Bestselling Holidays & Celebrations Books for 12 Year Olds

Here are the top 30 bestselling holidays & celebrations books for 12 year olds. Please click Read Review to read book reviews on Amazon. You can also click Find in Library to check book availability at your local library. If the default library is not correct, please follow Change Library to reset it.

1. Christmas Fun Mad Libs: Deluxe Edition

by: Roger PriceLeonard Stern
Release date: Oct 18, 2016
Number of Pages: 48
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This deluxe edition of Christmas Fun Mad Libs features a festive, full-color interior and bright and shiny red and green foil on the cover. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer for kids and adults who can’t get enough Christmas fun!
tags:

Children’s Books > Activities, Crafts & Games > Activity Books

2. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

by: Barbara Robinson
Release date: Apr 12, 2005
Number of Pages: 128
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The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale — the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating — has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year’s pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

tags:

Children’s Books > Classics

3. Gobble Gobble Mad Libs

by: Roger PriceLeonard Stern
Release date: Aug 15, 2013
Number of Pages: 48
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Gobble Gobble Mad Libs features 21 original stories all about the yummiest holiday–Thanksgiving! Featuring hilarious stories about preparing and eating dinner, Thanksgiving traditions, and Black Friday shopping, it’s sure to keep kids laughing for hours. Gobble Gobble Mad Libs is 48 pages of fun.
tags:

Children’s Books > Activities, Crafts & Games > Activity Books

4. Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent

by: Arnold Ytreeide
Release date: Aug 26, 2008
Number of Pages: 168
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In this widely popular, exciting story for the advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem.
tags:

Children’s Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

5. Disney 5-Minute Christmas Stories (5-Minute Stories)

by: Disney Book GroupDisney Storybook Art Team
Release date: Sep 13, 2016
Number of Pages: 192
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Join in the festivities of the season as Mike and Sully race to light the big Christmas tree, Alice finds the Red Queen ‘s present, Peter Pan brings Christmas to Never Land, and more! With 12 stories featuring your favorite Disney and Disney Pixar characters, each meant to be read aloud in five minutes, this padded storybook with beautiful illustrations is the perfect fit for bedtime, story time, or anytime!
tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Story Collections

6. What Light

by: Jay Asher
Release date: Oct 18, 2016
Number of Pages: 272
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THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! From Jay Asher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, comes a holiday romance that will break your heart, but soon have you believing in love again. . . .
 
“A beautiful story of love and forgiveness.”
—Stephen Chbosky, New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Sierra’s family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it’s a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. 

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb’s past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

What Light is a love story that’s moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable.

tags:

Children’s Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

7. The 12 Screams of Christmas (Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition #2)

by: R.L. Stine
Release date: Sep 30, 2014
Number of Pages: 192
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The infamous, Most Wanted Goosebumps characters are out on the loose and after you. For the first time ever, it’s a Goosebumps Christmas!

Kate Welles doesn’t want to be special. She just wants to play the lead in her school’s Christmas play. Her annoying “friend” Courtney is constantly getting in the way of that. Can you even call someone a “friend” if all they do is make fun of you and ruin everything all of the time? But Kate has to get along with Courtney or else neither of them will be allowed to take part in The 12 Screams of Christmas.

Kate and Courtney’s teacher decides they need to find a special place to rehearse. A certain house with a special history. The kind of place that Kate would normally be pretty frightened to go into. The kind of place that gives new meaning to the term: Christmas Spirit.

tags:

Children’s Books > Humor

8. Christmas Carol Mad Libs: Very Merry Songs & Stories

by: Roger PriceLeonard Stern
Release date: Sep 13, 2007
Number of Pages: 48
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Christmas Carol Mad Libs helps you parody your favorite Christmas carols?and it also has lots of Christmas-y stories to get you feeling merry and bright! This reissue of our classic, top-selling Mad Libs?updated with 14 new stories?is a surefire hit this holiday season. So from Mad Libs to you and yours, we?d like to wish you a very furry Christmas!
tags:

Children’s Books > Education & Reference > Reading & Writing

9. Santa’s Big Big Book to Color (Jumbo Coloring Book)

by: Golden Books
Release date: Sep 26, 2006
Number of Pages: 80
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Stockings, gingerbread houses, and jolly old St. Nick himself are only a few of the merry images in this gift from the Golden archives that will evoke fond memories of Christmas seasons gone by. The simple, joyful scenes and brightly flocked cover will entice children and collectors alike.
tags:

Children’s Books > Activities, Crafts & Games > Activity Books

10. Frozen Olaf’s Night Before Christmas Book & CD

by: Disney Book GroupDisney Storybook Art Team
Release date: Sep 15, 2015
Number of Pages: 32
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‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring . . . until a sound awakens Olaf. Read along as Olaf has the adventure of a lifetime with a mysterious stranger in red. This beautifully illustrated 32-page paper-over-board picture book comes with a read-along CD featuring audio narration by Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf! Fans of all generations will delight in Olaf’s innocent and humorous account of “The Night Before Christmas.”
tags:

Children’s Books > Humor

11. Bartholomew’s Passage: A Family Story for Advent

by: Arnold Ytreeide
Release date: Aug 25, 2009
Number of Pages: 176
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The highly anticipated follow-up to Jotham’s Journey!

