The Miracle on Ebenezer Street
By Catherine Doyle
Blurb
Old Marley's magic was beginning to stir...'
George is about to spend his third Christmas without his mum. Since she died, George's life has felt dull and grey; his dad has thrown himself into his work and has no time for family, and definitely no time for Christmas.
Then, George stumbles across Marley's Curiosity Shop. There he finds a mysterious snow globe, which - though George can't quite understand how - appears to show a scene from George's past. A Christmas in which he and his family were together, and happy...
That night, George and his dad are swept on an adventure to three Christmases - past, present, and future. With help from new friends, and just a touch of magic, can they begin living life in full colour again?
Our Review
The Miracle on Ebenezer Street is the perfect antidote to the current climate. If you are looking for an uplifting traditional Christmas story this is the perfect book. Catherine Doyle has perfectly captured the magical feeling of being a child at Christmas.
It has been three years since George’s mum died around Christmas and during that time his dad, Hugo, has banned all mention of the festive period and life has been dreary and grey.
Then one day George stumbles across Marley’s curiosity shop jammed full of festive eccentricities. Among all the magical things George finds a snow globe depicting a Christmas in which he and his family were together and happy.
A sign outside the door says “Strictly No Grown-Ups Allowed
Enter At Your Own Whimsy”
That night George and Hugo experience Christmas past, present and future. Can George get his dad to live life in full colour again?
“You’ve been a ghost for three years. You wear my dad’s face but you don’t act like him. You don’t smile or laugh any more. And you never talk about Mum.”
The Miracle on Ebenezer Street is crammed full of Dicken’s references and I have to say this is the best retelling of A Christmas Carol I have read. In her author’s note Catherine Doyle mentions how much she loves Scrooged and A Muppets Christmas Carol, and this book will now be as much a part of my Christmas routine as they are.
The illustrations throughout are perfect and in keeping with the rest of the book, it is perfect inside and out.
Nana Flo is a wonderful, warm character and is the essence of the ideal grandparent. She is as much a part of the story as George and Hugo and she lends a whole lot of magic to the story.
I loved the relationship between George and Hugo. Hugo is clearly engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his son from further heartbreak. In doing so he has made him miserable, but he is so engaged in his own misery that he can’t see it. Hugo is not a villain; he is a man in the depths of grief.
Christmas this year may well be different from previous years but with this book you will still feel its magic.
Our Final Rating...
Read & Shared 34 Times.
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