David Copperfield
by Charles Dickens

Some call him Mas'r Davy bor, some call him Trot. Don't even ask why. You'll find out, hopefully before you've read far in this book, that it is not about the magician with the creepy eyes who used to do things like make the Great Wall of China disappear. It isn't that kind of a parallel to Harry Potter.

This one is about an English orphan boy who struggles to make a life for himself, in spite of a hideous stepfather and his spinster sister, a spell working in a sweat-shop, a spell under the rod of a cruel schoolmaster, associations with people who spend time in debtors' prisons, the care of an extremely eccentric Great Aunt, apprenticeship under a rather dishonest attorney, a friendship that leads to betrayal, shame, and tragedy, and the malice of a villain who has the bad taste to be called Uriah Heep. And young David doesn't make things easier, by marrying the wrong girl in the heat of passion, and seemingly blowing his chance with the right girl.

Probably Dickens' most autobiographical novel, it is told from David's first-person point of view, taking in all the events from just before he is born until he finally finds true happiness. It's a pretty bumpy journey, and you can sympathize with him for many of the same reasons you love Harry Potter. Only in this melodrama, magic isn't the solution to the young man's problems. Simply put, love must triumph over hatred, forgiveness over vengeance, virtue over vice, and goodness over greed.

The characters are stunning: Handsome, easy-going, back-stabbing James Steerforth...the harsh, puritanical Murdstones...the angelic Agnes Wickfield...the girlish Dora Spenlow...the tragedy-ridden family of Pegotty...the debt-ridden family of Micawber...the absent-minded linguist Dr. Strong, and all their family connections...the slightly mental Mr. Dick...the more than slightly evil Heep...the strong-minded yet tender-hearted Aunt Betsey...Martha, and Emily, and Ham, and "lone, lorn" Mrs. Gummidge...and the deadly storm at Yarmouth, which becomes almost a character in its own right. When you finish this book, you may feel that you have really lived a whole life in its pages.

David Copperfield was the author's all-time favorite among his own novels. Maybe it will be yours too. Give it a shot!

Robbie Fischer
Arizona USA

Recommended Age: 14+

If you would like to contact Robbie, you may do so here.