Reviewed by Alex G.
Grade 7
Isn’t Christmas a time for joy and celebration? Not to Ebenezer Scrooge, its not. Scrooge is an old man who cares for nothing but money. He is lonely and miserly and always has been since his business partner, Jacob Marley, died 17 years ago. However his view of Christmas will be turned around when he is visited by the ghost of his dead friend.
Seventeen years after Marley's death, Scrooge is a grumpy old man in charge of a “counting house” in Victorian England. It is Christmas Eve, yet he is still running the counting house like any normal day. When he gets home he sees the face of Jacob Marley in his door knocker. He blinks, and the face disappears. However, when he gets to bed, he hears noises downstairs. Moments later, Marley’s ghost bursts in the door, and explains to Scrooge that if he does not learn to be kinder, he will be condemned to walk the Earth as a ghost. He tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three more spirits, and that will show him the error of his ways. When he disappears, he is replaced by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who shows him visions of his past miserable Christmases. These visions humble Scrooge, and by the time the Spirit leaves he has almost learned his lesson. The next spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Present, which shows him how the people he knows are celebrating Christmas happily. After he leaves, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come arrives and shows him how is death is mourned by no one. When he leaves Scrooge is incredibly humbled, but has he learned his lesson?
The plot is very interesting, yet depressing at times. There are many parts in the book that are very sad. However, this is to be expected, as Dickens has a very depressing style.
There is no specific audience of people I would recommend A Christmas Carol to. I would recommend this to just about everyone because it is a very good book. Also, it is a classic written by one of the greatest English authors of the Victorian era.
