Fagin's Girl

by Karen McCombie, Anneli Bray (Illustrator)

Fagin’s infamous gang comes to life once again in this exciting Oliver Twist-inspired adventure from bestselling author Karen McCombie.

Orphan Ettie Shaw is penniless and homeless on the streets of London when she is spotted by her older brother Joe.

Joe has fallen in with a notorious pickpocket gang run by a man called Fagin, and Ettie has to disguise herself as a boy so she can come back with him to Fagin’s lair.

At first Ettie is able to help out with mending and other domestic jobs, but when one of the other boys falls ill, Fagin demands that Ettie go out pickpocketing with Joe and everything goes horribly wrong …

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction

88 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2022

About the author

Karen McCombie is a bestselling author of children's and young adult novels, and has had more than 90 books published. She is the author of the much-loved series 'Ally's World' (early 2000s) and her most recent books include the Carnegie-nominated historical adventure 'Little Bird Flies' (2019) and it's newly published partner novel 'Little Bird Lands' (2020, Nosy Crow Books), plus the 'St Grizzle's School' series for younger readers (Stripes). She has several books publishing in 2021.
Originally from Scotland, Karen lives in London with her husband, her teenage daughter and beautiful but bitey cat Dizzy.

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about family. How this family struggled together in times of poverty and destitution.

A story told from the perspective of a child with amazing illustrations is between the pages, it is a story of survival and hope.

The story depicts the prevalent communicable diseases and the hazardous conditions people had to work in during those times amongst these people and the struggle to survive amidst poverty and discrimination.

The story also focuses more on family and sibling bonds. However, there are also parts which depict gender role discrimination.

A very heartfelt read which I feel would make us feel more grateful today.

Thank you, Barrington Stoke, for the advance reading copy.

[Another Pony · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart melted because of this book. 🥰

I really enjoyed it although I'm not the target of this story (I'm way too old), but I'm sure that it will be perfect introduction to Victorian era for younger audience. ☺️

Some things I loved:
💕 references to "Oliver Twist"
💕 explanation of historical elements at the end of book (it can be really helpful for a young reader)
💕 pretty illustrations
💕 sibling love
💕 important themes

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using Dickens’ dread criminal Fagin as inspiration, author Karen McCombie tells a story about a young girl in Victorian London in a bad situation after her parents die and her brother disappears, and how her fortunes change.

Young Ettie is in a bad way; she’s homeless and has to find work or she’ll starve. Miraculously, she reunites with her brother, and comes to work for Fagin, who has several boys under his roof. They are, unbeknownst to Ettie, pickpockets and the like, and when a job goes wrong, Ettie is again separated from her brother, who is sent to Australia for stealing.

Years later, young Lauren Ettie Shaw relates how her family came to live in Australia.

This is a grim story of poverty, hazardous working conditions, crime, and no good choices for a family or children once one lost the protection of a home and/or parent(s). The author includes enough detail to paint a grim picture for the countless impoverished children on Victorian London streets, and an interesting fact that children, if caught and convicted of crimes like theft, were shipped with adult criminals to Australia.

I particularly appreciated, post-story, the chapter-by-chapter context the author provides, giving extra depth for her young readers to better understand how difficult life would have been for unprotected children.

It’s a short, informative and interesting book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Barrington Stoke for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Kirsty Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Orphan Ettie Shaw is penniless and homeless on the streets of London when she is spotted by her older brother, Joe. Joe has fallen in with a notorious pickpocket gang run by a man called Fagin, and Ettie has to disguise herself as a boy so she can go back with him to Fagin’s lair. At first Ettie is able to help out with mending and other domestic jobs, but when one of the other boys falls ill, Fagin demands that Ettie go out pickpocketing with Joe - and everything goes horribly wrong...

So first things first I did enjoy this book and thought it was a pretty good read but my biggest issue was that it wasn’t developed enough. I get that it is aimed at a younger audience but for me I just wanted more! The main plot moved too quickly for me and I just wanted more depth to the characters and storyline. The ending was interesting, although I would have liked that revelation about the ancestry first as I feel it would have given the book more meaning. On saying that though I did enjoy it for what it was and thought it touched upon some important issues like poverty, colonisation and family, and the illustrations were fab!

