A Tale of Two Cities for 6th graders?

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  • October 4, 2012 at 8:00 pm
    AngieG
    Participant

    I haven’t ever read anything by Dicken’s (sorry, a product of public school!).  But I definitely want to change that. My CM students are 6th grade- is that too young to read A Tale of Two Cities?  What Dicken’s books would you recommend for this age group?  Thanks!

    October 4, 2012 at 8:14 pm
    missceegee
    Participant

    I haven’t read that one, but my 6th grader will read A Christmas Carol and our family plans to read aloud Great Expectations this year.

    October 4, 2012 at 8:14 pm
    pslively
    Participant

    Dickens is in my list of top 5 favorite authors, so please don’t see this as a criticism of his work.  Here’s my opinion:  Yes, a 6th grader can read Dickens, but only if they have the wherewithal to see it through.  The books are quite wordy, being filled with many long, drawn-out descriptions.  If you’ve ever read Hemingway, I’d say Dickens is pretty much his opposite, as far as writing style.   I have started my two oldest with Great Expectations as their first Dickens experience.  I think it is an easier read than his other books.  My personal favorite is David Copperfield.  The storyline is easy to follow, but the book is quite long.  A Christmas Carol is not very long and your kids may already be familiar with the story.  For my kids, however, I thought the “spirits” would bother them too much.

    By the way, I wouldn’t discourage kids from reading long books.  It’s just that with Dickens you can kind of get bogged down sometimes.  You have to be willing to keep reading.  His books are always worth it.

    October 4, 2012 at 8:41 pm
    pslively
    Participant

    Sorry, just realized I didn’t even address your question about A Tale of Two Cities.  If you are studying that time period, give it a try.  Personally, I would recommend reading one chapter a day (you along with the kids, whether aloud or off on your own individually) and then discussing it to make sure they are following the story.  The first time I read it was in 9th grade Honors English and I didn’t have a clue what was going on because I didn’t know anything about the Bastille, the Reign of Terror, the french Revolution, etc.  When I finally read it as an adult, I thought it was a brilliant book.  I think you have to have a little historical background to make sense of the story.  Otherwise, you’ll just be wondering why Madame Defarge is always knitting and why Dr. Manette is always making imaginary shoes.  🙂  

    October 5, 2012 at 2:40 am
    Claire
    Participant

    My daughter is in 6th and reading Tale of Two Cities.  She loves it!  I read ahead of her a few chapters and she narrates and we discuss along the way.  It’s fabulous!  One of the best pieces of literature ever written IMHO.  Even she says it’s ruined her for a lot of other authors.  The descriptions are splendid.  No one paints a picture like Dickens.  Great Expectations had always been my favorite but it’s tragic!  Dickens original ending is even more so.  Go for it!

    October 5, 2012 at 3:16 pm
    AngieG
    Participant

    Well, we started Great Expectations yesterday, instead of TTC.  We were hooked in the first chapter- excellent read!!  I decided that I would let those of my kids who want to read TTC to go ahead on their own, but I don’t want to bog them down.  🙂 

    Thanks, ladies, for the great advice- so happy I asked! 🙂

    October 5, 2012 at 6:51 pm
    Bookworm
    Participant

    I’m glad, too, as oddly, A Tale of Two Cities is my least favorite Dickens novel.  But GE is fabulous!  I first read it when I was about 11 or 12.  Fantastic, fantastic book.  Have fun!   Miss Havisham is one of our favorite characters in Dickens.  I do worry this makes us a little twisted.  🙂 

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