Cover Image: The Miracle on Ebenezer Street

The Miracle on Ebenezer Street

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This is a lovely story about the spirit of Christmas
This is a very relatable story for everyone of any age
A wonderfully modern Christmas story

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Omg......... this book was amazing I flew threw the pages with Olympic speed I was hooked from the very first page. I found it full of twists and turns threw out and it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way threw  I would defiantly recommend this book if you like a good book to keep you reading threw the night hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did

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So here is the thing: I thought it was too slow and too boring for kids. I believe middle grade books, even xmas one, need to surprise with something from the beginning, you know, to catch the attention of the wee ones. If I, an adult, was not hooked at all, how can I expect the children to be?
Unfortunately I do not recommend the inside but the cover is super-pretty.

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I'm not the intended audience for this book but I went in with high expections since who doesn't love a christmas story inspired by A Christmas Carol but I have to say this wasn't it for me. The story was okay but the plot overall didn't make that much sense to me. It was lacking in terms of the christmas joy.

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This really was an enchanting tale full of Christmas magic. George stumbles upon a magical curiosity shop one Christmas and finds out the impossible can become possible. Can the joy of Christmas be brought back home after losing his mum?
This book had it all - great characters, traditions, excitement and somewhat poignant too.
Inspired by A Christmas Carol, the author Catherine Doyle really makes you feel you want to wrap up on the sofa with a hot chocolate. A perfect read for middle graders especially over the Christmas season.

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Such a cute little story which I actually gifted a copy to my goddaughter after I had finished it myself. It is both entertaining and thoughtful in the storyline and all of the characters had something extra to make them a delight to read about. definitely recommend this!

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This is clearly an ideal story to read at Christmas-time, but its messages are actually perfectly applicable all year round.

George is clinging desperately to the magic of childhood, despite the tragic loss of his beloved mother, and with the assistance of his young-at-heart Nan. Unfortunately, his dad is unable to deal with his grief at the loss, other than by shutting down, shutting George out, and banning all kinds of celebrations… including, or especially, Christmas. Can George find his dad’s softer side again and rekindle some Christmas joy for their family? Finding Marley’s shop of magical curiosities might help there!

Loosely inspired by Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol – hence the familiar names – this is a magical adventure for middle grade readers upwards, that deals with some very heavy issues in a sensitive, but light-hearted way. There is nothing maudlin in this story of elves, paintings coming to life, and a very special snow globe. Instead there is an atmosphere of pervasive hope, determination and the innocent, childlike spirit of happy Christmases.

Perfect for middle-grade readers, reading as a family at bedtime, or gifting at Christmas, this book is a magical, fun-filled – but touchingly emotional – festive adventure that will stay with you, leaving you full of warm, fuzzy feelings and hope that there is always a fairylight at the end of the darkest tunnel.



'George’s breath fogged against the snow globe.
This wasn’t just any snowman.
It was George’s snowman.
The three of them had made it together at Nan’s old house on Christmas Eve morning, heaving and stacking and packing and chiselling, their laughter chattering happily through their teeth, while his father’s nose turned red and his mother’s fingers went numb.
He looks like a Fred, doesn’t he darling?
Our perfectly imperfect Fred.'

– Catherine Doyle, The Miracle on Ebenezer Street


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

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Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC

A truly brilliant read my son and i loved it. Fantastic imagery sprinkled with yuletide magic perfect Christmas time book

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My 7yr old daughter and I really enjoyed sharing this lovely, magical tale in the run up to Christmas.
Nanna Flo was brilliant, the purple reindeer an excellent touch and George's dad well-written as a grumpy scrooge type lost in his grief.
We enjoyed the twists and turns and their adventures, and the nods to a Christmas Carol (we always watch Muppet Christmas Carol)
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

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Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year and I am always on the look out for fun Christmas reads and this is a great one.

We follow George, a young boy who just adores Christmas but he hasn't been able to celebrate it in 3 years. It's been 3 years since his mother died, 3 years since George's dad cancelled Christmas. Since that night George's life has been dull and grey but all that changes when he stumbles across Marley's Curiosity Shop. It is here that he finds the mysterious snow globe that takes him on a great adventure. What makes it so mysterious is that it seems to show a scene in which him and his family are together, a scene from Christmas 3 years ago.

That night George and his dad are swept into a magical adventure that crosses three Christmas'- one from the past, one in the present and one in the future. With the help of his new friends, George tries to teach his father to love Christmas again.

I just loved Catherine Doyle's story telling within this book and it was one of the best retellings of A Christmas Carol that I have ever read. I will for sure be re-reading this every single Christmas from now on.

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Like with, I think, any retelling or adaptation of The Christmas Carol, it’s always bound to make you cry or at the least tear up a little bit, but this one hit hard and had me sobbing at parts. The reason behind George’s father banning Christmas is heartbreaking but I loved how his Nana still did little things for George to try and give him a sprinkling of Christmas when his dad wasn’t looking. Nana Flo was a brilliant character, she was a brilliant nana and was so young at heart, her adventurous side was brilliant. George’s determination to make his dad realise that it’s okay to still celebrate Christmas was wonderful and the memories past, present and future were real tearjerkers.

