Our Thoughts

This book starts with great content from the very beginning, with a dedication to “the teachers and parents who use Christmas programs to share God’s love”. This is not the first story in this series for Christian children, but we wanted to review it to provide a Christ-focused Christmas resource. There is a lot to really like with this one! First off, this is a mystery that doesn’t have any of the scary content that often comes with this genre. In parallel with the investigation to solve the mystery (what happened to the Christmas program manger?), Zack begins to investigate what the real meaning of Christmas is. This comes after he is surprised, himself growing up in a Christian home, to meet other kids who talk only of presents, santa and such. Probably the neatest thing about this one is that his investigation takes him to research international Christmas customs. He also looks at traditions like the Christmas tree and brings up the actual Saint Nicholas. There are some really interesting examples and we would expect most any child or adult will learn something (e.g., did you people used to carol to raise money to help the poor?). On top of that, we see characters and relationships we would expect in a Christian title. While it is not on par with some of the others we have reviewed (e.g, the Baxter Family series and the Moody Family series), it is still ‘good’ characters, friendships, family, etc. It is also a positive view of church, where much of the book takes place. At one point they help a young family in need, showing grace after the couple had been sneaking in to the church building to shower and stay warm at night. A program is mentioned that the church runs to help people like them. One really cool moment comes when a girl who has grown up outside of a positive Christian influence finds interest in the faith because of how she sees the main family operate and treat each other. In fact, Zack’s mom sparks up a really great relationship with this young lady that is a solid reminder that relationship building is the best step towards evangelism. This is one we HIGHLY Recommend.