Review/Giveaway: Secrets of a Christmas Box

A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!

Title: Secrets of a Christmas Box
Author: Steven Hornby

Genre: Children's Christmas book - ages 8-12
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.
Entry deadline: January 10, 2010
Restrictions: Open internationally

That's right, enter right here for this giveaway. Please note: we are giving away our review copy, so it has been gently read.

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Secrets of a Christmas Box, by Steven Hornby, is a 248-page hardcover book that engages kids in an other-world Christmas adventure. It's a chapter book with some black & white illustrations: 24 chapters which make for a nicely-packaged daily December read for your 8- to 12-year-olds. The book has a list price of $18.95. For more information, check out http://www.secretsofachristmasbox.com/.

Here's the publisher's summary of the book: "Enter the magical , festive world of the Christmas ‘Tree-Dwellers', as Larry, a Christmas snowman, and his pet companion Tinsel, wake up after the long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing.

Unable to accept his loss, Larry, along with Tinsel, his girlfriend Debbie, and a newcomer Splint, break the laws of the ‘Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues to his brother's disappearance.

Away from the safety of the tree, and desperate to piece back their families in time for Christmas, the small Tree-Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret, that threatens their whole way of life. However, they soon realize it's not just time that's against them, as they begin to unravel the ‘Secrets of a Christmas Box'."

Author Steven Hornby is an award-winning animator, working as lead on projects such as "Kung Fu Panda" and "I, Robot." This first fantasy novel of his was originally intended as a screenplay and is full of active dialogue and descriptions that keep the story moving along for even the most active kids.

This isn't a nice, sweet Christmas story. It's a secular book - a fun, somewhat magical adventure that delves into the imaginary lives of tree ornaments. There is some suspense as the main characters try to find their missing friend and encounter obstacles along the way. There are lessons learned as the characters figure out who they can trust and realize that not everything is as it seems.

The book is full of Christmas tree traditions and family values - ornaments that celebrate special family moments. And mostly, the book introduces a world waiting to be discovered as children dream and imagine...

Thanks to Ecky Thump Books for the review copy of this book.