I know you already know Scrooge!

We all know Scrooge. Yes, we all know this character on some level…even if this zany human only exists at the periphery of your knowledge, Scrooge is there.

Hmmm maybe I’m being western-centric, I’ll admit.

So, I’ll rephrase that: if you celebrate Christmas then you most probably know who Scrooge is. You may only know Scrooge on a subliminal level but he’s there lurking around. That sounds like the kind of thing Scrooge would do...well before the Christmas ghosts visited him in any case.

Scrooge and his ghostly Christmas eve encounters is a story that has contributed to the collective consciousness of us humans who celebrate Christmas.

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol.

Dickens didn’t mess around!

He was a master storyteller and A Christmas Carol featuring Scrooge is no exception. It is a grand story of transformation. So even if you don’t celebrate Christmas (but enjoy reading about characters that transform radically) then give Scrooge a go.

Dickens was famous for,

• rich unique characters,

• jokes,

• adding ghosts to his stories,

• political pith and sarcasm,

• description of Victorian London,

• fun,

• and happy endings.

A Christmas Carol certainly features all of these points.

But sadly, these days Dickens is famous for writing great stories that we can barely read. The Victorian English Dickens used worked well in his day. Now? Not so much!

So, to include you in the story that has contributed to our Christmas collective consciousness I have rewritten the story.

I have NOT changed anything except for the language.

• The same people say the same things in the same places.

• The story is unchanged plot point for plot point.

• The jokes are all there.

• The sarcasm and political pith – yes – those are all still there too.

• You'll find all of Dickens's wonderful descriptions of a 1800s London Christmas in the book.

Just as I said I haven’t taken anything away.

To make A Christmas Carol more inclusive I have added the following,

• The story is told in an active voice.

• The sentences are short.

• I explain mysterious Victorian culture in text boxes.

• I have broken long sentences and concepts up with bulleted lists.

• I know that sounds weird - the bullets I mean. But trust me. Just breeze through the lists. You’ll see they serve a purpose.

• You will see a lot of white space. White space keeps text from feeling cluttered.

This style of English is designed for,

• Neurodiverse readers,

• Dyslexic readers,

• English second language speakers,

• Young readers,

• Study guide seekers,

• Inclusive Educators and

• Humans who enjoy reading classics easefully.

You can experience A Christmas Carol and get your teeth into this wonderful story. You’ll understand why Scrooge and Christmas go together so well.

A Christmas Carol is not a scary ghost story. And this Inclusive Books version isn't scary hard to read.

There are a few tense moments in the story, just like all good stories. But overall, A Christmas Carol is about inspiring human connection and generosity of spirit. Just like I said, A Christmas Carol is a story that has contributed to our Christmas collective consciousness. You’ll see!

A Christmas Carol Retold Inclusively

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