David Copperfield
Recommended. Age: 14+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
David is a boy whose cruel stepfather beats him and sends him away to work. He runs away to find his aunt, who takes him in. As he grows up he meets true friends and false ones. He learns to work hard, forgive, and love faithfully. This is a long story about growing up through suffering without growing bitter. David pities those who fall and forgives his friends. A flatterer and a false friend are shown for what they are. Catholic reviewers place it in the high school years. It is very long, and it includes child beating, drunkenness and a seduced girl, all handled without detail.
For parents
Read aloud from about twelve. Independent reading from fourteen or fifteen because of length. Common Sense Media says 12+, and the Catholic list spreads Dickens across the high school years, so Lumen follows the Catholic placement. Know before you hand it over: a stepfather beats a child, boys are caned, David gets drunk once, and Plugged In reports that a young woman runs away with a man before her wedding and is later tricked into a brothel. None of it is described in detail. Ask: why does David admire Steerforth, and what does Steerforth's charm hide? Uriah Heep keeps calling himself humble. What is the difference between that and real humility? Who shows David mercy when he has nothing? Talk about how the book treats the fallen girl with pity while still showing the ruin that sin brings.