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen McCombie is a beloved author of mine so I was delighted to see that she has a children's novella with one of my favourite publishers.

This is an enjoyable and engaging story that explores what life was like (especially for the underprivileged) in Victorian-era London. The book also sheds light on several issues such as poverty, hazardous work conditions, child pickpockets and prisoners, as well as the complicated history of Australia.

While I did wish the book was longer, it was overall a great read especially for its intended audience. I also liked the illustrations.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

[Daniele Kasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A twist on Oliver Twist for children of all ages. Ettie Shaw is penniless and homeless orphan roaming the streets of London until she is spotted by her older brother Joe.

Joe has fallen in with a notorious pickpocket gang run by a man called Fagin, and Ettie has to disguise herself as a boy so she can come back with him to Fagin’s lair. Fagin was well portrayed as the terrifying criminal leader and there were some dark moments which are historically accurate for the life of many homeless children back then.

The story did end abruptly and it didn’t feel like it was well wrapped up and left me feeling like I wanted more of Ettie and Joe’s story before hitting the happy ending.

A quick, cute adventurous read for kids. Black and white illustrations help set the scene and large text makes it easy for all readers. It wasn’t anything spectacular but something fun and different especially for children who enjoy historical settings.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a pair of orphans, but unlike Oliver Twist, who also used to work for Fagin, this is not the thing that musicals are made of.

This short, quick novel gives the basics of what lead the two children to turn to a life of crime, to survive, and then, we find how it all ends up for them.

The author based this on research of how children lived in Victorian times, as also what happened when they were transported to Australia, for offenses as simple as pick-pocketing.

Nicely done story, but a little too short for me, but that is the way high-low readers work. Short novels, written to get in and out of quickly.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Cat Strawberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story set in Victorian times although the ending was a bit abrupt for me. Ettie lives in a small room with her mum and brother Joe. Every day Ettie and her mum work long hours making flowers to put on top of ladies hats, while her brother Joe works at some stables. But one day, when Joe has an argument with their mum he storms out and Ettie doesn’t see him again. Five months later Ettie is homeless, until she meets her brother again who says she can come with him and work for Mr Fagin, the only problem is that Ettie is a girl, and the only way she can work for Fagin is if she pretends to be a boy.

I really enjoyed this story from the start. Ettie is a character I liked, narrating her story as she shows us how many poor people lived in Victorian times. While her family’s circumstances used to be better, Ettie now lives in a small room with her mum and brother. However after Joe storms out Ettie and her mum have to move to somewhere even smaller and soon something happens which results in Ettie eventually becoming homeless. As the story progresses and Ettie reunites with Joe, they end up working for Mr Fagin. I like how this story takes from the famous story by Charles Dickens. I like the twist and how scary Fagin comes across. I also like what happens with Ettie and Joe throughout the story, and how close the siblings are. Unfortunately for me though the ending, though good, is the sort I’m not so keen on and I’ll explain why without trying to give any spoilers (but the following paragraph is as spoilery as it gets).

The ending of Ettie and Joe’s story stops abruptly after something happens and then we don’t find out what happened to the siblings after that moment, until the next and last chapter which suddenly jumps forward to modern times. Ettie and Joe’s story is finished off by someone in present times explaining what happened to them. I don’t mind a story that jumps into the future to explain more of what happened in the past, and I like how we eventually find out what happened to Ettie and Joe, but I have to say that I do prefer stories that finish off what happens in the past with a final chapter or words from the character who was narrating, rather than have an abrupt ending like this which just felt a little jarring.

The illustrations in this book are lovely and I have to say I love how all the characters look and how you can see the expressions on everyone well and can feel the atmosphere in each picture. The illustrations appear throughout the book on various pages and are all in black, white and grey. They help with reading the story as does the text which is larger than usual and uses a special dyslexia friendly font. The paragraphs are also separated and each page of the book is on a thick yellow coloured paper which makes it easier to read for dyslexics or others with visual problems. The book is also around 100 pages long which makes it a great and short read for reluctant readers too.

