Book Review: Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story by R.L. Stine

Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story by R.L. Stine
Release Date: September 13th, 2016
Review Copy: Provided via NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon

Description From Goodreads:
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 funny, scary middle-grade send up of A Christmas Carol, about a boy who hates Christmas, from bestselling Goosebumps author R. L. Stine.

My Review:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I ended up requesting this one off of NetGalley for two reasons: the fact that it was written by R.L. Stine, and it looked like a quick, enjoyable read. Thankfully? It was.

Coming in a little under 200 pages, Young Scrooge is an easy read and a fun one at that. There are enough spooks included to make it feel like a true R.L. Stine book, but the main focus here is taking the familiar story told in A Christmas Carol and presenting it in a manner that kids these days can relate to. Admittedly, Rick (the main character) is a bit annoying at first, but it's vital that the story sets up how terrible Rick is in order for the rest of the story to have an impact.

This is the type of middle school book I'd easily feel comfortable giving to my nephew. (In fact, it's a book I've already gone ahead and pre-ordered for him.) It'd be right up his alley, and I think it's a story that - while well known thanks to A Christmas Carol - is one that should be continually passed down.

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