Ghosted by Leslie Margolis Book Review
This is a very cute middle school retelling of “A Christmas Carol.” I read “A Christmas Carol” last month, which helped enhance the experience while reading “Ghosted” by Leslie Margolis.
The first 30 pages or so I really did not know what to think and was a little unclear where this was going. I just thought it looked interesting but did not realize at the beginning it had links to “A Christmas Carol.”
It takes the modern term of ghosting and also has the added ghost like “A Christmas Carol” does. I did not know the term ghosting until my husband told me what it meant.
It is the story of Ellie who has her dad walk out on her mum and her right before Christmas. She does not want to be pitied, so she decides to reinvent herself when she enters middle school by hurting others to elevate herself, including those who are closest to her. She gets knocked out and is transported between her present, past, and future.
I did have a hard time relating to the character of Ellie, as I was TOTALLY a Marley growing up; so I just fell in love with her character more than any other. Ellie, the main character, I think in some ways is meaner and hasher than Scrooge was. To the point, I really wondered if she could actually realize the error of her ways because she was more like a ruthless dictator. She was best friends with Marley growing up. Marley is a very confident and “sure of who she is” type of character. Her moral compass is incredibly straight and she stands up to people who are doing others wrong.
Growing up I was not a fan of “A Christmas Carol,” but I think even for kids who do not like “A Christmas Carol” they could enjoy this book. I do enjoy a good modern retelling. For kids who have not read a lot of classics, I think books inspired by classics are great things for kids, teens, and even adults to read. Reading a book like this can be a door into discovering and reading classics.
I do like some of the other self-discoveries; like you can make your own extended family when you do not have much of a family, sometimes parents try so hard and their teens just fail to recognize it, sometimes you need to confront people who are super close, special or related to you, and many others that are great for teens. I love that Ellie has a chance to re-experience the bad she was done and the hurt she has caused in a new way and in a new light.
I did receive a copy for free through a Goodreads giveaway, but all opinions are completely my own.