At the end of the book there are author’s notes on each individual chapter, mentioning certain historical facts around what happens in each chapter. I have to say I really enjoyed reading these as I didn’t know about the asparagus or what exactly happened to one character who was unwell. Overall this is a good book and it does have a good ending. The story, though fiction, is based on historical facts in the things that happen to some characters and the world around them. I do like a book like this, especially as it helps children to learn more about the past and what has happened. However, I just would have preferred to stay longer in Joe and Ettie’s world and I would have personally preferred another chapter narrated by Ettie, even in the form of a letter or something, before we jumped to the future to explain everything.
-Thanks to BArrington Stoke for a free copy.

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fagin's Girl is one of the new releases from children's publisher Barrington Stoke, one that takes some inspiration from the famous Dickens novel Oliver Twist to tell a surprising tale.

The book begins in London in 1936, where we meet Ettie Shaw. Ettie is a young girl who lives in a small one room apartment with her mother, and older brother Joe, and is struggling to get by following the death of her father. The family are doing what they can, having moved to a smaller home, and everyone is pitching in to help. Ettie and her mother make fake flowers to sell, whilst Joe works as a table boy at a local brewery.

However, when Joe reveals that the owner of the brewery was beating him, showing the huge bruises that cover his back, he admits that he left the job over a week ago. When he refuses to admit to his mother what he's been doing since, and how he's been getting money for the family an argument breaks out and Joe leaves.

With Joe gone, and with even less money coming in, Ettie and her mother have to move once again, and tragedy soon strikes. Suffering from arsenic poisoning, Ettie's mother passes away, leaving Ettie completely alone in the world. She tries to make it on her own for a while, sleeping rough and trying to earn pennies as a road sweep, but just when all hope seems lost she finds Joe once again. Joe tells her of a man, Fagin, who gives him work and a place to sleep. Joe and Ettie come up with a plan to disguise Ettie as a boy, convincing Fagin to give her a job. But now Joe has to try and hide the truth of just what it is he and Fagin's other boys actually do.

Karen McCombie doesn't hide things from her younger readers with Fagin's Girl, she puts the harshness and cruelty of this era at the forefront of things, showing how children would grow up in poverty, barely surviving, watching parents and siblings die. It's a shocking opening to a book, sure, but it's one that isn't hugely far from the truth of things. And that's something that I always like about Barrington Stoke's historical novels, and McCombie's work, such as The Girl With Her Head In The Clouds, they might be telling fictitious stories but they're very much grounded in reality.

That being said, this book does draw from some more fictitious places, as the name suggests. The book features Fagin, the famous figure from Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, which was first published in the same year that Fagin's Girl is set. Fagin is very much the same character here as in the Dickens book, though I did get the sense that this is him when he's still getting used to his system. He has less children working for him, there's no characters like Dodger there, and it very much seems to be his early days. And I really liked that approach. I think if the book did feature more characters from the original novel it would have felt a bit too much, a bit pastiche, but McCombie manages to walk a perfect line where it feels enough of a nod to the other boo, without going too far.

One of the things that surprised me the most, and this is a spoiler for the ending, so skip ahead if you don't want to know, is how the book shifted gears suddenly at the end. In the penultimate chapter of the book Ettie and Joe are caught pick-pocketing, and thanks to Joe's quick thinking only he gets in trouble for the crime. The next chapter then jumps forward 150 years to 1988, where a young schoolgirl in Australia is giving a talk to her class. It turns out that what we'd been reading the story about how this girls family came to Australia, as Joe was her ancestor. This whole thing was a bit of a shock, a twist I didn't see coming, but it actually worked really well, turning the book into more than a simple Georgian/Victorian era historical piece.

The book also comes with a number of illustrations scattered throughout the narrative, provided by Anneli Bray. Bray's work features on the front cover in colour, and looks absolutely wonderful, showing Ettie playing above the streets of London as the sun sets in beautiful oranges. But from here the artwork takes a darker turn, mostly due to being printed in black and white in the book itself. Now, I really liked this choice to not have the art in colour, as it fit with the narrative. Ettie's life is so hard, and the events so awful that there often feels like there's very little joy in her life, and the gloomy, black and white illustrations really highlight this, as they don't let the reader escape into brightness or bold colours.

