Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London by Andrea Warren

Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London by Andrea Warren is certainly a focused, message-driven work of nonfiction -- which is not necessarily a bad thing. I doubt I'd recommend this to someone looking for a straight Dickens biography, but for the reader who enjoys nonfiction and Victorian England, this is a good choice. While the book does talk about the life of Dickens, all of the anecdotes relate back to how they affected his attitude toward Britain's poor. Moreover, there are several sections where other reformers, both before and slightly after the time of Dickens, are highlighted; while interesting, these can also be a bit distracting. The back matter includes sections about child labor and orphans in today's world, as well as recommended websites and books for readers who want to know more about the topics covered in the book. All in all, a solid piece of nonfiction writing.

(Review copy borrowed through my library system.)