In Abundant Christmas, written by Sherry Bach, Callahan wants to figure out how to capture the good feelings of the Christmas season and make them last all year.
He has to do a journalism project for school, so his mom suggests he interview some people to find out what they like best about the Christmas season. He could then compile the data and write his report about his findings.
That’s what he decides to do. He does such a good job on his report that his teacher wants to enter it into several writing contests and help him get it published.
What I Like: There are some advanced vocabulary words used throughout the text. These words are marked with super-script numbers and then their definitions are included in a glossary at the end of the book.
What I Dislike: The writing is a bit weak, the dialogue is somewhat stilted, and there are several typos throughout the text.
Also, Callahan has an older sister named Callie. I found that odd, because when I first started reading the story, I thought Callie was just a nickname for Callahan. Then I realized Callie was a separate character. It might be different if Callie and Callahan were twins, but they’re not.
And, even though Callahan writes an excellent paper on the subject of what people like about Christmas, the reader is never told what discoveries Callahan makes.
And, there is only one mention of religion in the book, when Callahan tells his friend about something he learned in Church. There is no mention of Jesus’ birth or the real meaning of Christmas.
Overall Rating: Ho hum.
Age Appeal: 9-12.
Publisher Info: Publish America, 2009; ISBN: 9781448991204; Paperback, 41 pages, $16.95.
Buy now at Amazon.com $16.95!
Special Info: Visit the author’s website.
He has to do a journalism project for school, so his mom suggests he interview some people to find out what they like best about the Christmas season. He could then compile the data and write his report about his findings.
That’s what he decides to do. He does such a good job on his report that his teacher wants to enter it into several writing contests and help him get it published.
What I Like: There are some advanced vocabulary words used throughout the text. These words are marked with super-script numbers and then their definitions are included in a glossary at the end of the book.
What I Dislike: The writing is a bit weak, the dialogue is somewhat stilted, and there are several typos throughout the text.
Also, Callahan has an older sister named Callie. I found that odd, because when I first started reading the story, I thought Callie was just a nickname for Callahan. Then I realized Callie was a separate character. It might be different if Callie and Callahan were twins, but they’re not.
And, even though Callahan writes an excellent paper on the subject of what people like about Christmas, the reader is never told what discoveries Callahan makes.
And, there is only one mention of religion in the book, when Callahan tells his friend about something he learned in Church. There is no mention of Jesus’ birth or the real meaning of Christmas.
Overall Rating: Ho hum.
Age Appeal: 9-12.
Publisher Info: Publish America, 2009; ISBN: 9781448991204; Paperback, 41 pages, $16.95.
Buy now at Amazon.com $16.95!
Special Info: Visit the author’s website.
1 comment:
I appreciate this review. Let me explain a couple things.
The reader IS told that when Callahan's teacher went to read his report, she expected another paper on what a person "gets" for Christmas and instead the opposite made her cry. The opposite of "get" is "give", so obviously the true spirit of Christmas is giving.
Secondly, this book does not have but one scripture in it, so that it can be shared with people who may not believe without being preachy. Afterall, the Bible says that the word does not return void, so even one scripture is enough to change a life.
The book is not a book about Christmas per se, but a book about the fact that everyone was given a talent by God, wrapped up in a Christmas type story.
Thank you
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