Fagin's Girl ended up being an interesting look into life as a poor, downtrodden child on the streets of London in an era where no one would care is you lived or not, where survival was a daily battle. These can be topics that are hard to approach with younger audiences, but McCombie does it wonderfully, making it accessible, whilst not shying away from the awfulness.

[Joey Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An additional story into the Olivier Twist world, we see a story about Ettie and Joe Shaw two children that became poor after their father died and orphans after their mother died leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets or work for the criminal leader Fagin.

I was so drawn in by the story connecting to Oliver Twist, as soon as I saw the title I was certain I needed to read this and it was a really great story it was a sweet little addition to the world we already knew.

I liked getting to know the characters first, seeing what their lives had been like, to then seeing them struggling in their lives after, and trying to figure out how to live alone and earn enough money. It was a really sad, but highly realistic story for the era.

I really liked the inclusion of Fagin and a few of his boys, it was a smaller segment that I would have very much enjoyed more of honestly. I was hoping by the title though that somehow he recruited her for being a girl (you know like she’s the first Nancy or something) and she was his most precious possession but alas that was not how this story was told.

I did find it weird that we went to a modern story at the end, personally would have preferred the characters finish telling their own story of what life had been like for them after the incident. What was written was still very interesting and I liked the family link up within it, but still wouldn’t have been my preferred way to end the story.

The illustrations throughout the book were really great and I loved seeing the transition of her going from girl to hiding as a boy through the illustrations. We also get a fact file at the end sharing a bit more detail about what truly happened in the world during this time.

This is a really great book, very interesting read. If you are reading Oliver Twist at all I would add this into the reading list as it’s just a short additional story furthering the world and is a fun read.

[whatbooknext · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life is tough for Ettie Shaw, her mother and big brother Joe. Moving to a one room home with no stove to cook on and barely anything to their name has been tough on this family. But at least they're not in the work house or on the streets living among the rats.

Joe has had enough of this poverty since his father died, wishing for a better life. He decides being alone will be easier and leaves one day, never to return.

Even worse times befall Ettie and she is soon on her own, on the streets at only 10 years old. Purely by chance she runs into Joe. He's shocked to see his little sister homeless, telling her he's been working hard and saving his money. Maybe his boss will give her a job too.

Once Ettie is dressed like a boy, she begins work for the man called Fagin. She's nimble with a needle and is pleased to have a roof over her head, until she learns what Joe and the other boys working for Fagin truly are.


Adding another string to the classic Oliver by Charles Dickens, one of the Fagin boys has a sister. Dressing like a boy she joins the gang, pleased to have found her big brother. He has a secret however, and she is not going to like the truth, let alone the consequences.

This story jumps from 1888 London to 1988 Australia, where the Australian Bicentennial is being celebrated. A student faces her classmates to tell them about a distant relative who was caught stealing on the streets of London as a child and sent to Australia as a convict at age only 12.

This student is of First Nations descent and also questions the bicentennial of a country that had lived in for thousands of years before the ships arrived.

Each chapter is then summarized at the back of the book with historical information explained.

Perfect for Dyslexic or Reluctant Readers, Fagin's Girl is so much more than a retelling of an Oliver character.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inventive look at Dickensian life, bringing the world of "Oliver Twist" to the attention of Barrington Stoke's usual audience of dyslexics and owners of other reading disabilities and difficulties. Of course, as always, you don't have to have an issue with reading to enjoy their stories, but they are the best at providing for those that do have them. Here they'll find Ettie's life go downhill and downhill fast, until she finds her brother is being employed by a certain Mr Fagin, which must be wonderful, seeing how he sounds like a second-hand merchant and trader of things found on the street. The story is, however, one of the slightly open-ended efforts I've seen this house offer more and more of, building through its wonderful world creation, and growing to a peak then stopping. A much more modern-set coda can't really pretend to close all the gaps and make everything look rosy, either, especially with the factual background to the story we get to finish. This then is no bundle of joys, but is still riveting for the right young reader (the publishers say eight and up, for both audience age and for reading ability), and may easily sway someone to try an adaptation of Dickens' original, on whose toes it never treads, much preferring to be its own thing – and being it rather well. Just don't come for the laughs.

