The Ghost of Christmas Present
Description
It's the fourth Wednesday of November, and Patrick Guthrie is giving thanks. He's giving thanks that his eight-year-old son, Braden, will finally have a procedure on his heart that will cure him of the same life-threatening condition that took Patrick's wife several years earlier. But when Patrick suddenly loses his job teaching drama at a New York City high school, his already desperate financial situation becomes dire. Rebecca Brody, a social worker, shows up at his door with a judge's order for him to appear before the city's family court to determine if Patrick is financially fit, and Patrick realizes he is in danger of losing his son. Patrick knows that he must somehow make it through the holiday season to a new job waiting for him in the new year. He also knows that Ted Cake, his former father-in-law, blames Patrick so much for the death of his daughter that he, a rich and disagreeable man, is the one pushing the city to call the custody hearing and give the boy over to him. Now Patrick has only three weeks before Christmas to somehow make enough money to pay his bills, present himself to the family court as a fit father, and keep Braden in his life. It's when Patrick sees a charming beggar on the subway dressed up as a crazy alien that he gets an idea. In true Dickensian holiday spirit, Patrick makes use of his old acting skills and his love of A Christmas Carol and takes to the streets in the guise of the Ghost of Christmas Present. Making a midtown corner his performing stage, he begins to touch and change the lives of all those who come his way, including Rebecca Brody and the bitter and heartbroken Ted Cake. *** The train stopped at a station where the signs read Thirty-fourth Street. The doors opened and Patrick waited for the commuters to disembark before he got off. He walked to the stairs as the morning light from the street shone and the sounds of Broadway bounced down into the station in echoing waves. He caught sight of himself in the plastic window of the token booth, where the transit workers shook their heads at his appearance. Perhaps he had gone too far with the costume. Perhaps he had gone too far thinking he should even attempt this madness. Perhaps what was worst of all was thinking he could save the semblance of a life that he could carve for himself with Braden. Maybe Braden would be better off without him in his daily life. Maybe . . . Patrick shook off the thought as the noise of Broadway waited for him above. He drew in a breath and exhaled. "Into the breach, dear friends." He began to climb the stairs.
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ISBN:
9781451660425
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 1520836b-2cb6-48fa-5a96-13e1647b91f0 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | ghost of christmas present |
Grouping Author | scott abbott |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-02-26 07:24:02AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-24 23:31:30PM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Abbott, Scott
author2-role
hoopla digital
author_display
Abbott, Scott
display_description
It's the fourth Wednesday of November, and Patrick Guthrie is giving thanks. He's giving thanks that his eight-year-old son, Braden, will finally have a procedure on his heart that will cure him of the same life-threatening condition that took Patrick's wife several years earlier. But when Patrick suddenly loses his job teaching drama at a New York City high school, his already desperate financial situation becomes dire. Rebecca Brody, a social worker, shows up at his door with a judge's order for him to appear before the city's family court to determine if Patrick is financially fit, and Patrick realizes he is in danger of losing his son. Patrick knows that he must somehow make it through the holiday season to a new job waiting for him in the new year. He also knows that Ted Cake, his former father-in-law, blames Patrick so much for the death of his daughter that he, a rich and disagreeable man, is the one pushing the city to call the custody hearing and give the boy over to him. Now Patrick has only three weeks before Christmas to somehow make enough money to pay his bills, present himself to the family court as a fit father, and keep Braden in his life. It's when Patrick sees a charming beggar on the subway dressed up as a crazy alien that he gets an idea. In true Dickensian holiday spirit, Patrick makes use of his old acting skills and his love of A Christmas Carol and takes to the streets in the guise of the Ghost of Christmas Present. Making a midtown corner his performing stage, he begins to touch and change the lives of all those who come his way, including Rebecca Brody and the bitter and heartbroken Ted Cake. *** The train stopped at a station where the signs read Thirty-fourth Street. The doors opened and Patrick waited for the commuters to disembark before he got off. He walked to the stairs as the morning light from the street shone and the sounds of Broadway bounced down into the station in echoing waves. He caught sight of himself in the plastic window of the token booth, where the transit workers shook their heads at his appearance. Perhaps he had gone too far with the costume. Perhaps he had gone too far thinking he should even attempt this madness. Perhaps what was worst of all was thinking he could save the semblance of a life that he could carve for himself with Braden. Maybe Braden would be better off without him in his daily life. Maybe . . . Patrick shook off the thought as the noise of Broadway waited for him above. He drew in a breath and exhaled. "Into the breach, dear friends." He began to climb the stairs.
format_category_englewood
eBook
format_englewood
eBook
id
1520836b-2cb6-48fa-5a96-13e1647b91f0
isbn
9781451660425
last_indexed
2024-04-25T05:31:30.578Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Fiction
literary_form_full
Fiction
primary_isbn
9781451660425
publishDate
2012
publisher
Howard Books
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Electronic books
Fiction
Literature
Fiction
Literature
title_display
The Ghost of Christmas Present
title_full
The Ghost of Christmas Present [electronic resource] / Amy Maude Swinton and Scott Abbott
The ghost of christmas present [electronic resource] : A novel. Scott Abbott
The ghost of christmas present [electronic resource] : A novel. Scott Abbott
title_short
The Ghost of Christmas Present
topic_facet
Electronic books
Fiction
Literature
Fiction
Literature
Solr Details Tables
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hoopla:MWT13994265 | Online Hoopla Collection | Online Hoopla | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Hoopla | https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12578718?utm_source=MARC&Lid=hh4435 | Available Online |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
overdrivecmc:ODN0001104897 | eBook | eBook | English | 2012 | 1 online resource | |||
hoopla:MWT13994265 | eBook | eBook | English | Howard Books | 2012 | 1 online resource (240 pages) |
scoping_details_englewood
Bib Id | Item Id | Grouped Status | Status | Locally Owned | Available | Holdable | Bookable | In Library Use Only | Library Owned | Holdable PTypes | Bookable PTypes | Local Url |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT13994265 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | false | false | false | false |