Happy  Monday! 😀

Well it isn’t a whole day off of school, but I will be happy for the 2 hour delay we got today! 🙂

Today I have some fun Christmas books to tell you about! All of these books make my 5 out of 5 bookworm list!

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The Visit: The Origin of “The Night Before Christmas”

By Mark Kimball Moulton

Illustrated by Susan Winget

54 pages – ages 5+

Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (October 28, 2013)

A mother and her children visit their grandfather, who tells them the true story behind The Night Before Christmas. Author Clement C. Moore, who on Christmas Eve, promised to tell his daughter a new Christmas story. He came up with “The Night Before Christmas.” The whole story was inspired by a trip  to town that night!

The true story about The Night Before Christmas should be in every household! It is based on the true story of how the classic “The Night Before Christmas” came about. The story was passed down through the Moore family and the author was told the story by Dinghy Sharp, the great-great-granddaughter of Mr. Moore. It is a great book, and you learn a bit about the time when it was written. I think this is a great Christmas book and an interesting part of history. The illustrations in this edition are beautiful and add a lot to the story.

Visit Schiffer publishing HERE.

Follow on Twitter HERE.

Facebook page HERE.

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The Smurfs Christmas

Written and Illustrated by Peyo

56 pages – ages 7+

Published by Papaercutz on October 1, 2013

When Gargamel (who has been very bad, as normal) is ordered to deliver the Smurfs’ Christmas presents to their tree (where Santa usually hangs their presents) outside of the forest by Santa, or else Gargamel will be turned into a worm, the Smurfs find some kindness in their hearts to bring Gargamel, their supreme enemy, some presents themselves!

This is a very cute Papercutz Smurf Graphic Novel. I like the other comics (bonus adventures) in it too, at the back. The snowman one was nice. 🙂 The Smurfs are always good for a quick, funny read on a sunny or a rainy day! I think reluctant readers will love this Graphic Novel series!

Find the book!

On Amazon – on the Papercutz website HERE!

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Kat McGee and the School of Christmas Spirit

A Kat McGee Adventure

By Rebecca Munsterer

Illustrated by Georgianna Manderioli

122 pages – ages 8+

Published by In This Together Media on November 14, 2013

Kat is the middle child in a family with 7 kids. All of her brothers and sisters are amazing and talented and Kat is… boring. So Kat is surprised when, out of all of them, she is chosen to attend the School of Christmas Spirit, run by Mrs. Claus herself (whom her grandmother, surprisingly went to high school with)! At the school, Kat uncovers a plot to ruin Santa and Christmas! Is it too late to save Santa from a terrible fate?

This is a cute story about a girl who thinks she’s a “loser” saving Santa and Christmas. I really like the idea of the School of Christmas Spirit. I would like to attend it. 🙂 I think that the plot is fun and the story is well written. It is a great book for younger boys and girls wanting a fun story about Christmas.

The story itself is 84 pages but the whole book is 135. The second part of this book has a bunch of activities and a reading guide. There are also discussion questions parents can use to talk to their kids about subjects like self-esteem.

A really cool thing in the activity part of this book is a recipe for Candyfruit created by Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio and Umber Ahmad from the Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery in New York City. Click HERE to visit their website.

Find the book! Goodreads –  Official Website – Amazon – Facebook

The Christmas Project

By Nicola Palmer

78 pages – ages 8+ (ebook reviewed)

Published by Kallisto on November 25, 2013

Billy Neale, and all of his town, was sick of the snow. That may surprise you, since it was almost Christmas, but the snow had started in September, and didn’t melt at all since then (It usually doesn’t snow until December-ish). Plus there are a bunch Christmas decorations showing up out of nowhere – with NO footprints in the snow to track the culprits! Plus, there are those neighbors across the street who showed up in September – with the snow… Billy knows there is something really weird going on. Billy decides to take matters into his own hands and figure out what is going on!

Ms. Palmer is the author of the Alice Parker series that I really enjoy. This is the second Christmas book I’ve read of hers. This new Christmas book from Nicola Palmer is a fun, thrilling, suspenseful adventure, with everything from snow-storms to aliens! How Ms. Parker combines Christmas, mystery and aliens is great! Billy is a great character – very kind and considerate, and is determined to figure out a problem. I really ended up caring for him as a character. The ending is great, but kind of a cliffhanger. I hope Ms. Palmer makes a sequel. I really enjoyed this story. 🙂 I think kids with a great imagination will find this book a fun read.

Find the book on Amazon HERE!

Find Ms. Parker on Twitter HERE.

Her blog HERE.

On Facebook HERE.

Categories: Age 1-5, Age 6-9, Age 9+

Tags: bibliophile, childrens books, graphic novel, kat mcgee and the school of christmas spirit, literature, mark kimball moulton, Nicola Palmer, peyo, rebecca munsterer, the christmas project, the smurfs christmas, the visit