<div>Inspired by Charles Dickens’ own words, Mick and Brita Granstrom bring this extraordinary genius to life, revealing Dickens' childhood working in a London boot polish factory and living near the docks in Chatham, and charting his meteoric rise to fame as a young novelist. Follow him as he climbs a volcano, goes on tour to the U.S., presides at a family Christmas, and gives a thrilling public reading. And discover the stories of ten of Dickens' most famous novels, dramatized for younger readers with captions and graphic-novel comic-strips. Key incidents that inspired the later novels are described, including his marriage and family life. What emerges is a touching portrait of a writer with amazing observational skills, a social conscience, and a strong sense of drama.</DIV>