Les Miserables

Les Miserables is about a man named Jean Valjean who lived in France in the late 1700's. He was so poor that he had to steal a loaf of bread for his sister's child because the child was about to die from hunger. The police caught him and put him in jail for 19 years. Jean Valjean was very angry and hated the world when he left the jail. He stole silver from a kind bishop, but the bishop did not turn him into the police and even gave him more silver. After this, Jean Valjean changed his life and showed love and kindness to everyone around him. He even risked his life several times to save people. I like this book because it teaches you to be kind and to have mercy on people. It also shows you how people lived during the time of the French Revolution. This is one of my favorite books ever. It is sad but cool, and you should read it. (I read the whole book in 2 hours straight!)

I am planning to take my children, age 8 and 6, to see the musical version of Le Miserables. Before we watch the show, I wanted to prepare them for the complex plot so they can enjoy the show better. This book is perfect for my purpose. On the other hand, I do want to encourage my children to read the original version when they grow older.

Our children have listened to music from this production and we've explained the storyline to them. They had it finished in no time and really enjoyed it.

This book is a great way to interest your young(2nd-4th grade)child to the classics. The wording is simple and the book is just the right length. My daughter really enjoyed this classic tale. I look forward to introducing her to other books in the stepping stone series.

My 3rd grader read this book for a homeschool assignment. We try to introduce the classics whenever we can. I was so impressed by this book, I've told all my homeschool girlfriends about it. The raw emotion and suspense is captured in this book, but the negative elements (prostitution, for example) are left out, making this very suitable for an elementary student. My reluctant-to-read child couldn't put it down! I love Monica Kulling's work- we own several of her retold classics. HOMESCHOOLERS: READ MY OTHER REVIEWS!