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alongreader's review against another edition
5.0
A perfect Christmas story, cleverly entwining lines from A Christmas Carol into a new story, echoing the message contained in it. A child might need to know the story already - I suggest A Muppet Christmas Carol, still the best version ever - in order to get the nuances, and there's a reveal about the main character's sister that's slightly hidden until about halfway through, but overall it's a fantastic read for any time of year. Perfect.
(I was slightly unsure how old everyone was, which is not a huge concern but worth noting; I'm not even sure which sibling is older, not that it matters to the story. They're something between eight and eighteen, anyway.)
Eva thought of how angry Harry had got when a spot appeared on his face.
"It's just a spot," she had said to him.
"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it," he had shouted at the mirror.
"Maybe shouting at it will scare it away," Eva had said, which, even in the midst of his rage, had made him laugh.
...
And now, in the show, Harry was making everyone laugh with his 'pimple'.
No, not Harry, she reminded herself. Scrooge. Mr Scrooge.
(I was slightly unsure how old everyone was, which is not a huge concern but worth noting; I'm not even sure which sibling is older, not that it matters to the story. They're something between eight and eighteen, anyway.)
Eva thought of how angry Harry had got when a spot appeared on his face.
"It's just a spot," she had said to him.
"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it," he had shouted at the mirror.
"Maybe shouting at it will scare it away," Eva had said, which, even in the midst of his rage, had made him laugh.
...
And now, in the show, Harry was making everyone laugh with his 'pimple'.
No, not Harry, she reminded herself. Scrooge. Mr Scrooge.
megansgc's review against another edition
2.0
An attempted modernization of a Christmas Carol with a boy playing a role in the school play, and his absentee father. Fairly obvious storyline.
banana83854's review against another edition
4.0
Modern middle grade retelling of a Christmas Carol, with the original story woven in. Very heartfelt, if a little abrupt at the end.
lolabella's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
kemendraugh's review against another edition
4.0
This was super cute! I especially liked the extras at the back (recipes, games, suggestions on how to read it out loud with your family). Like a whole extra star for those tbh. Was a tad disappoint that there were no more ghosts in the parallel story, but I'll survive.
I feel like maybe though this book was super cute for me, it might not be as readable for kids? But maybe I've just gotten too far away from what kids read. IS THIS WHAT GETTING OLD FEELS LIKE?
I want like, a whole book on Eva.
I feel like maybe though this book was super cute for me, it might not be as readable for kids? But maybe I've just gotten too far away from what kids read. IS THIS WHAT GETTING OLD FEELS LIKE?
I want like, a whole book on Eva.
noodles01's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
avanders's review
4.0
Review based on an ARC (advanced readers copy received for free in exchange for an honest review).
That this book contains the heart of one of my all-time favorite stories ever, certainly gives it a leg up. But I felt that Rosen did a really nice job, once he settled into the story a bit, of showing a modern-day Scrooge story... a story where you *understand* the scroogey'ness of the father, but cannot bear it for the pain it causes. By offering little snippets of perspectives from Father, friend, son, and daughter, I think Rosen really manages to make his modern Scrooge heartfelt.
I loved the growth that Harry (son) shows in his role as Scrooge in his school play. It is almost as if we get to enjoy his maturity into "man," alongside his family.
I loved his sister's little snarky comments. Somehow, despite the brevity with which we are graced with them, they provide us with a real glimpse into her personality and the joy she brings to others.
And I was, despite my awareness of the story, still impressed with Rosen's approach at bringing Ray (father's) struggle into the light, for himself and for his son.
I was touched and moved and once again find myself loving Dickens' Christmas Carol. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
That this book contains the heart of one of my all-time favorite stories ever, certainly gives it a leg up. But I felt that Rosen did a really nice job, once he settled into the story a bit, of showing a modern-day Scrooge story... a story where you *understand* the scroogey'ness of the father, but cannot bear it for the pain it causes. By offering little snippets of perspectives from Father, friend, son, and daughter, I think Rosen really manages to make his modern Scrooge heartfelt.
I loved the growth that Harry (son) shows in his role as Scrooge in his school play. It is almost as if we get to enjoy his maturity into "man," alongside his family.
I loved his sister's little snarky comments. Somehow, despite the brevity with which we are graced with them, they provide us with a real glimpse into her personality and the joy she brings to others.
And I was, despite my awareness of the story, still impressed with Rosen's approach at bringing Ray (father's) struggle into the light, for himself and for his son.
I was touched and moved and once again find myself loving Dickens' Christmas Carol. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
momentum262's review
2.0
This was a cute retelling of a Christmas Carol. Although it is a middle grade book, I found myself confused at times with the switching viewpoints. Occasionally it would be lines from the Dickens play, then it would be the son (who was playing Scrooge on stage during the book) and then the dad and so on.
I might have been less confused with the print version of the book, since I would have been able to see when it was lines from the play (typed in script format) and when it was the son's thoughts as he said the lines from the play. This may have just been one of those instances where the audiobook was a tad harder to follow than the printed version. Overall it was fun retelling and an enjoyable, quick listen.
I might have been less confused with the print version of the book, since I would have been able to see when it was lines from the play (typed in script format) and when it was the son's thoughts as he said the lines from the play. This may have just been one of those instances where the audiobook was a tad harder to follow than the printed version. Overall it was fun retelling and an enjoyable, quick listen.