By Eoin Colfer
4RBooks: 5/6, grades 4-8
Amazon rating: 4.6/5 (4 reviews), grade level 3-4
Good Reads: 4.05/5
Common Sense Media: 4/5, age 9+
355 pages
Synopsis:
It’s been ten years without a Santa Claus. No one knows why he stopped delivering gifts, but there are still those who hope and wait patiently for his return. This includes Juniper Lane. Her Father started the Santa Vigil 10 years ago, and she plans to keep them up in his memory. People from all over the city come to Cedar Park, some in costume, to sing and look skyward for Santa.
One year, everything goes wrong. Juniper’s mother is missing, and the park director announces that the Santa Vigils are canceled. Their friend Duchess, whose asthma is getting worse by the day, comes to stay with Juniper and offers to help by introducing Juniper to Niko, a kind-hearted man who helps the people in Cedar Park who have nowhere else to go. Niko harbors a secret and is reluctant to get involved.
Juniper won’t be denied and sets off to find her mother while discovering more secrets than she could have ever imagined. No one is who they say they are, the park director has hired a local gang to help stop the vigils, and Niko has some special pets with incredible gifts and talents, one of which has bonded with Juniper. All the while, a troop of elves is trying to track everyone down. Is it possible that by the end of this story, there might be a new Santa Claus to restart the tradition?
Parental Guidance: medium-low
There are various moments when characters are in danger: Juniper attacked by Trude, Niko imprisoned by Trude and her gang (and later, Juniper and Skaara, too), Juniper is threatened by Dafyyd that he would put her in “the system.”
Jennifer, Jupiter’s mom, knocks out Trude with one punch.
The Irish gang is known for using steroids on horses and mistreating them. They often carry weapons.
Juniper’s mom disappears and she is left alone with their homeless friend, Duchess.
Cedar Park is home to many homeless people that Niko tries to help. The Mayor wants Dafyyd to get ride of the homeless and to stop the Santa Vigil.
Both Juniper, dad, and Niko, wife, have lost someone and it effects them to this day.
Recommendation:
This was another Christmas themed book that I discovered at The Book Loft in Solvang, CA. The author Eion Colfer is a well-known author, most famous for his Artemis Fowl series.
This was an exciting story and creative reimagining of the Santa tale with new twists and scientific explanations for all the traditional details. Juniper is a compelling character, as are Duchess and Niko. The story moves along well and picks up pace the final 1/3 of the book.
I disagree with Amazon that this book is best for 3rd and 4th grade students. It’s 355 pages with a few illustrations. A dedicated and advanced 9-10 year old could enjoy it, but average to poor readers would struggle with its length, details, and information. I would put the grade level as 5-6, but 7-8 would enjoy it, too. While I listed a number of things in the parent’s guide, there wasn’t much for a teacher of parent to be concerned with. It would be fine as an individual read or classroom read. The characters in the story come from very diverse backgrounds.
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