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Jump to navigationJump to searchOliver Twisted by J D Sharpe and Charles Dickens (view source)
Revision as of 21:28, 12 February 2012
, 21:28, 12 February 2012no edit summary
Luckily, then, there's a fair amount to entertain that target audience. The characters are memorable even for those who don't recognise the originals - I particularly liked Dodge, whose nickname takes on a whole new meaning with his abilities in this book, and Mr Brownlow, rather more of a man of action that he was in the classic tale. The action definitely comes thick and fast, with woe-begottens, vampyres, secret societies fighting for both good and evil all featuring heavily.
It's also enjoyably unpredictable, with the reader finding out early on that Oliver is capable of ''supreme goodness or the most foul wickedness'', and his destiny hanging in the balance throughout the book. I was intrigued to see just how far Sharpe would deviate from the original as we got towards the end of the novel - and I'll leave you to find that out for yourself. Final piece of praise (which perhaps should have come at the start, thinking about it) goes to the tagline ""''Please sir. I want some GORE."" '' which may be the most inspired quote of the year so far in children's books.
Overall, recommended for teens looking for an enjoyably grisly tale.
