Kim vs Ragged Dick: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Orphans in fiction, Boys, Orphans, History, Fiction
Kim
Kim is Rudyard Kipling's story of an orphan born in colonial India and torn between love for his native India and the demands of Imperial loyalty to his Irish-English heritage and to the British Secret Service. Long…
1 film adaptation
vs
Ragged Dick
"Ragged Dick" was contributed as a serial story to the pages of the Schoolmate, a well-known juvenile magazine, during the year 1867. While in course of publication, it was received with so many evidences of favor that…
The verdict
- Readers rate Kim highest: Kim 3.7 · Ragged Dick 3.3.
- Ragged Dick is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for Kim.
- Kim has the widest readership — 40780 ratings behind its score.
- Kim runs the darker storyline; Ragged Dick stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
Ragged Dick
≈ 2h vs 5h for Kim
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Kim
40780 ratings vs 3055 for Ragged Dick
Just want the better-reviewed one?
Kim
3.7 vs 3.3 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
Kim
a darker storyline than Ragged Dick
Want something lighter?
Ragged Dick
an easier tone than Kim
Scores by source
| Kim | Ragged Dick | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (40780) | 3.3 (3055) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (60) | 2.5 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (307) | 5.0 (8) |
Reception
| Kim | Ragged Dick | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 40780 | 3055 |
| Editions | 934 | 201 |
| Citations | 20 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 40872 | 1584 |
| Reading it now | 3 | 161 |
| Written reviews | 2659 | 408 |
| Wikipedia attention | 7797 | 1186 |
| Pages | 285 | 138 |