Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

If you are looking for a sweet, holiday read, then you can’t go wrong with Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Imagine if you will, a prominent writer of his day, recovering from a ill-received work, newly minted father of 6, hounded by charities, publishers, and children dealing with the newfangled idea of a Christmas tree and the resurgence of carols at every corner. Being commissioned to write a Christmas story just weeks before the blessed day is the final straw. He bah humbugs himself back to his bachelor’s quarters, donns a disguise and fails miserably at evoking any sense of Christmas in the story he’s written.

Faithful readers, friends, a crew of ragamuffins headed by David Copperfield, and a mysterious theater seamstress in a purple cloak haunt his every step. Walk along with Mr. Dickens as he rediscovers the joys of Christmas and finally gets that blasted Christmas story written. A prickly writer with an eye for the ladies, laboriously described scenes and characters, and the interweaving of other works by Dickens make this a worthy read this holiday season. In fact, it’s so rich you may need to read it twice just to savor the decadent details.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

If you are looking for a quick and entertaining holiday read, then look no further than The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. The Herdman children make the traditional Holy Child reenactment one that no one will EVER forget. 

Every town has one of THOSE familes, a rowdy brood of trouble makers. The Herdmans are every teacher’s bane and every student’s worst nightmare. Setting fires, blackmail, bullying, are smoking in the girl’s bathroom are minor compared to what happens during the Christmas Pageant.

If Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys’s unbelievable antics during the Christmas pageant aren’t enough, then you can continue to enjoy rolling your eyes as you read The Best School Year Even and The Best Halloween Ever.

Children and adults will laugh out loud at the too-real descriptions of those Herdmans.