A Christmas Carol

September 14, 2015
All the key elements of Dickens’s seasonal ghost story remain intact in this skillful adaptation. McKeown (the Young Reader’s Shakespeare series) streamlines the story while remaining true to the language and eerie aspects of the original. “Jacob Marley was as dead as a doornail,” he begins; of Scrooge, he writes, “If he had a heart, it was frozen solid.” McKeown moves briskly through Scrooge’s Christmas Eve visitations from the spirit of his former partner, as well as those who show him the joy and pain of his past, the error of his present greedy ways, and a grim potential future. Kelley, too, is unafraid to embrace the story’s spooky elements—Marley’s ghost charges into Scrooge’s room in an unholy burst of blue-white light, while the hood of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come offers the hint of a gleaming skull. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agency: Bright Agency.

September 1, 2015
Gloomy old Scrooge glowers menacingly from the cover in this lavishly illustrated abridgement of the beloved Christmas story. Evocative illustrations created with watercolor and digital media set the mood with endpapers presenting a panoramic view of sooty Victorian London. As the familiar story unfolds, the dark, brooding skies and smoky fog of city streets are juxtaposed with glowing, happy scenes of a long-ago party and the Cratchit family sitting down to Christmas Eve dinner. Scrooge exhibits a wide variety of emotions in his encounters with the four ghosts of the story, including quite scary apparitions of Marley and the black-robed Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Most illustrations are double-page spreads, with a few paragraphs of text integrated within the illustrations. The competent adaption retains some of the flavor of the original Dickens story while shortening it and simplifying its language. Unfortunately, Scrooge's famous promise to honor Christmas in his heart is missing. With its extra-large trim size and compelling illustrations, this version would make a fine read-aloud for an elementary-age group or a useful introduction before attending the play. It is similar in size and artistic interpretation to the 2009 edition adapted by Josh Greenhut and illustrated by Brett Helquist. The lessons Scrooge learned are still valuable and worthy of passing along to younger readers, who can meet these famous characters and learn the origin of the oft-quoted "Humbug!" (Picture book. 6-12)

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October 1, 2015

Gr 2-5-"Jacob Marley was as dead as a doornail" and "God bless us, every one!" familiarly make up the first and last lines of this otherwise pared-down take on the classic story. The picture book format leaves little room for exposition, as Scrooge is succinctly introduced as a "hard-hearted, greedy old miser" and Marley skips the niceties when his ghostly form appears in favor of immediately announcing the three hauntings in store for Scrooge that Christmas Eve. The sadder and scarier plot points-Fan's death, Scrooge's broken engagement, and the stolen bed curtains-are also edited out. Still, the lessons of the story are easy to find, and the full pages of engaging watercolor and digital media illustrations effectively take readers into the scenes of regret, past merriment, and, finally, redemption. VERDICT An appropriate choice for a family read-aloud or for newly independent readers.-Joanna Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

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