Tales for Hard Times

A Story about Charles Dickens

From the Series Creative Minds Biographies

  • Interest Level: Grade 4 - Grade 8
  • Reading Level: Grade 5

As a small boy, Charles Dickens worked in a dark, musty London warehouse, pasting labels onto pots of boot polish. He tried not to listen to his grumbling stomach or the rats squeaking on the stairs. His dream was to escape that misery one day and become a fine, educated gentleman. Through his gift for writing, that day did come for Dickens. But he never forgot what it was like to be poor. He wrote stories about London’s lower classes—tales that made people laugh, cry, and work to improve their social conditions. By the time of his death, Charles Dickens had become one of the most popular English writers ever. Step into nineteenth-century London and the life of Charles Dickens in this exciting book. David R. Collins’s exciting biography and David Mataya’s powerful illustrations bring this master storyteller to life.

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978-0-8225-8914-3
$25.99
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Interest Level Grade 4 - Grade 8
Reading Level Grade 5
Copyright 1990
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Millbrook Press ™
Language English
Number of Pages 64
Publication Date 2012-01-01
Text Type Narrative Nonfiction
BISACS JNF007000, JNF007030
Dewey 823'.8
Graphics 1-color illustrations
Dimensions 5.875 x 8.5
Guided Reading Level R
ATOS Reading Level 5.9
Accelerated Reader® Quiz 4375
Accelerated Reader® Points 1.0
Features Afterword, Author/Illustrator note, Bibliography/further reading, Index, Table of contents, and Teaching Guides

Illustrator: David Mataya

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Creative Minds Biographies

Meet some of the world’s most creative minds! Written in story format, these episodic biographies give clear, straightforward accounts of historical figures’ lives. Each true story is accompanied by black-and-white illustrations. View available downloads →