Signature Classics: Great Expectations

Powerful and haunting, Great Expectations is a foundational work in Western literature and one of Dickens' finest stories. Miss Havisham, a jilted bride who continues to live in her wedding dress while her wedding feast moulders on the table, has set up an arrangement where she's raising her adopted daughter Estella to break the heart of young Pip. While working as a blacksmith apprentice for Joe, a solicitor informs Pip that he's come into means, transforming him into a man of Great Expectations. Assuming that it's from Miss Havisham to enable him to marry Estella, he goes to London to make his way as a gentleman. Pip's assumptions are unfounded, however, and instead he'll encounter other characters from both his and Estella's past. Sterling Children's Book Edition. 512 pages. Ages 10 & up. Unabridged edition with illustrations by Scott McKowen and questions for discussion.