Friday, December 9, 2016

Holiday Gift Guide: Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story



Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story


by R.L. Stine

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Pub. Date: September 13, 2016

Retail: $16.99

ISBN: 978-1250070159

Pages: 192


Where To Purchase:



Book Description:

Rick Scroogeman hates Christmas. He can't stand the carols and the pageants. He can't stand the lights and the mistletoe. But what he hates the most is having to watch the old movie A Christmas Carol every year at school. Since his name is Scroogeman, all of his classmates start calling him Scrooge. And he hates being called Scrooge.

But everything starts to change when three ghosts visit him. At first, he thinks it's a dream. But then he realizes that it might be a nightmare. A nightmare that could become real.

Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story is a mashup of holiday and horror, a perfect novel for middle grade readers who like their Christmas stories with a side of spooky.

Billy's Thoughts: My #1 favorite Christmas book is A Christmas Carol by the Charles Dickens. Now my favorite childhood author R.L. Stine has put his own spin on the classic tale in the recently released Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas.

Written for middle graders, the story centers on Rick Scroogeman, a twelve-year-old bully who likes to pick on his fellow classmates during school hours. Everyone is afraid of him, even his little brother Charlie.

Christmas is just around the corner and Rick is dreading it because his birthday happens to be on December 25th. Even though he does receive presents, it never truly feels like it is his birthday.

Being bored, he climbs up into the attic and locates the Christmas presents that his mother had hidden for him and his little brother. Greedily, he starts to tear open all the presents. Well, that is until he is interrupted by Marley's ghost.

You can probably figure out the rest of the story as it follows pretty close to original "A Christmas Carol."

Overall, Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas is a fast-paced, fun little book. Despite the title suggesting it would be scary, there are never really any "scary" scenes in it, though there are plenty of funny ones. While the book isn't as good as the Charles Dickens' original, I do think kids will enjoy reading it.



*I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

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