[Tracy Lander · Rating 5 out of 5]

In London, 1836, Ettie wakes up late. Her mother is working already and had left her to sleep in on her birthday. She's 10 today. Her mother makes flowers from material using a special dust to make them shimmer. She's already busy. Her mother says they are lucky as she always does. Her brother, Joe, comes in with the water bucket. He's hiding something Etti knows it. He doesn't think they're lucky. He gives her a biscuit and says he's not working at the stables any more - his boss beat him. He argues with his mother over his job and leaves. Etti and her mother have to leave the room for a smaller one but her mother is ill, and dies leaving Etti alone.
She heads for the city with what she can take, but it isn't easy. But then Joe appears....but he's 'working' for a man called Fagin. Etti goes to the place Joe lives but has to dress like a boy, she is told to do repairs to whatever is brought in.
But then their new life goes awry....

This is a very good story with the added benefit of being a Barrington Stoke book, so it is short and accessible to all children. I like the twist at the ending very much.

[Alice Visser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspired by Oliver Twist, this is an Industrial Revolution era story of Ettie who becomes an orphan, and finds her brother who had fallen in with a London pickpocketing gang led by Fagin. Ettie pretends to be a boy and joins the gang -- but she and her brother Joe are living life on the edge. The last quarter of the book is set in modern-day Australia from the perspective of a descendant of Joe, who was sent to the penal colony of Australia at the age of 12. Lauren has letters from her ancestor Ettie, and her class is fascinated about Ettie & Joe's story.

As with all Barrington Stoke books, this is accessible and interesting with evocative illustrations. I especially like the facts behind the story at the end, including some details about how Ettie's mother was slowly poisoned by the arsenic powder that made the emerald-green colour of Victorian clothing.

As a History and English teacher, I will recommend this book during my teaching of the Industrial Revolution and the colonisation of Australia.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, Barrington Stoke and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great introduction to the Victorian era for younger readers - it's short and yet evocative, and gives insight into what life was like for the large mass of people who didn't live a life of privilege. Lots of heavy topics (poverty, death, morality vs. survival, families torn apart) are mentioned, albeit with a light touch appropriate for the age of the reader, but they provide a good jumping-off point for further discussion. In the last chapter - Australia in the 1980s - the author picks up on the fate of those who were deported from England after committing crimes, and I loved the resolution given through the letters between brother and sister. Also: wonderful to have the facts behind the story at the end - that makes it all much more real.

[Niamh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced e-book copy.

I wanted to like this but things happened far too quickly and with not enough time to process or become particularly invested in the characters. Fagin felt like an unnecessary inclusion and I was expecting more. The unexpected ending could have worked far better with more time and spaced to develop the story. Additionally it did highlight the conversation that can be had about countries being founded and how this relates to colonisation. But the conversation was not had.

The historical information provided at the back was clear and gave a good starting point to inspire further research. Overall opinion is this was a solid foundation for a story but that the building of it was only half done.

[The Happy Homeschooler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fagin's Girl is a great book for younger audiences who want to know more about 19th century England without reading a lengthy or detailed novel. I think this would be ideal for readers between 2nd and 4th grade who want a comfortable read that will teach them some history -- plus it has beautiful illustrations!

The information provided by Karen McCombie is fact based, and also moves at a fast pace helping keep children readers engaged. The characters are likable and I appreciated the emphasis on right and wrong, as well as survival. It definitely would provide good discussion for children and parents alike.

[Elley Shin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for providing the ARC of "Fagin's Girl!"

I thought this book had so much potential. Everything about it from the characters and to their relationship with each other had me hooked. It was interesting to see the author weave the history of what it was like for children during that time. The book was just too short! I felt like we could have delved more into Ettie's feelings of her mom, brother, her situation, etc. I thought the artwork was really cute and matched the vibes of the book well.

The ending was just so heartwarming too, seeing Joe's family flourish and Ettie's letters to him.

