Product Description

The classic novel--and hit Broadway show--about escaped convict Jean Valjean has been adapted with easy-to-read text, large type, and short chapters.  This engaging adaptation of the timeless tale is ideal for reluctant readers and kids not yet ready to tackle the original.  

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57114 in Books
• Published on: 1995-03-14
• Released on: 1995-03-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Card catalog description
Trying to forget his past and live an honest life, escaped convict Jean Valjean risks his freedom to take care of a motherless young girl during a period of political unrest in Paris.

Inside Flap Copy
The classic novel--and hit Broadway show--about escaped convict Jean Valjean has been adapted with easy-to-read text, large type, and short chapters.  This engaging adaptation of the timeless tale is ideal for reluctant readers and kids not yet ready to tackle the original.  

About the Author
Victor Hugo (1802-85), novelist, poet, playwright, and French national icon, is best known for two of today’s most popular world classics: Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, as well as other works, including The Toilers of the Sea and The Man Who Laughs. Hugo was elected to the Académie Française in 1841. As a statesman, he was named a Peer of France in 1845. He served in France’s National Assemblies in the Second Republic formed after the 1848 revolution, and in 1851 went into self-imposed exile upon the ascendance of Napoleon III, who restored France’s government to authoritarian rule. Hugo returned to France in 1870 after the proclamation of the Third Republic.

Julie Rose’s acclaimed translations include Alexandre Dumas’s The Knight of Maison-Rouge and Racine’s Phèdre, as well as works by Paul Virilio, Jacques Rancière, Chantal Thomas, and many others. She is a recipient of the PEN medallion for translation and the New South Wales Premier’s Translation Prize.

Adam Gopnik is the author of Paris to the Moon and Through the Children’s Gate, and editor of the Library of America anthology Americans in Paris. He writes on various subjects for The New Yorker and has recently written introductions to works by Maupassant, Balzac, Proust, and Alain-Fournier.


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

Book review
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.

Excellent for my 7 year old reader!
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.

Stepping Stone Les Miserables
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.