The magic in this was so amazingly written, it was fun and whimsical, Clementine was one of my favourite characters, but it also showed the story of a grieving family and it was absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend this story for all ages, especially for fans of other Christmas Carol retellings and adaptations, but even just as a quick, fun, heartwarming Christmas story.

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My daughter and I shared this book on the build up to Christmas.

I think its only fair that I hand over the reviewer reins to my 9 year old for this...

It was a very fun tale on of the classic Christmas Carol. The main character george not only lost him 3 years ago but his father's Christmas spirit died along with her too.

A great festive tale to remind one and all about the true joy and meaning of Christmas.

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A Christmas Carol is one of my all-time favourite classics and I read the book every Christmas and watch the many adaptations during this time (my favourite being The Muppet Christmas Carol). So, when I heard about a modern middle-grade reimagining of one of my favourite classics, I was already sold! I was excited to get straight into The Miracle on Ebenezer Street and see what adventures I was in for.

This is George’s third Christmas without his mum. Ever since she passed away his life is dull. His Dad has thrown himself into his work and has no time to celebrate Christmas or spend time with his family. One day George stumbles across a curious shop, run by a mysterious man called Marley. There he picks up a snow globe, which seems to show George a Christmas where his family were all together and happy. That very same night George and his father are swept into a magical experience where they see three Christmases, one from the past, present and future. With a little help from some new friends and some magic will George and his dad start living life to the full again?

The Miracle on Ebenezer Street first and foremost had me feeling utterly Christmassy throughout. It’s ultimately a story of love, family and friendship, which in my opinion is what Christmas is all about. It had me laughing, crying and at times my heart felt so full. This book fills you up with the joys of Christmas and does get you thinking about the true meaning of it as a whole. I can honestly say that you will finish reading this book feeling full of gratitude, love and festive cheer.

Plot-wise, it certainly follows the original plot of A Christmas Carol slightly, but with its twists which were perfect for a middle-grade audience. I loved the little references to the original tale, which included names, places and a few references to Charles Dickens himself. The adventures that George, his dad and his Nanna Flo went on through the past, present and future were filled with wonderment, but they also had that emotional edge that brought tears to my eyes on many separate occasions.

The characters within The Miracle on Ebenezer Street are what made the story for me if I’m being honest. Each one we meet had their unique personality and emotions which made your heart break at times and feel full at others. George, well he just melted my heart. You could tell how badly he wanted his dad to feel full of hope and joy again and what extremes he was willing to go through to get him to be full of Christmas spirit again. Marley was so mysterious and I found myself being drawn to him, not only due to the Christmas Carol reference but due to how he helped George, even if he didn’t realise. However, my favourite character had to be Nanna Flo, she was just a delight to read about and she jumped off the page, straight into my mind many times. I adored her positivity, her love, her optimism and her lust for adventure. Everyone should have a Nanna like her.

The Miracle on Ebenezer Street was the perfect, festive tale to cosy up with. It’s full of magic, wonderment and love that will leave your heart feeling full and wanting to celebrate Christmas to no end. It’s certainly going to be a book that I reread every Christmas season from now on.

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Catherine Doyle’s writing sparkles in a wonderful reworking of Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’. The Miracle on Ebenezer Street is a great big festive hug of a book that filled me with Christmas spirit.

Ever since the death of his wife on Christmas Eve three years ago, Hugo Bishop has had nothing to do with Christmas and has banned all festivities from the Bishop household. Hugo’s son George longs for the fond memories of past Christmases where love, happiness and colour filled the house. He is on a desperate search for the Christmas magic that left the family home on the night his mother died and a search for the father that he used to know - the one that loved to live and not the grey and sullen broken-shell of a man that now resides with him at 7 Ebenezer Street.

On a secret trip out to Winter Wonderland with his Nana Flo, George finds himself in Old Marley’s Curiosity Shop. Old Marley’s shop is a magical Christmas wonderland where the shelves are piled high with magical Christmas trinkets and crackers just begging to be popped. The shop is everything Christmas should be and George’s eyes are twinkling like the Christmas magic that he is surrounded by. In the shop, he finds a snow-globe that seems to show a winter scene that he recognises from a past Christmas. And this is where the magic (and just a little bit of mayhem) begins. With a shake of the snow-globe, George and his reluctant father are transported to various Christmases and visions of the past, present and future.

How many shakes of the snow-globe will it take to show his father what is important in life? Will there be enough magic in the snow-globe to change his father’s ways or is George doomed to a life without colour, without Christmas and without the father he so desperately wants back…

Catherine Doyle packs a lot into what is a relatively short read, I read it in an afternoon. She tells a magical Christmas story full of warmth and love and with the central characters dealing with the loss of a loved one. There are plenty of nods to the original work of Dickens in the form of street names, characters, a humbug sweet and the year 1843. Like a Christmas stocking, Doyle has filled The Miracle on Ebenezer Street with all the best bits of Christmas - roasting turkey, sprouts, crackers, snow, an adorable Elf on the Shelf named Tricksie, Randolph the purple reindeer and plenty of love, magic and Christmas cheer. The occasional illustrations that feature throughout are delightful.

