by Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: Sep 1, 2012
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
Eight-year-old Lucy Turnbull knew better than to wish for a pony that Christmas in 1937. Her mother had assured her in no uncertain terms that asking for a pony was the same as asking for the moon. Besides, the only extra mouths they needed at their boarding house were the paying kind. But when an interesting pair of strangers comes to town, Lucy starts to believe her Christmas wishes might just come true after all.
The queen of the Christmas novel, Melody Carlson pens another magical tale of expectation and excitement as one little girl dreams big and the impossible becomes possible.
My Review:
I can't resist a book with a horse on the cover, so I couldn't wait to read this! The book is a really sweet Christmas story, told from an eight year old's point of view. She sees the world through such innocent eyes, you can't help but like her story.
The book is a shorter novella, so it can be read without the stress of a 400 page book during the holiday season, which is great. The story was a bit different than I thought it would be. When I read the description, I thought that it might be on the sad side, but it wasn't. Lucy and her mother's boarding house had a really nice feel about it, even as they struggled financially during the Great Depression.
I can see this book being made into a sweet holiday tv movie. I do think that the characters of George, and especially Mama, could be fleshed out a little more. George was just such a sweet heart, but I would have liked to have known more about him. Veronica was the perfect nemesis, and I really appreciated that even though Lucy admired her glamour so much at first, she was smart enough to catch on to her true nature quickly.
Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5 (Love it!!)
Writing: 4/5
Bottom Line: A light, sweet holiday read.
I have enjoyed some of Melody Carlson's other Christmas novellas so I might like this one too. It is hard to develop characters very much in novellas unfortunately which is why I usually prefer full length books or novellas that are from series where I already know the characters.
ReplyDeleteAwww it does sound sweet and I could see the holiday movie too
ReplyDeleteOh I like her Christmas books. I should look into this.
ReplyDeleteLike you, a horse on a book cover always catches my attention, just as it was when I was a child. I imagine this book's targeted audience is more that of a child 8-12, but I like to read children's books for review and to build a library for my someday grandchildren to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review!
I haven't read her Christmas books before but I'll look for this one. It sounds so cute.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so sweet! I haven't heard of the author before, but I do love a good holiday story.
ReplyDeleteWendy @ The Midnight Garden