Description:
Count down to Christmas with this cozy novel that celebrates all the joy and enchantment of the season!
Christmas should be the best time of the year when your family owns a shop called Deck the Halls. But for twelve-year-old Krista Sorenson, the holidays are shaping up to be more stressful than merry. Her mom's going on bed rest, stage fright has her stuck in the wings, and her brain turns to tinsel whenever Nate Alvarez (her not-so-secret crush) is around.
When Krista discovers a mysterious Advent Box that seems to grant wishes, she thinks all her problems are solved. But as her wishes take unexpected turns-and her grandparents announce they're selling the store-Krista must uncover the true purpose of the Advent Box before it's too late.
Heartfelt, funny, and brimming with cheer, The Advent Box is perfect for everyone who believes in the magic of Christmas-and a little wishful thinking.
Review Quotes:
"It's a time for books that soothe us, stress kindness to humans and animals, and bring smiles to our face. So today's roundup includes only books that offer good thoughts and the best of humanity. ... For middle-school readers who would enjoy a gentle story, former Minnesotan Shannon O'Donnell Taylor offers THE ADVENT BOX, part fantasy, part Christmas magic. Seventh-grader Krista helps in her family's Christmas store where she finds an old Advent box. To her amazement, the little elf on the roof grants wishes. Each day of Advent one of the doors opens and he leaves a message for Krista, who's worried about her pregnant mother, about whether her grandparents are selling the store, about getting stage fright when she sings at the pageant, and why her fashion-designer Aunt Julia can't get back together with her former boyfriend, now a teacher at the local school."
"Krista is something of a busy-body and her plans don't always work the way she wants them to, but everything she does is from a tender heart. And the elf sometimes engineers surprises. Why, for instance, does he send her a reindeer? Later she sees how the animal saves a little boy missing his mom."
- Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities Pioneer Press