"Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!"

"Christmas a humbug, Uncle!" said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure?"

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On a cold, dark night in October 1843-during one of the long, solitary walks he liked to take-Charles Dickens came up with an idea that would change the world. As he looked around the city of London, he saw that many of the traditional customs of Christmas so popular in the past had fallen out of fashion. In some homes the holiday was not even celebrated at all. And so he came up with an idea for a story that would help put the Christmas spirit back in Christmas-not just in England, but all over the world, and not just for his time, for all time.

For nearly two hundred years, A Christmas Carol has been one of the world's best-known and best-loved stories-one that readers return to again and again for its timeless message about love and redemption. The Owl's Nest Classics Edition brings Dickens's masterpiece to life with annotations and thoughts for reflection that will engage young readers' hearts and minds and will inspire them see their own lives in a new way.