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for school's 26 Book Challenge - specific category of 'Read Oliver Twist' in any format - paperback, audiobook, graphic novel.
Uhhhh, yes, it was the best option, so I borrowed it in between students (one waiting to collect it is in Iso, so I knew I'd be able to return it in time!).
I actually love the musical, have since I was a kid - turns out the school is doing it this year! Anyway, the graphic novel was ok - as there is SO much detail in the novel, it was a difficult translation to move it to graphic format. Not sure it was successful in this particular book, but I at least got to read the book for the category, and I can mark that one off.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, this is one sad story. I almost didn't finish because I kept thinking, "When is this kid going to get a break?" I am glad I read the graphic novel version because it was short enough that I could actually read it...if I was reading the actual Dickens version I would have given up or looked online to see the entire plot so I could evaluate whether or not I would spend so much time and finish it. Glad it had a happy ending.
That Dickens sure is heavy!

[StrictlySequential · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penko's best work that I've seen so far!

Even though the appellation was never attached to Fagin's name, he did have the biggest nose in the book- an absurd Karl Malden.

I found an androgynous Artful Dodger interesting.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this story even if it's abridged

[Ellena Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading Oliver Twist when I was younger and I really couldn't remember much of it. The graphic novel is a lot simpler and a lot more memorable for children to follow.