About A Christmas Carol
The story (no spoilers)
Ebenezer Scrooge is a rich, mean old man who hates Christmas. On Christmas Eve the ghost of his dead business partner visits him and warns that three more spirits are coming.
Who it's for
The easiest way into Dickens: five short parts at B1, perfect for reading in December.
- Level
- CEFR B1
- Length
- 5 parts · about 2,600 words
- Reading time
- about 20 minutes (~4 min per part)
- Author
- Charles Dickens
If you liked this, read
- The Hound of the Baskervilles · B1
- Little Women · A2–B1
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde · B2
Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading A Christmas Carol in English: quick answers
- What English level is A Christmas Carol on SeoJae Story?
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is retold in simplified English at CEFR B1 (intermediate). It is split into 5 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is A Christmas Carol hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR B1 (intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read A Christmas Carol in simple English?
- About 20 minutes of reading in total — roughly 4 minutes per part across 5 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of A Christmas Carol?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 5 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is A Christmas Carol free to read here?
- Yes. All 5 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is A Christmas Carol in the public domain?
- Yes. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #46). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.