Bartholomew’s Passage is an engaging story that guides families through the Advent season. Young Bartholomew’s adventures start when Roman soldiers destroy his village and disperse his family, continue through his enslavement to a tyrannical master and his escape with his new friend Nathan, and end with a reunion with his family in Bethlehem. Along the way Bartholomew makes a new friend, a young boy named Jotham!

tags:

Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Holidays > Christmas

12. Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances

by: John GreenLauren MyracleMaureen Johnson
Release date: Oct 02, 2008
Number of Pages: 352
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Three interconnected stories from three bestselling authors: John Green (Paper Towns, The Fault in our Stars), Maureen Johnson (The Name of the Star), and Lauren Myracle (The Internet Girls series.)

Major motion picture in the works!

A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

A New York Times Bestseller!

“Tender without being mushy, these carefully crafted stories of believable teen love will leave readers warm inside for the holidays.”—School Library Journal

“Contemporary culture, humorous romantic developments and strong characters enhance this collaborative effort.”—Kirkus Reviews

tags:

Children’s Books

13. A Boy Called Christmas

by: Matt HaigChris Mould
Release date: Nov 01, 2016
Number of Pages: 240
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Before there was Santa Claus, there was a young boy who believed in the impossible. . . . Lemony Snicket meets Elf in this warmhearted Christmas caper.
 
Eleven-year-old Nikolas—nicknamed “Christmas”—has received only one toy in his life: a doll carved out of a turnip. But he’s happy with his turnip doll, because it came from his parents, who love him. Then one day his father goes missing, and Nikolas must travel to the North Pole to save him. 
 
Along the way, Nikolas befriends a surly reindeer, bests a troublesome troll, and discovers a hidden world of enchantment in the frozen village of Elfhelm. But the elves of Elfhelm have troubles of their own: Christmas spirit and goodwill are at an all-time low, and Nikolas may be the only person who can fix things—if only he can reach his father before it’s too late. . . .
 
Sparkling with wit and warmth, A Boy Called Christmas is a cheeky new Christmas classic-in-the-making from acclaimed author Matt Haig and illustrator Chris Mould.

“Irresistibly readable. Destined to become a Christmas and anytime-before-or-after-Christmas classic!” –Chris Grabenstein, New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

“The definitive (and funny) history of ho, ho, ho! My children loved it.” —Yann Martel, bestselling author of Life of Pi
 
The most evergreen, immortal Christmas story to be published for decades.” —Stephen Fry

“Humorous and heartfelt, A Boy Called Christmas will grow your heart three sizes and make you believe in magic.” –Liesl Shurtliff, New York Times bestselling author of Rump

“Matt Haig has an empathy for the human condition, the light and the dark of it, and he uses the full palette to build his excellent stories.”—Neil Gaiman, Newbery-winning author of The Graveyard Book

tags:

Children’s Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy & Magic

14. Tabitha’s Travels: A Family Story for Advent

by: Arnold Ytreeide
Release date: Jul 22, 2010
Number of Pages: 160
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Curious, competent, and courageous Tabitha is the daughter of a shepherd who is taking his family on caravan to his birthplace. Along the way, she meets and becomes friends with Jotham and Bartholomew, watches as Romans take her father prisoner, spends time with Zechariah and Elizabeth, helps Mary and Joseph just before Christ’s birth, and ends her travels at the stable in Bethlehem.
tags:

Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Holidays > Christmas

15. The Witch of Blackbird Pond

by: Elizabeth George Speare
Release date: Jan 10, 2011
Number of Pages: 272
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Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.

Elizabeth George Speare won the 1959 Newbery Medal for this portrayal of a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love.

tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > United States > Colonial

16. Hanukkah Mad Libs

by: Roger PriceLeonard Stern
Release date: Sep 27, 2012
Number of Pages: 48
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Our Hanukkah Mad Libs is more fun than playing a game of dreidel!

