Steampunk: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

Gr 4 Up—This strange take on Dickens's classic Christmas tale is an unnecessary addition to the various versions already available. While the text remains true to the original, the steampunk illustrations vary from overly realistic photos of characters to frightening, seemingly digitally manipulated images, like Marley's ghost. The addition of steampunk elements, primarily consisting of goggles and industrial backgrounds, does not particularly enhance the story. If anything, the mix of digital and photo mediums is distracting. The most interesting illustrations are those that focus more on the backdrops and cityscapes than the characters themselves. The addition of two other of Dickens's stories, "A Christmas Tree" and "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton" will most likely not prove tempting enough to attract readers.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT