Example summary: Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol
With the holidays approaching, the sudden drop of temperatures, and the absences from school, it is a wonderful time to crack open a Christmassy book. With its age old tale, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a perfect choice.
For the few that are unfamiliar with the story: Ebenezer Scrooge is an extremely wealthy, hardened, miserly, old man. He never smiles, he is begrudging about the use of coal to keep his employees warm, not to mention, he has no friends. For him, Christmas is just a day that fools and crazy people celebrate.
One night, as he is sitting in front of his small fire, a ghost of his old business partner Marley. Marley is burdened with chains, forced to wonder for all eternity and warns Scrooge that his fate will be the same if he does not mend his ways. A little scared, but not convinced, Scrooge ignores the warning and goes to bed. Throughout the night, he is visited by three ghosts: the ghost of Christmas Past, the ghost of Christmas present, and the ghost of Christmas yet to come. (Dickens refers to them as spirits, but they seem to be better known as ghosts in today’s culture.) They each take him on a journey.
A Christmas Carol is a heartwarming story to read at any time but especially over the holidays. It is a story for young and old. It is a constant reminder to have a giving and loving spirit.