Celebrate Hanukkah with our newest original Mad Libs all about the Festival of Lights! Our book features a ton of hilarious stories about lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, and much, much more! With 21 stories, you’ll have more than enough blanks to fill in to cover the eight nights of Hanukkah!

tags:

Children’s Books > Activities, Crafts & Games > Activity Books

17. The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily

by: Rachel CohnDavid Levithan
Release date: Oct 18, 2016
Number of Pages: 224
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A 2016 Zoella Book Club Pick!

New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan are back with a life-affirming Christmas romance starring Dash and Lily.
 
Dash and Lily have had a tough year since readers first watched the couple fall in love. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition.
 
With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the holiday magic of New York City in December.
 
Told in alternating chapters, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily reunites two beloved characters and is bound to be a Christmas favorite, season after season.

“Hilarious and heartfelt…[captures] the emotions of teen love, along with the hilarity of young adult life.”—School Library Journal

tags:

Children’s Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

18. Diary of a Minecraft Zombie Book 9: Zombie’s Birthday Apocalypse (An Unofficial Minecraft Book)

by: Zack Zombie
Release date: Oct 01, 2015
Number of Pages: 150
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It’s Halloween and it’s Zack the Zombie’s Birthday! But there’s a Zombie Apocalypse Happening that May Totally Ruin his Birthday party!

A Zombie Apocalypse is threatening to end Minecraft as we know it.

And it also just might totally ruin Zack’s 13th Birthday Party.

But, will Zack and his friends be able to stop the Zombie Apocalypse so that they can finally enjoy some cake and cookies at Zack’s Birthday Bash?

Jump Into the Adventure and Find Out!

Get Your Copy Today!

(An Unofficial Minecraft Book)

tags:

Children’s Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Spine-Chilling Horror

19. Duck & Goose, 1, 2, 3

by: Tad HillsTad Hills
Release date: Aug 12, 2008
Number of Pages: 22
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PRESCHOOLERS WILL CHEER the return of Duck and Goose in their second board book appearance! All the favorite characters, including Bluebird and Thistle, return—this time to introduce basic counting concepts.

One goose. Two ducks. Three friends. As the characters illustrate from numbers 1 to 10, children will love to follow along with the simple text and all-new original art.

A small trim size and Easter egg-colored art makes this the perfect Easter basket stuffer for young children everywhere! And don’t miss other books in the collection, including the picture books Duck & Goose and Duck, Duck, Goose, and the board books What’s Up, Duck? and Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin!

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Ducks & Other Waterfowl

20. Winter According to Humphrey

by: Betty G. Birney
Release date: Oct 03, 2013
Number of Pages: 176
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It’s the HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY holidays!

The holidays are coming and Humphrey is unsqueakably excited. He loves to hear about all the different ways his friends in Room 26 celebrate and to watch them make costumes and learn songs for the Winter Wonderland pageant. (He even squeaks along!) But with so much to do, will the holidays go according to plan? Do-It-Now-Daniel is having trouble practicing, Helpful-Holly can’t stop worrying about making presents for her friends, and Humphrey still has to find a gift for Og! Good thing Humphrey is one smart hamster who can help them all fill the season with JOY-JOY-JOY!

Nominated for twenty-four state awards and the winner of seven, the Humphrey series is a hit across the country. And he’s becoming a one school/one book favorite!

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs & Squirrels

21. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares

by: Rachel CohnDavid Leviathan
Release date: Oct 11, 2011
Number of Pages: 288
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A whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist!
 
“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
 
16-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges.

What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Co-written by Rachel Cohn (GINGERBREAD) and David Levithan, co-author of WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON with John Green (THE FAULT IN OUR STARS), DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES is a love story that will have readers scouring bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

From the Hardcover edition.

tags:

Children’s Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

22. The First Christmas Night

by: Keith ChristopherChristine Kornacki
Release date: Oct 01, 2013
Number of Pages: 32
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A lyrical retelling of the birth of Christ modeled after ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.’

Here is a beautiful retelling of the birth of Jesus on that joyous night in Bethlehem so long ago. The poem begins with the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem through Christ’s birth, the angels’ appearance to the shepherds, and the visit by the Wise Men. The simple, yet elegant, verses will appeal to little ones and are accompanied by the rich oil illustrations of Christine Kornacki. Ages 4-8.

tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Religious Fiction > Christian

23. Hot Cocoa Hearts: A Wish Novel

by: Suzanne Nelson
Release date: Oct 25, 2016
Number of Pages: 256
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Tis the season… for heartbreak?

