Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Osborne, Mary Pope & Boyce, Natalie Pope. Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens, illustrated by Sal Murdoca. 113 pgs. Random House, 2010. $4.99. Content-G. A nonfiction companion to A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time, this book highlights the Victorian age, particularly the lives of children, and biographical information on Charles Dickens. Authors Osborne and Boyce gently, but openly deal with the grislier details of Victorian life, such as child labor, sanitation, mortality rate, etc. Illustrations and pictures from the time period highlight the facts and add to the flow of the book. Jack and Annie, from the Magic Tree House series, give short comments and explanations in the margins. A good book to transition children between facts and fiction. EL – ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.