A Christmas Carol is an interactive book App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch that is perfect for the holiday season.  Although it is an abbreviated version of Charles Dickens’ famous novel, it’s not exactly a short story either, containing more than 100 pages of text, nearly every one of which encourages and sometimes requires some sort of interaction with the page.

The emphasis in this App is most definitely on the story, and the interactions on each page aren’t overly distracting, and usually tie in with what is being read.  For example, the text may split as Scrooge walks down a snowy street, or readers will need to pull a chain or knock on a door, coinciding with events in the story.  Readers will know when an interaction is possible as some part of the page or illustration will shine.

The App has a look and feel that is part old English, but also part Rube Goldberg contraption.  Lots of gears, gadgets and doohickeys dot the pages, and provide the basis for much of the activity within A Christmas Carol.

Although a shortened version of the classic tale, A Christmas Carol is still a bit too long to be digested in one sitting, and a bit too advanced for younger readers.  We definitely enjoyed this App as a way to get in the holiday spirit, but it’s probably best for tweens and teens, and is best experienced alone, without much chance for simultaneous activity or even reading to each other.