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A Christmas Carol: In prose, being a ghost story of Christmas
- By Charles Dickens
- Genre: Literary Fiction
Common Sense Media says
The granddaddy of Christmas stories.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the original text is a real challenge for today's young readers, and for most kids this book works best as a read-aloud, with lots of discussion and explanation along the way.
What's the story?
The story is familiar to nearly everyone -- one of the most widely known stories of the past century. Ebenezer Scrooge, stingy and mean, is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley announces the coming visits of three ghosts -- Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Their coming is an attempt to redeem Scrooge before it is too late, lest he share Marley's fate, and be forced to wander the earth in eternal repentance.
The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge some of the events in his life that led him to become the person he is. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows him what Christmas Day is like for those he knows, and for strangers. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows him where his actions are leading him, and others. Together they engender in him a recognition of his faults and a resolve to change his life.
Is it any good?
In the stratosphere of literature, some few books become classics -- stories that are beloved by every succeeding generation, handed down from parent to child, treasured in family libraries, and always in print. A CHRISTMAS CAROL enjoys a status so rare that we don't even have a word for it -- a book that has permanently altered the culture to which it belongs; that has been adapted countless times in stage, screen, art, and music; whose words and phrases have passed into the lexicon of common usage; and whose story is known to everyone, even those who have never read it. It virtually created the modern secular Christmas celebration, along with the attitudes and emotions that accompany it (indeed, Dickens is credited in some quarters with the invention of the phrase, "Merry Christmas"). As such, a reading of the original should be a part of every child's experience.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Dickens' ideas about the effects of ignorance and want, and about compassion and generosity of spirit. Also worth talking about is Scrooge himself. What is so bad about him, and what made him the way he is? Does his transformation make sense?
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AGE
Read Aloud on December Evenings
There is no better author for putting words into sentences than Charles Dickens! The only better Christmas story than this iconic classic is the real one! Great family tradition to read through this book each December. It is a bit scary for younger kids, and maybe for 8 and 9 year olds with fear issues.
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AGE
You know, sybolism is nice if you have an interesting plot...
Charles Dickens tried way to hard to cram every symbolic detail he can and forgot about writing the book in even a slightly interesting manner. You really don't care about any of the characters, and a ton of details that aren't needed get thrown in and fill up pages. Several times I was wondering what the heck was going on, and the entire book was so predictable that even if you hadn't been spoiled of the ending a million times you could figure it out. Don't recommend it, just watch the movies. They are far superior.
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AGE
A Christmas Carol is a story that we've all heard...over and over and over. The language is good, the descriptions intriguing, and Dickens' literary style is beautiful, as always, but lets face it: the story isn't anything that we, or Dickens for that matter have heard a million times before. If you want to read something by Charles Dickens that's good, go read A Tale of Two Cities, and at least get a new story out of it.
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AGE
Nice Christmas Story
I read this fiction novel, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and it was a nice book, which I would reccomend it to anyone 7 and older, since it can be a bit violent/frightening at times. An old man with a cold heart, Ebenezer Scrooge, is taken back to various times in his past when his cruel ways get out of hand. He gets taken back to when he was a child and teen, and when he was in love with a woman. So overall, this book is great for children because it shows what the true meaning of Christmas is and teaches them a valuable life lesson. Shoutout to my amazingly awesome English teacher, Ms. Mercer <3333333 love you!
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Kid, 11 years old
October 13, 2010
AGE
very hard to read
i love this book very hard to read but still love it very sad but still good maybe A bit to sad or scary for young children.
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AGE
For good readers over age 9.
Reading the classics is great experience when they are well-written. Sure, it's challenging but we want their brains to be stretched a lot more than Diary of a Wimpy Kid, right?
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AGE
I read this every Christmas
Everyone should read this book. I've read it about five times-presumably over the last five Christmases; it can be read in a few days. It was the first real classic I ever read. Dickens' prose is awesome. You will also understand the plethora of adaptions better if you read the original. The only age limiting factor would be that it would be difficult for younger children to read. Make it a family tradition.
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AGE
Good, but Boring and slightly Confusing
Although this book has a good storyline, it can get a bit boring and confusing at times.
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| Author: | Charles Dickens |
| Illustrator: | Trina Schart Hyman |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Literary Fiction |
| Publisher: | Holiday House |
| Publication date: | December 11, 2005 |
| Number of pages: | 118 |
| Hardcover price: | $18.85 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 12 |
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