I'm not a huge fan of classic literature other than the Bible, but I have heard that Charles Dickens' writing is quite wordy and hard to understand. In fact, my senior high school English teacher refused to do a unit on Mr. Dickens; she claimed that he was "the devil" and "paid by the word." Still, his ability to spin a good story is still felt today, with many celluloid adaptations of A Tale of Two Cities and especially A Christmas Carol in recent years. David Copperfield, called "the tragic waif" by Jill in Home Improvement, is given a kid-friendly treatment in the edition I read, and it made for good, if quick, reading. For those who are thinking about giving this to an early reader, there are some parts that may require an adult's explanation to be understood fully by a child. For those who are past childhood but still "young at heart" like me, this also makes for good reading; just don't expect archaic language or several days' worth of reading, unless you're a very slow reader.