Themes of grief and loss are central to the story. Hugo Bishop has struggled to move on after the death of his wife Greta and rather than grieve he has thrust himself into his work and has become a lonely and despondent figure. He has become isolated from his son and while the two live under the same roof, that is about all they do. They no longer connect like father and son, both living separate lives and plodding on after the death of Greta. Luckily, Nana Flo has moved in with them and she does her best to bring positivity and with a twinkle in her eye she is always on-hand to bring some cheer to George just when he needs it. Nana Flo is the shining light in George’s life and is the polar opposite to his father who is unaware of how his personal battle with the death of his wife is affecting his son.

The snow globe provides George with the chance to show his father what Christmas should be and a chance to rekindle the relationship that they have lost. They are guided into the Christmases of past, present and future by a wonderful mix of characters, including an old relative from an oil painting, a lively elf and a rare purple reindeer with a clear dislike to old red-nosed Rudolph. The adventures that George and Hugo are taken on are a rollercoaster of emotions as they experience warm, heartfelt and fun moments to the sadder times that are sombre and filled with raw emotion.

After the year that has been 2020 we could all do with a bit of Old Marley’s Christmas magic and The Miracle on Ebenezer Street will leave readers feeling all warm and Christmassy. A book that I will be keeping on the shelf to read each year and one that I will look forward to curling up on the sofa with on a Christmas evening with a hot-chocolate and a candy-cane.

Recommended for 9+.

Sending warm Christmas wishes to the lovely peeps at Penguin Random House who I was kind enough to receive a copy of the book from via Netgalley.

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This book so was cute!!
I really loved the spin on A Christmas Carol. Nana Flo is the nan everyone dreams of and is by far the best character!
100% recommend!

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I liked this cover so much and I’m in a middle-grade mood this year, and because of that, I requested this book on NetGalley. I wanted to read Christmas books in December, but it was so appealing that I started already at the end of November. I admit, I somehow slipped over the fact that it’s a retelling of the Christmas Carol. But I was really happy about that because I love retellings. But after the spirit of the past appeared, I was a little scared that there would be no originality in the book because I watched/read it so many times and there would be no innovation in it. But luckily it didn’t happen that way, because then the story became unique after that.
Characters were also very lovable. One of my favourites was Grandma and the other was the elf (I don’t remember her/his name). I really loved the scene on the cover, too. I laughed a lot, it was very cute. I didn’t think the book would be a 5-star read, but in the end, I really fell in love with it.

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*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favourite classics is A Christmas Carol and so I love reading retellings of that story. This is a middlegrade version, in the vein of A Monster Calls. It was magical and heartbreaking at the same time and I think that Catherine Doyle adhered to the main points of the story throughout. As an adult, I picked up on many of the names and hints at the original novella that were included.

I’m not usually a huge fan of middlegrade fiction but this was compelling and kept me hooked throughout. I would highly recommend this one for this time of year.

4 out of 5 stars!

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An absolute joy to read. We all know the story of a Christmas carol and know how this works but, thus book is still full of surprise and suspense and the stylish writing that we expect from Catherine Doyle.

A great book that will become a Christmas classic for the middle grade reader who will warm to George and his gran and will enjoy being carried forward on this adventure. Added to that the adults reading with the child will be engrossed. London, snow, a snow globe, magic, elf on the shelf, family and a whole lot more.

What is not to love. Books like this are as rare as a purple reindeer!

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This is a twist on the classic A Christmas Carol with George trying to find a little Christmas magic for himself and his very own Scrooge in the shape of his father! The book follows them on a series of unbelievable adventures with a reindeer and excitable elf as their guides as they visit Christmas past, present and in the future!

George's mother died around Christmas time three years ago and since then his dad has committed to his work (as a coping mechanism for his grief), leaving George feeling very alone. Luckily he has his gran to help put a little sparkle into his life but since his dad has banned Christmas which used to be the best time of year for the family this isn't enough.

While on a secret trip to the Christmas Markets with his gran George comes across Marley's Curiosity Shop and is gifted a beautiful now globe which seems to show the scene from a past Christmas,,,,

It was such a wonderful read and one which upper primary children could enjoy themselves or slightly younger with an adult to help!
*Tw for death of a parent *

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The perfect light hearted quick read. Perfect for Christmas time.
I loved the way Doyle used A Christmas Carol to tell this story. But made it different enough.
With the topic of grief and how a death in the family can affect you for years. But also how you might not see how your struggle also affects those around you. Even if you didn't mean to do anything to them.
The topic isn't heavily focused on but is there enough.
Tricksie made me laugh throughout her section. Her personality was just what the book needed.
Even though this is a middle grade I had no problem enjoying this. I flew through this and honestly wanted more. The ending happened so quickly I was kind of sad that was it.

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