Emery Mason is not a fan of the holidays. She’s so over the tinsel, the shopping, and all the other trappings of the season. Unfortunately, this year, Em is forced to work — as an elf! — at her parents’ Santa photo booth at the mall. There, Em meets Alejandro Perez, who works at the hot cocoa shop next door and is always full of holiday spirit. Alex is cute, but he’s nothing like Em’s real crush — the brooding and artistic Sawyer Kade.

But the more time Em spends with Alex, the more she realizes that she may not be the Grinch she always thought she was. Soon, a blizzard, a Secret Santa surprise, and a family disagreement throw Em’s world upside down. Can Em embrace the magic of the holidays and find the perfect boy to kiss under the mistletoe?

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life

24. 11 Birthdays: A Wish Novel

by: Wendy Mass
Release date: Jan 01, 2010
Number of Pages: 272
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It’s Amanda’s 11th birthday and she is super excited—after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she’s shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven’t shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .
tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Friendship

25. 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving (I Am American)

by: Catherine O’Neill Grace
Release date: Oct 01, 2004
Number of Pages: 48
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Countering the prevailing, traditional story of the first Thanksgiving, with its black-hatted, silver-buckled Pilgrims; blanket-clad, be-feathered Indians; cranberry sauce; pumpkin pie; and turkey, this lushly illustrated photo-essay presents a more measured, balanced, and historically accurate version of the three-day harvest celebration in 1621.
tags:

Children’s Books > History > United States > Colonial & Revolutionary

26. Nutcracker

by: E T a Hoffmann
Release date: Sep 13, 2016
Number of Pages: 32
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Join Clara on her Christmas Eve adventure as she steps into a world of toy soldiers and beautiful fairies. A classic festive tale brought to life by Valeria Docampos magical illustrations.
tags:

Children’s Books > Classics

27. A Little House Christmas Treasury: Festive Holiday Stories

by: Laura Ingalls WilderGarth Williams
Release date: Sep 27, 2005
Number of Pages: 144
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Celebrate the holidays with Laura and her family with stories from the beloved Little House books!

tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > United States > 1800s

28. Finally

by: Wendy Mass
Release date: Jun 01, 2011
Number of Pages: 304
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Turning 12 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

Get a cell phone. Stay home alone. Go to the mall with best friend and No Parents. Wear makeup. Get contact lenses. Attend a boy-girl party. Rory Swenson has been waiting her whole life to turn twelve. And she’s got a list to prove it. Whenever Rory asks her parents for something, they always say, “When you’re twelve . . .” Well, in exactly, 18 hours, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds it will finally happen. Rory’s life will officially begin!

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Friendship

29. Jingle Bells (Horse Diaries Special Edition)

by: Catherine HapkaRuth Sanderson
Release date: Sep 23, 2014
Number of Pages: 208
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A heartwarming Clydesdale story for the holiday season!
 
For all lovers of horses, history, and the holidays, here’s a very special Horse Diaries book.
 
Wisconsin, 1915. Jingle Bells is a strong Clydesdale gelding. He enjoys his work on the farm, pulling the hay wagon in the summer and a sleigh in the winter, and he loves his human friend, Kari. But when Kari’s older brother comes home for Christmas with a new Model T Ford, will the family still need Jingle Bells?
tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Horses

30. A Shiloh Christmas (The Shiloh Quartet)

by: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Release date: Sep 20, 2016
Number of Pages: 272
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A rescued beagle and his boy owner seek love and understanding for their troubled small town in this holiday companion to the Newbery Medal–winning Shiloh, from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

Christmas is coming and Marty and his rescued pup Shiloh are sure glad about that—for their town is running low on love and understanding and they hope that the joy of the holiday will bring with it the generosity of spirit that’s so lacking.

It’s been a year since Marty Preston rescued Shiloh from Judd Travers and his cruel ways, and since then, Marty and Shiloh have been inseparable. Anywhere Marty goes, the beagle’s at his side, and Marty couldn’t be happier about that. Even Judd has been working to improve his reputation.

But just as the townsfolk grow more accepting of Judd, a fire in the woods destroys many homes, including Judd’s, and Judd’s newly formed reputation. Doubt, blame, and anger spread faster than the flames—flames that are fanned by the new minister, who seems fonder of fire and brimstone than love and mercy. And why are his daughters so skittish around him? And what’s happened to Judd’s dogs? With Christmas right around the corner, Marty has a lot of questions, and getting the right answers might just take a Christmas miracle.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s fourth book in the Newbery Award–winning Shiloh series—following Shiloh, Shiloh Season, and Saving Shiloh—“seamlessly interlaces themes of tolerance, compassion, and forgiveness…[and] explores the interconnectedness of family members, communities, and the dogs they love” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Dogs

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Last updated: Monday, December 5, 2016 9:27 AM