Christmas O'Clock

by Joan Hazel (Editor)

Christmas O’Clock is a collection of two books and three stories for families, just in time for Christmas. All proceeds go to Water Is Life, to help children and families in an international effort.

Magic Coal for the Naughts: Jem and Mark, two naughty kids, are getting coal for Christmas. But, since it comes from Santa, the coal must be magic!

The List: Jill has been accused of being naughty. Can she clear her name in the North Pole courts?

Rudolph Saves Christmas: Rudolph is accused of trying to cancel Christmas! Can the famous reindeer escape prison and clear his name before it’s too late?

The Christmas Tree: Maggie’s family is leaving Earth and everything she knows behind forever, on a trip to the stars in a colony ship. Will Christmas ever be the same, and how will Santa ever find them?

Bah, Humbug!: Jeremy has to play Scrooge in the school play. Gazillions of lines to learn - how will he ever survive?

153 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2011

Reviews

[Bryan Chicato · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book are very fantastic.

[Gypsy Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each story included within this anthology is appropriate for children (and I could even easily imagine reading it to a child and starting a new holiday tradition). Magic Coal for the Naughts by Alison DeLuca was about two children who had wound up on the naughty list and had lumps of coal that they could not get rid of. The List by Nicole Antonia Carson was about a little girl who takes Santa to court to refute being put on the naughty list. It reminded me of Law & Order with a dash of Judge Judy, but starring some very young kids (the farting jokes didn't sit well with me, but I'm sure kids will enjoy those scenes). Rudolph Saves Christmas by Shaun Allen reminded me of the Miser Brothers Christmas animations. And The Christmas Tree by Connie J Jasperson was a perfect way to top off all of these cute Christmas stories. It was a delightful mix of science fiction meets Christmas tradition and the worries of children that Christmas would come to pass on a trip to the stars without what makes the holiday special.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a night time read a loud with my 6 and 9 yo boys. We greatly enjoyed the first three stories... so much that none of us were really bothered by the fact that we didn't care for the last two stories at all. The nod to Law and Order was fantastic, and lead me to finding the show's intro on YouTube so that the kids could get the joke. Bottom line... We really enjoyed ourselves while reading this, and I'm glad I stumbled upon this little gem.