Oliver Twist vs Ragged Dick: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Orphans in fiction, Orphans, Fiction
Oliver Twist
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Thanks to its colorful cast of characters and gritty portrayal of street life in Victorian London, Dickens’ Oliver Twist has captured readers’ hearts for more than 150 years. Today’s children will love it too. Oliver, a…
Ragged Dick
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"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…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Oliver Twist highest: Oliver Twist 3.9 · Ragged Dick 3.3.
- Oliver Twist has the widest readership — 436562 ratings behind its score.
- Oliver Twist runs the darker storyline; Ragged Dick stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Oliver Twist | Ragged Dick | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (436562) | 3.3 (3055) |
| Hardcover | — | 2.5 (4) |
| Apple Books | — | 5.0 (8) |
Reception
| Oliver Twist | Ragged Dick | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 436562 | 3055 |
| Editions | 8 | 201 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 1584 |
| Reading it now | — | 161 |
| Written reviews | — | 408 |
| Wikipedia attention | 31961 | 1186 |
| Pages | 44 | 138 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Oliver Twist or Ragged Dick?
Oliver Twist has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Oliver Twist 3.9/5, Ragged Dick 3.3/5).
Which is shorter to read: Oliver Twist or Ragged Dick?
Oliver Twist is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Oliver Twist (44 pages, ≈ 49 min); Ragged Dick (138 pages, ≈ 2 h 33 m).
Which is harder to read: Oliver Twist or Ragged Dick?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Oliver Twist: Challenging; Ragged Dick: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Oliver Twist: 5 film adaptations; Ragged Dick: no film adaptation on record.