Judge A Book By Its Cover

Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby. Penguin Classics. London, England. 1999.

Nicholas Nickleby, written by Charles Dickens, is a classic story about a small town in England back in the 1900's. This book is aimed to an older generations of people but can teach a lesson to it's teen readers. The book has many dull points but has many descriptive battle scenes. If you are interested in history and battles, this is the book for you.

The main character, Nicholas; who, at the age of seven, was a mysterious and conniving town trouble-maker. Most people in the small town of Kirkshille weren't the happiest or closest people. Nicholas had always been looked down upon by the elders and seemed to always be in the way. His parents died in a battle against a village named Bonteu when he was only four and now lives with his grandparents. Although, his grandparents tried to give Nicholas the love and support he needed, it still wasn't enough for him. Because of Nicholas being the only child in Kirkshille, he was rarely home schooled. The town felt he was a disgrace and didn't need to be schooled. Nicholas spent most time at home punished for stealing goods.

One day, the battle against Bonteu was about to be relived and Nichloas was determined to prove he could help his town to win. He decided to pack up all the stolen guns he had and use them for good. He began to give them to each of the townspeople as the battle had just begun.

Nicholas Nickleby is a good book to read because it shows that even if you aren't the strongest, best, or oldest doesn't mean you don't have what it takes to be a hero. Nicholas Nickleby is an encouraging story for people who don't believe they have what it takes to be the best.

2 out of 5 stars.

Contributed by H. Ross
Jan.12th 2007