Les Miserables discusses poverty in France. A comparison between Gavroche and the Dodger, as well as between the volatile France and the comparatively stable contemporary Britain, would be fruitful.
Dodger, by Terry Pratchett, gives the Artful Dodger his own narrative in which to cause trouble.
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue is an interesting companion to the story of Nancy.
Understanding the Victorians: Politics, Culture and Society in Nineteenth-Century Britain by Susie Steinbach is a dense but informative historical text. Though the book in its entirety is likely outside of the scope of a single unit, chapters or selections may be helpful in providing historical context.
The musical Oliver!...
