A Raven Named Grip by Marilyn Singer tells the quirky history of a raven that inspired both Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe to create literary masterpieces. Dickens had several pet ravens named Grip, Grip II, and Grip III, all of whom were playful, mischievous, and incredibly smart, and even inspired a character in Dickens’s novel Barnaby Rudge. When Dickens traveled to Philadelphia on tour, he met Poe, then a struggling writer, who noticed the painting of Grip II that Dickens carried with him during his travels. Poe would go on the write his most famous poem, The Raven, a few years later, inspired by his visit with Dickens. The book also includes some additional history and interesting facts about ravens. (Non-Fiction)