Charles DICKENS (1837 to 1839), Oliver Twist, Oxford Bookworms (1998), B2, 2500 Headwords

By Paloma Vela, 1º Bachillerato B, EFL

When Oliver Twist is born, his mother dies; that’s why he is sent to a workhouse where he is mistreated and exploited. Therefore, Oliver escapes from the workhouse to London. On his way he bumps into “the Artful Dodger”, who welcomes him to his gang (Fagin’s gang). Once there, Oliver realises that he is hosted by a gang of criminals. Fagin aims to educate him in order to turn Oliver into a criminal, too. One day, while Fagin and company are trying to rob - a gentleman, Mr. Brownlow, Oliver runs away and after some misunderstandings he is welcomed by this man in his house. But Oliver is kidnapped by Nancy, Fagin’s friend.

One day, Oliver is forced to enter a house in order to steal for them, but the next morning he decides to go there again and, fortunately, he is well received by Mrs.Maylie and Rose, who decide to protect him. After some discoveries, Oliver gets to know the truth about his life...

I liked the book because it is exciting and intriguing. Also, because it is about poverty, a very common theme in our world. The story is a bit cruel but at least it ends happily.

The parts of the book that I liked the best are those in which Oliver discovers the truth about his birth.