8.) Dodger by Terry Pratchett

“Money makes people rich; it is a fallacy to think it makes them better, or even that it makes them worse. People are what they do, and what they leave behind.”  

Dodger by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins, 2012)

Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Humor

Honors:  Printz Honor 2013 [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Set in Victorian London, Dodger is a tosher who searches the sewers for jewelry and other valuables. He is a master of dodging trouble on the streets of London but he can't help but interfere when he sees a young woman being beaten by two men. He saves her and takes her to a refuge with the help of two journalists. The mystery of the woman, and her attackers, and especially her beauty captivate Dodger and he can't help but be overcome with a desire to help her. In trying to help her by tracking down her attacker a series of incidents, including disarming and capturing (quite by accident) the butcher of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd,  leads Dodger to become a minor celebrity.  Getting help along the way from other historical figures Dodger plays out his role of an unlikely hero. 

Opinion: I really liked this book, it was fun, and full of humor, and had Charles Dickens references galore! Nothing in the book was overly fantasy, and I guess the things could actually happen (Even though Sweeney Todd was a fictional character) so I counted it as historical fiction, though Pratchett himself described it as historical fantasy.

Ideas: This is a good book for a boy, or anyone looking for a funny, historical book. If someone doesn't like fantasy, it's really not a fantasy book, but more or less a historical book. I would put this out in a display for humor or historical.