Scrooge learns compassion in granddaddy of Christmas tales.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Some adults drink wine. Sailors drink rum. There's gin in the Cratchits' Christmas punch, and their pudding is flamed using brandy. A man smokes a pipe.
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Love and kindness are more important than money. Also, it's never too late to change.
Positive Role Models
some
Love sustains the Cratchit family, despite their struggles. They are grateful for the little they have. Scrooge shows that, even late in life, people can learn from their past mistakes and change for the better.
Educational Value
some
Readers will learn about the plight of the poor in mid-19th century London, and get a view into other aspects of English life at that time, such as jobs, gender roles, food and drink, and Christmas traditions.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol is a delight for advanced readers, and it makes a perfect Christmastime read-aloud. The beloved story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who's haunted by spirits on Christmas Eve and learns how to be a better man, has reminded generations of readers to learn from past mistakes and to give openheartedly to those who are less fortunate. There are some scary parts: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is foreboding, and descriptions of impoverished children, and of a family mourning the death of a child, may be upsetting to sensitive readers. Adults consume wine and rum in the story, and the Cratchits put gin in their hot Christmas punch (so, presumably, the alcohol burns off). This story has been adapted for the small and large screen many times, from classic 1938 and 1951 black-and-white movies to Scrooged with Bill Murray to the delightful musical Scroogestarring Albert Finney, The Muppet Christmas Carolstarring Michael Caine, and a host of animated versions.
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.
This story is about more than just Christmas itself. It's also about how past life experiences can make you the kind of person you are later in life. It's also about the power to redeem and change yourself. One will see how early life experiences made Ebeneezer Scrooge who he was as an adult, as well as how he changed once he used his willpower to do so. There's also a lesson about treating employees fairly, as Bob Cratchit was a lot happier at the end, when Scrooge treated him a lot better. Republicans would do well to read this book over again. Once they do they'll see why we need to raise minimum wage. The last time it was enough to live on was when Jimmy Carter was President. Since Ronald Reagan refused to raise it, it's obvious he never read this book.
What's the Story?
In A CHRISTMAS CAROL, stingy and mean businessman Ebenezer Scrooge cares only about money. He's unkind to his clerk, Bob Cratchit, and he has no patience for his warm, generous nephew, Fred. He coldly rebuffs two charity workers who want him to donate money to help care for the destitute at Christmas. At home after work, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who tells Scrooge to expect visits from three more ghosts: the spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. The spirits force Scrooge to reckon with his past mistakes, the suffering he causes every day, and the future he can expect if he does not change his ways.
Dickens' classic novella is a cultural touchstone that's not to be missed at the holidays. It's got many of the best Dickensian qualities: dark London streets, needy children, a family that is poor in material things but rich in love, estranged family members, the triumph of good over evil, plus Christmas and ghosts. It's a marvelous story with a moral lesson -- that if we give what we can, we can make a difference -- that never gets old. Because this novella is so much shorter than Dickens' famously long novels, it makes a great (and familiar) introduction to his work.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the children who are called Ignorance and Want in A Christmas Carol. What does Scrooge learn from facing them? What did you learn?
Have you seen any movies of the Christmas Carol story? How were they different from the book?
A Christmas Carol is still beloved more than 150 years after it was first published. What makes it a seasonal favorite still, after all these years?
Available on:
Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Audiobook (abridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
December 11, 2020
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A Christmas Carol: In Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
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