The Girl with the Pirate Smile

by Joseph Truitt

Break into an old cookie factory with a mysterious new friend? Rob the townspeople to supply the cookie ingredients? Will the law catch up with Emma and Penelope before they get the cookies baked for Christmas?

Rediscover your inner child in this magical Christmas mystery as you follow the lonely Emma Harper through the enchanting town of Pottsville during the height of Christmas merriment. When Emma’s mysterious new friend, Penelope, convinces her to break into the old cookie factory, her life is instantly filled with adventure and purpose. Emma soon becomes captive to Penelope’s spunky personality, but when strange, enchanting things happen around Penelope, Emma suddenly begins to question the reality of her new friend.

Fall in love with Emma and Penelope in this heartwarming Christmas tale of friendship, adventure, and love for Christmas cookies.

Genres: Christmas

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2020

About the author

Joseph Truitt works with his daughter Megan to produce heartwarming adventures for anyone to enjoy. Most of his books include chapter art from his talented daughter, Megan. Joseph and Megan enjoy collaborating on the art and story to help the reader visualize the story from the author's perspective. Joseph’s stories will fill your soul with adventure, laughter, and mystery. And a satisfying payoff at the end to warm your heart.

Reviews

[Katie Czerwony · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5/5 stars

Such a fun Christmas mystery filled with friendship and adventure. There are also some darker more serious topics that are touched on as well showing that there is something for people of all ages to connect to.

I will have a full review on my BookTube channel soon(:

[Måns Sunesson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! Emma Harper is great!

It might not be as Christmasy as the gorgeous cover suggests, and it feels very American (make of that what you will). However, the story is wonderful, magical, touching and both happy and sad. The writing really good. Great prose while still being simple and easy to read.

Maybe not suitable for younger children to read on their own. But other than that, a story for all ages.

[Siobhan · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was torture

[Cassie Alford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl with the Pirate Smile by Joseph Truitt
🌟🌟🌟🌟
If you have not already read this book, it is a must read for all ages during this magical Christmas season.

Get cozy with the book, a blanket, and your favorite Christmas snack and be transported into Pottsville in this magical story with Emma Harper and Penelope.

This story has everything you need in a Christmas tale; magic, hope, love, friendship, and Christmas cookies! There is so much Christmas spirit, you can't help but get excited and fall in love with Christmas and The Girl with the Pirate Smile.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute story that was recommended as cozy mystery to me, but I think it’s more a child’s book than anything. I enjoyed it nevertheless and it had me laughing out loud several times.

[Neethaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma harper lives with her granma and granpa .she lost her parents in a car accident and in the same thing margeretlost his mom .she blamed emma for that and bullied her.emma met penelope in a bridge to go new way to her house
Penelope befriends emma and they take chicken from margaret house cows and horses coal etc.when emma is confronted she says its all to bake cookies in mrs adams house.mrs adams is he teacher plays violin and also breastfed emma aft emma lost her mom..but snow covers everything and emma skates and delivers medicine to all.she realises penelope is guardian angel who saved all these animalsfrom snow forst .she is the same one who saved her as a child from car crash
Darlene marries darth
Margaret married chad preacher wife
She even donated blood to emma in an accident
Emma is adopted by adams

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review: I was looking for a good Christmas book for Munchkin and stumbled across this series so decided to give it a try first. This was quite the adventure story. It is a bit of a chosen one trope but you can't help but route for Emma and she struggles with bullies, school, family financial difficulties and more. As an adult reading it, I definitely saw a couple of the twists ahead of time but there are still a lot of surprises throughout the story. Definitely a fun one for any kid to read and see the underdog kid saving the day. I will definitely be continuing with this series.

My Rating: This was a fun Middle Grade book to read during the holiday season. Even though the main character is a girl, it is such an adventure I think it is just as suited to young boy readers as well. I give this one a rating of Four Paws

[Holly Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderous Adventure! Come Away!

This Book Took Me Back To Childhood, With It's Magic And Small Town Charm. Emma Harper Is A Loner, With No Way To Replace The Shoes Practically Falling Off Her Feet, Let Alone Get The Pair Or Ice Snakes She Dreams About, And Who Is Pitiously Bullied. All This Changes For Her The Day She Meets Penelope Primrose. The Only Problem Is, That No One Else Can See Her....
This Book Is Filled With Mystery, Adventure, Crisp Moonlit Nights, Contented Lady Cows, A Gaggle Of Egg Laying Hens, Coal That Is Not Turned Into Diamonds, Two Sweet Ponies, Pirating, And Hundreds Of Christmas Cookies. Bring A Warm Scarf And Mittens, Hot Cocoa Is Provided.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - honestly, it was just clearly trying to hard to be a wondrous Christmas Hallmark classic. At least, that's what my vague recollection is. That and that I found it dull. I was trying to struggle through to the end several times but never quite got there. In the end, I gave up.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful Christmas ghost story! I would say this is one for all ages from the young to the old but young at heart. Adventurous, heartwarming, and surprising with a few spooky moments (that ghost train!), and Christmas cheer. So much to love!

[Lisa Weber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for a kids book, 2 (barely) for an adult. It might be fun for young kids. For anyone older, it was both cute but also really irritating. And I got really annoyed every time the word "mama" came up.

[Bryce Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this book was going along swimmingly and had a decent ending but then it kept going. It got really religousy and should have already been over, knocking it down in star rating.

[Brad Clouser · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun Christmas story with magic to delight all ages!

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun story! It actually reads a lot like a Disney/Pixar animated movie..Definitely a good one for kids of all ages. :)

[Teresa Ershbock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

I thought that the main characters were well thought out. They felt real and engaging. The story itself was interesting.

[Gretchen Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

We listened to the audiobook of The Girl with the Pirate Smile as a family on our Christmastime road trip. The story kept everyone intrigued and the narrator was excellent. Definite "It's a Wonderful Life" vibes but that's never a bad thing in my opinion!