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A Christmas Carol: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Charles Dickens wrote this in London in just six weeks, and it came out in time for Christmas in 1843.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Ebenezer Scrooge is a stingy old moneylender who hates Christmas. On Christmas Eve the ghost of his dead partner Jacob Marley warns him to change, and three spirits show him Christmas past, present and yet to come. Scrooge sees poor Tiny Tim and his own lonely grave, wakes up a changed man and becomes kind and generous.
The lesson, in one line. It is never too late to become kind and generous.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “Marley's Ghost”, pages 1–4 (about 4 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Two, “The Ghost of Christmas Past” and Part Three, “The Ghost of Christmas Present”, pages 5–9 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 3: Part Four, “The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come” and Part Five, “Christmas Morning”, pages 10–14 (about 5 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: A Christmas Carol by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of A Christmas Carol?
The story's answer: It is never too late to become kind and generous. Scrooge learns this from the three spirits, and he changes. - Who wrote A Christmas Carol?
The story's answer: Charles Dickens wrote it in London in just six weeks, and it came out for Christmas in 1843. - Who are the three ghosts in A Christmas Carol?
The story's answer: Marley's ghost comes first. Then the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come show Scrooge his own life, the people around him and what will happen. - What happens to Tiny Tim?
The story's answer: In this telling he does not die. Scrooge helps the Cratchit family and becomes like a second father to him. - Which character changed the most from the beginning to the end?
Listen for: Ask what changed them. - Which scene would you put on the poster if this were a film?
Listen for: A way to find the scene that mattered most to each reader.
Did you know?
- Charles Dickens wrote it in London in just six weeks, and it came out in time for Christmas in 1843.
- Tiny Tim is the sick youngest child of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's clerk.
- Scrooge's partner Jacob Marley had died seven years earlier, on Christmas Eve.
Activity: Cast the film
Choose who would play each character, draw the poster with your scene on it, and give the film a one-line tagline.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- Tiny Tim's last line, “God bless us, every one!”, is the most famous one in the story.
Words to teach before you start
- humbug: nonsense
- clerk: office worker
- phantoms: ghosts
- forged: made, hammered
- apprentice: learner at work
- donation: gift for charity
- transformation: complete change
Questions leaders ask
How long does a A Christmas Carol book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 16 minutes in all, so plan 2 meetings of about 30 to 45 minutes each, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is A Christmas Carol for?
It is written at Peabody level 14, a level 14 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Rip Van Winkle (level 12)
- Alice in Wonderland (level 11)
- Peter Pan (level 10)
- The Case of the Missing Mangoes (level 10)
- The Wizard of Oz (level 10)
- How the Camel Got His Hump (level 8)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.