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC! This is a book that's specially formatted for dyslexic readers which is so awesome! It's a super short read, but I feel like the plot was very rushed because of this. So much happens over a long period of time. Joe's character was also pretty mean to his family and I wasn't a fan of him. Ettie was a very hardworking character and I'm glad she had a happy ending. The illustrations in this book were probably my favorite part. The author also includes a little blurb at the end about the history behind what happens in the story. Overall, it's a fun, although a bit dark, read for kids.

[slowandsteadyreads (Kirsty) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for allowing me to read the ARC of this book.

I requested this book because I’m a huge fan of Oliver Twist + love anything inspired by that story.

I loved how historically accurate it was and it kept my interest throughout this one ended up being just okay for me honestly. I felt like it was way too short so the character development and world building felt a bit flat. It was like the author had this grand plan but was told to fit it all into 75 pages. I really just wanted more from this story

[Bekah's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review given by my 9 year old.

"I really enjoyed this book and wish it was a bit longer. It is amazing to see how things have changed since 1836 and I was so happy when Ettie found her brother again. It is not nice to read about what conditions people lived in back then and what they had to do to survive but I really really enjoyed this book. I have spoken to my teacher about this book and have asked her to buy the book into our school library for others to read and enjoy"

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[ThatBookGal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a real shame that this one was so short, it felt like Ettie and Joe had a lot more to give. That being said, it will serve as an excellent introduction to Victorian England for younger readers. It looks at so many aspects of society I it’s few short pages, and could easily be used in educational settings.

As for the connection to Oliver Twist, Fagin barely appears, so if you are reading just for that, be aware that it doesn’t feel like an extension to the original story in any way.

[Tayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-copy of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lot of fun and a very quick read. I loved that the end showed a family member in the future sharing Joe & Ettie’s story to others. This captures the reality of life during the Victorian era and how kids often had to do the dirty work of crooks like Fagin with the risk of being imprisoned in Australia at a young age.

[rohini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick and cute read that I enjoyed! It was quite historical and I enjoyed reading about that! The writing was great and quite engaging. I would recommend this if you are looking for a quick read!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-arc!

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC, of Fagin's Girl, by Karen McCombie. This is a great book for kids. I really liked the illustrations in this book. The family did not have a lot but they had a lot of love.

[Saoirse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched.

[Rajnesh Dutt Tyagi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice book but I did not get the ending until I read more. I thought maybe they could add a bit more to the story.

[Emma Ferrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a simple, quick read. It didn't really dive deep or give us much but for what it is, it's good. Definitely a good one for a group of reluctant readers to read and discuss.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story with heartbreak and hope, family bonds and love.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, a wonderful blend of fiction (inspired by Oliver Twist) and historical facts. It teaches well about children living in poverty during Victorian times, as well as being an engaging adventure that bonds you to the characters. It is a thought-provoking look at hardship and survival.

I liked learning more about deportation and the realisation that it wasn’t all big, burly, male criminals that were sent away, young children were too. I appreciated the follow-up to know what happened to Ettie and Joe later in life and that there bond remained across the years and miles.

As with other Barrington Stoke books this is an accessible, easy-read for children, that doesn’t hold back from issues and impactful plot lines.

The illustrations are wonderful, helping to imagine the world during the Victorian era.

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

A new Karen McCombie is always a treat, and this new historical novella with characters borrowed from Oliver Twist was no exception. It follows a girl named Ettie who becomes an orphan and due to her brother Joe, falls in with Fagin’s gang of thieves and pickpockets. Ettie is such a brave and determined character who I really enjoyed reading about, and while Joe was very much a flawed person, his love for Ettie is so clear. It was great to read Karen’s take on Fagin as well, and I loved the gang of boys who worked for him too (especially little Mouse!!). The ending in Ettie and Joe’s timeline made me so sad, but then I got to the flash forward and it was such a lovely way to round off the story and explain what happened next in their lives. This is so well written and concise and a great little story, and I’d highly recommend to people who enjoy historical MG, but especially those who liked Catherine Bruton’s Another Twist in the Tale. Thank you so much for reading!