Charles Dickens and Friends: Five Lively Retellings by Marcia Williams

( 2 )

Overview

With trademark liveliness and wit, the creator of BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! moves into Victorian territory-presenting five retellings of classic Dickens that are sure to lure the most reluctant reader.

What the Dickens? GREAT EXPECTATIONS, OLIVER TWIST, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, DAVID COPPERFIELD, and A TALE OF TWO CITIES - five literary classics take on a new life in these wonderfully accessible retellings by Marcia Williams. A welcoming ...

See more details below
Available through our Marketplace sellers.
See All Options
Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (16) from $1.99   
  • New (4) from $20.45   
  • Used (12) from $1.99   
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Note: Marketplace items are not eligible for any BN.com coupons and promotions
$20.45
Branchranch Music
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(29)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

New
2002 Hardcover New Minor shelf wear to dustjacket. Selling online since 2002. Thousands of satisfied customers. We get your order out FAST! Excellent customer service.

Ships from: Cocoa, FL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$39.43
Books Revisited
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(97)

Condition: New
Brand New Item.

Ships from: Chatham, NJ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
$50.00
bluehouse
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(39)

Condition: New
Brand new.

Ships from: acton, MA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
$70.00
bluehouse
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(39)

Condition: New
Brand new.

Ships from: acton, MA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Close
Sort by
Note: Kids' Club Eligible. See More Details.
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

With trademark liveliness and wit, the creator of BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! moves into Victorian territory-presenting five retellings of classic Dickens that are sure to lure the most reluctant reader.

What the Dickens? GREAT EXPECTATIONS, OLIVER TWIST, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, DAVID COPPERFIELD, and A TALE OF TWO CITIES - five literary classics take on a new life in these wonderfully accessible retellings by Marcia Williams. A welcoming introduction to Dickens’s work, this completely kid-friendly collection offers a simple narrative retelling of each tale, along with amusing scene-to-scene drawings of well-known Dickensian characters and bits of dialogue excerpted from the original texts.

Five tales by Charles Dickens ("Oliver Twist," "Great Expectations," "A Tale of Two Cities," "David Copperfield," and "A Christmas Carol") retold in the form of comic strips.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
With her usual engaging approach, Marcia Williams tackles the works of Charles Dickens (as she has Homer, Shakespeare and others in the past) in Charles Dickens and Friends. A handful of Victorian classics-Oliver Twist; Great Expectations; A Tale of Two Cities; David Copperfield; and A Christmas Carol-unfold in sepia-toned cartoon panels with a pacing that plays up Oliver's plea for "More," the storming of the Bastille, and Marley's ghostly appearance to Scrooge.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6-Somewhere between "Classic Comics" (Smithmark) and graphic novels lies this collection of Dickens's works, drastically abridged and presented in large comic-strip format, combining adapted text below cartoon drawings. Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, and A Christmas Carol are distilled into 6- to 10-page stories that include the bare rudiments of each plot and droll illustrations featuring dialogue taken directly from the original works, spilling out of the frames into the margins with additional witty commentary. Condensing long novels into so few pages requires judicious use of words, and Williams rises to the challenge, providing the salient events in a reasonably smooth narrative flow. Nevertheless, Dickens's masterful storytelling is lost and thus there is a greater dependence on the pictures to make the stories interesting and fun. The framed, whimsical art, which varies widely in palette, size, and tone, corresponding with theme and action, is augmented with banner heads taken from chapter titles. Readers will, of course, be familiar with A Christmas Carol and, perhaps, Oliver Twist, and will likely enjoy revisiting them and poring over the details of the illustrations, although the meaning of some of the captions will undoubtedly elude them. An interesting, if barely adequate, introduction to these classics.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
With small, teeming cartoon scenes so boisterous that they frequently burst their borders, Williams (Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare!, 2000, etc.) catapults readers headlong through five of Dickens's best-known melodramas, introducing an array of curly-haired naifs, roundly vivacious young women, and pasty-faced villains, as well as those distinctively colorful supporting casts of orphans, convicts, ne'er-do-wells, widows, pickpockets, ghosts, and more--all of whom speak in snatches of Dickens's own dialogue. Taking each tale's original narrative voice, Williams fills in the gaps with necessarily substantial captions, and for additional atmosphere adds borders of dingy London rooftops, or groups of gnomes and other small creatures observing the action from the margins. Williams's figures may be tiny, but their personalities are distinctly larger than life; just as Oliver Twist, Bill Sikes, icky Uriah Heep, Scrooge, Miss Havisham, and the rest came alive for Dickens, so will they come alive for readers years (or decades) away from tackling the full length originals. Pair this with Diane Stanley's Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectations (1993) to lay far, far better groundwork for a later appreciation of some timeless classics than filmed versions, or more conventional abridgements, ever could. (Picture book. 8-10)
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780763619053
  • Publisher: Candlewick Press
  • Publication date: 10/28/2002
  • Edition description: 1ST US
  • Pages: 48
  • Age range: 8 - 12 Years
  • Product dimensions: 10.20 (w) x 13.08 (h) x 0.43 (d)

Meet the Author

Marcia Williams has retold many classics for children, including GREEK MYTHS FOR THE VERY YOUNG, THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY, TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE, and BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! Of this book she says, "When I was at school, I had one teacher who was extremely fierce and angry. I was very frightened of her, except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 2 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 12, 2002

    Williams Never Disappoints

    Although this title is not yet released, I am a huge fan of Marcia Williams' books. My children and I love her vivid illustrations and her style of summerizing great works by Shakespeare and others. We have all her books and every one of them are great. I would recomend all her work to anyone who loves childrens books. I am sure this title will be as good as her others. I can't wait to get it.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 14, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)