i think this book is good for adults! not just for kids at all. chapters are interspersed with actual bits of the christmas carol play, so it runs in parallel - the kid struggling to get his dad to be engaged at home and the working dad realizing where his priorities should lie VS scrooge gradually learning his lesson and discovering the meaning of christmas plus the potential futures he is walking towards. highlights kids trying to connect with their parents and yearning to share their developing interest/hobby with a workaholic adult. poignant and relatable. little sister is wheelchair-bound but sassy and witty and appears to mimic tiny tim's role

Neat little story using A Christmas Carol as its bones. Quite fun. ( )

Harry Gruben has the lead in a school play. He's playing Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. His parents and his sister are going to the production. Harry just wishes his dad would stop thinking about business or reading emails on his phone and just be his dad for once. Little does he know a little Christmas Carol magic will play out for his dad, while Harry portrays Scrooge on the stage.

A Christmas Carol has been one of my favorite books since childhood. I love the imagery, the characters and the happy ending for the ol' curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge. I re-read the book every holiday season at least once, and read every retelling I can get my hands on. :) When I saw this book's title, I knew I had to read it! I'm glad I did! Not only does the book include a lot of passages and dialogue straight from A Christmas Carol, giving the lines and actions that Harry is performing on-stage...but it weaves in the tale about Harry's dad, preoccupied with business and missing his son's play, and his lesson in priorities.

This story is such a creative way to give the ageless tale of redemption a modern feel....workaholic parents, smartphones, email, computers, instant information.....and kids who just want their parents to stop running and just be mom and dad for awhile.

Lovely book! I'm buying a copy for my A Christmas Carol theme bookshelf....for when I need a reminder of what my top priorities should be. Sometimes the tech needs to be turned off!! :)

This is the first book I've read by Michael Rosen. I'm definitely going to read more of his children's stories, especially one he wrote about the life of Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Dahl. The illustrations by Tony Ross were perfect and really added to the book! He illustrated the Horrid Henry series and many others. The cover for Bah! Humbug! is awesome....very colorful and festive!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Candlewick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. No spirits appeared to point out my poor life choices during the reading of this book. God bless us, every one!** ( )

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. �_•ü‰_•ü‰_•ü‰_•ü ( )

Harry Gruber has been chosen to play Scrooge in the school play and with the help of his Mom and little sister Eva he has learned his lines and practices behaving like a nasty old man. Everyone is excited about the performance except for his father who sees it only as an interruption to his work, until he realizes that his work may not be as important as he thinks.

Nice way to introduce young readers to the Christmas Carol themes with current time events. ( )