A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Christmas Carol (c) 1843
by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, first published in 1843, is a classic that will likely be a part of many people's Christmas traditions for centuries.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a hard-hearted, merciless man who does nothing illegal, but is just unkind to everyone with whom he comes in contact, including his own nephew. When the story opens, we see how heartless he is when his employee can't even stoke the fire to get warm, and later when he rebuffs his own nephew's attempts to invite him to Christmas dinner, and then two gentlemen who are seeking charitable donations to benefit the poor.
Later that night, his business partner, Jacob Marley who has been dead for seven years exactly, (he'd died seven years before the story began, on Christmas Eve) returns as a ghost to give Scrooge a warning that he must change his ways. But he is not the only ghostly visitor to come to Scrooge.
Most everyone is familiar with the story, and the journey that Scrooge takes with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and the things he realizes and the changes he undergoes.
I like the story because it shows that people can change for the better, and I like the additional characters, particularly Tiny Tim, whose inclusion helps readers to see that Scrooge's change isn't just because he fears for his own soul, but that he has developed empathy for others as the story progresses.
I recommend the story to anyone who enjoys Dickens' writing, classical stories, and Christmas.

A Christmas Carol- Abridged Version Read by Patrick Stewart

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is read in this abridged version of A Christmas Carol, read by Patrick Stewart. While it is abridged, and much of the original text by Charles Dickens is missing, the main story is still there, and very enjoyable. I like Mr. Stewart's voice and the changes he makes when reading various characters.
I recommend this enjoyable reading to fans of Patrick Stewart, and fans of the story who don't mind much of the original text being left out.

SoJo Choral Arts and Sounds of the Season

The South Jordan Choral Arts performed their fifteenth annual Sounds of the Season yesterday. They gave two presentations, a matinee at 2:00, and then an evening performance at 7:00. The performances were presented in the theater at Bingham High School. The choir and orchestra were fantastic, and presented such Christmas songs as Joy To The World, Jesus, What a Wonderful Child, and O Come, Emmanuel, as well as several others. I was very glad to have had the chance to go, and hope to be able to attend next year!

Hazzardous Universe by Julie Wright and Kevin Wasden

Hazzardous Universe (c) 2011
by Julie Wright and Kevin Wasden

Hazzardous Universe by Julie Wright and Kevin Wasden is a fun middle grade adventure following two kids, Hap and Tara as they're accidentally abducted by an alien spaceship and taken on a frightening and exciting adventure through space. On their adventures they meet different individuals, some human and some not, some friendly, and some not. Plus, they get entangled, entirely accidentally of course, in the dealings of a dangerous interstellar mob boss! But through it all, their biggest wish is to just get home to their families. 

I recommend this fun book to kids and adults alike who enjoy sci fi, and fun adventure!

Charlie Bone and the Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo

Charlie Bone and the Hidden King
(c) 2012 by Jenny Nimmo

Charlie Bone and the Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo is an entertaining middle grade tale continuing the adventure of Charlie Bone and his family and friends. I had not had the chance to experience the previous books in the series (it appears to be the fifth book of an eight book series) but still I was able fairly easily to get into the story. On Charlie Bone's 12th birthday, the flame cats, (a group of three cats his ancestor, the Red King asked to watch over his descendants, of whom Charlie Bone is one) warn him that an ancient evil has awoken. Charlie and his friends have to worry about that, while also worrying about bullies at school and other sinister forces out to get him. Adding on to that, his mother is acting strangely and Charlie fears she's been bewitched. Also, his father, who has been missing for ten years is on Charlie's mind, having been brought up in conversation which Charlie overheard and he wonders what he can do to find and rescue his father.

The action is fast paced and fun, and middle grade readers would enjoy this story.

Thoroughly Modern Millie- Playing at Hale Center Theater in Orem

Thoroughly Modern Millie (c) 2000
by Dick Scanlan and Richard Morris

This past Friday, my younger son and I watched a fantastic play performed by the cast at Hale Center Theater in Orem. Thoroughly Modern Millie, a musical I really enjoy for the fun songs, and the underlying message that caring about people matters much more than money, is playing at the Hale Center Theater in Orem until Nov. 23rd.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical based on a movie from 1967 of the same name, which itself was based on a play called Chrysanthemum from the 1950s. The first performance of the modern play was in 2000. The lyricist was Dick Scanlan, the composers were Jeanine Tesori and Doug Besterman, and the playwrights were Dick Scanlan and Richard Morris.

I enjoyed the cast's performance at the Hale Center Theater, and especially appreciated the actress who portrayed Mrs. Meers. She managed to make the character sinister and lovable at the same time. The expressions that Mrs. Meers made and her escapades throughout the play were hilarious, and kept me laughing. The rest of the cast did great as well, and I really enjoyed the performance. I'm glad we went! There are scenes where the characters are drinking alcohol and getting drunk, and many of the actresses are dressed like 1920's flappers similar to the picture above, which are both things of which parents may want to be aware.

I personally recommend the performance, and think the play is well worth going!

It will be playing most nights between now and the 23rd of November. You can buy tickets here.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

Mysterious Benedict Society and the
Perilous Journey (c) 2009
by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart comes after The Mysterious Benedict Society and before The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.

The four friends, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are set to have a fun, non-dangerous vacation with their good friend Mister Benedict and Miss Number Two (whose real name we do not learn in this book) when they discover that Mister Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped by the sinister Mister Curtain, Mister Benedict's evil twin brother! Though there are dangers aplenty, the kids take off to rescue their beloved mentor and his assistant. Along the way, they have many and varied adventures, and are given aid here and there, especially by Kate's dad, Miligan, when he finally is able to catch up to the swiftly traveling kids. What happens next, is an exciting adventure, and I highly recommend it to children and adults alike who enjoy clean, fast paced adventure stories!