Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Santa Paws #2

The Return Of Santa Paws

Rate this book
CRASH LANDING!

Once abandoned in the deadly cold of a New England winter, Santa Paws knows all too well what it's like to live outdoors. And now the dog with a heart of gold must face a new challenge. Santa Paws's new owner, Gregory, is flying to New Hampshire with his sister Patricia and his uncle Steve when their plane goes down in the White Mountains. Everyone survives the crash -- but now they are stranded in the mountains without food and shelter. And to make matters worse, Patricia and Uncle Steve are injured.

It's up to Santa Paws to come to the rescue. Can he battle his way across the mountains and get his family home safe and sound?

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

6 people are currently reading
219 people want to read

About the author

Nicholas Edwards

53 books66 followers
Nicholas Edwards is a pseudonym for Ellen Emerson White.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
180 (40%)
4 stars
124 (27%)
3 stars
109 (24%)
2 stars
24 (5%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Gina.
403 reviews12 followers
July 6, 2021
An addendum to my original thoughts: this does get a little wearing after some time. Everything and anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and while that is, as I said, more realistic, it can also feel hopeless. In a way, that's a good thing; we can better relate to how the characters feel. However, it can also discourage further reading. Ultimately, it's up to each person's suffering barometer whether it's worth it or not, but in this case and this reader, it seemed a risk worth taking.

First review
One of the better and more realistic 'our plane crashed in the woods and now we have to try to survive' stories. Gotta love the dog with the heart of gold, as always, and the circumstances allow us to see Greg and Patricia less as characters and more as humans. It's also refreshing to see a portrayal of two siblings who genuinely love each other, but who also bicker because, well, they're siblings and sometimes it's fun. My only issue is with my particular copy: a dog on the cover who looks nothing like the Santa Paws in the books.
Profile Image for Julianna.
Author 5 books1,343 followers
January 15, 2023
Reviewed for THC Reviews
The Return of Santa Paws is the second book in Nicholas Edwards’s Santa Paws series. In this one, Santa Paws (aka Nick) has settled in with the Callahan family and loves being their dog. He’s particularly attached to the children, Gregory, and his older sister, Patricia. It’s Christmastime once again, and the family is planning to spend the holiday at their grandparents’ cabin in Vermont. Their parents are driving, but their Uncle Steve, who is a pilot, is flying so that he can come back quickly in a couple of days for work. Gregory and Patricia have flown with Steve several times before and love it, so they decide to take Santa Paws and go with him. However, before they reach their destination, a mechanical failure causes the plane’s engine to stall and Steve must crash-land it in the middle of a snowy forest. It comes to rest against a tree at the edge of a ravine, and Steve is knocked unconscious. Thanks to the kids’ quick thinking and Santa Paws’ help, they barely get everyone out in time before the plane plunges off a cliff. With Steve and Patricia injured, Gregory must build a shelter and find wood to start a fire. But when a snowstorm blows in and Steve realizes that planes won’t be able to fly in the bad weather to search for them, he reluctantly sends the kids in search of help. With the heroic Santa Paws forging a path through the deep snow and his trusty nose on the hunt for cars, they all brave the wintry condition and many obstacles, hoping for a Christmas miracle.

I read Santa Paws, the first book, years ago with my kids when they were young, but we never got around to continuing the series. Last year, I decided to reread it and then keep the series on my reading list each year at Christmastime until I finish it. I’m so glad I did, because The Return of Santa Paws was equally as good as the first one. It’s told in third-person POV alternating between Gregory, Patricia, and Santa Paws. As with the first book, I was impressed with the author’s ability to get inside the dog’s mind and figure out what he might be thinking. Of course, he humorously doesn’t understand exactly what’s going on, but he’s always eager to make his humans happy and help and protect them in any way he can. The story is full of action and adventure as Santa Paws, along with Gregory and Patricia, brave the ravages of winter in search of help after the small plane they were traveling on crashes in the wilderness. It’s part survival story, part heartwarming, holiday, family drama, and not to worry, there is a happy ending to the suspenseful narrative that kept me on the edge of my seat. I can’t imagine that this book wouldn’t entertain kids, especially those who enjoy animal stories or suspenseful, survival stories. Highly recommended for middle grade readers or the young at heart who would like this type of book.
5 reviews1 follower
May 14, 2018


This book is about a horrible accident and it is almost christmas. Two kids want to ride with her uncle in his plane to go to a cabin for christmas so they do. The plane krasis and the uncol past out so they had to get him and there self out before the plane file. Because the plane was on a tree. They get out with the help of there bog santa paws.

They build shelter out of some stick and some plane parts. A couple days later the kids and the bog go find help. It takes a while a helicopter comes but doesn't see them. They stop to rest they take turns watching the fire.

They keep going and they think that they are cools to a town there was a town 1.2 mines. They get saved and go save there uncol and happy ending.
Profile Image for Tarissa.
1,584 reviews83 followers
October 23, 2015
Christmas is coming and Santa Paws goes on a plane ride with his 2 favorite kids, Gregory and Patricia, along with their uncle. When their plane crashes, they are all injured and alone on a snowy mountain. In my opinion, not the best Santa Paws book—I rather like seeing him help the numerous people in town as in the first book. Cute story, although I'm not sure that it made sense that this was happening to Santa Paws. This storyline shows him out of his element, but still... Santa Paws must save the day!
Profile Image for Jackie.
471 reviews32 followers
November 1, 2018
This is a book about two children, their uncle and their dog, Santa Paws. Their uncle pilots a small plane and the children want to travel with him to the Christmas destination, instead of riding in the car with their parents. Fortunately, the dog flies with them. After the plane crash (not a spoiler, it is on the back cover of the book), the rest of the book tells of their struggles to be found.
1,352 reviews
December 4, 2017
See the first book in the series for a full review.
Profile Image for Meghan.
214 reviews3 followers
July 5, 2018
I felt my heart break reading this book. I kept rooting for the characters to make it through this alive and I am glad that they were eventually found and reunited with their family.
Profile Image for Trevor Bouma.
79 reviews
December 15, 2022
I think it was amazing! Santa Paws is in a plane crash in the wilderness with his family and helps them get back home safely.
Profile Image for Lana Kamennof-sine.
831 reviews29 followers
December 29, 2024
An intense read as it tells the tale of a young boy & his older sister & their rescue dog being flown by their uncle to their Christmas cabin only to become the victims of technical difficulties & crashing on a mountain top.
The resilience of all, especially the children and Santa Paws, is essential to the survival of all.
Profile Image for Ashleigh.
162 reviews
October 31, 2024
Better than the first book because it was less of the same thing being repeated over and over, with far less contrived situations for the dog to be a hero in. Outside of a few parts, the dog also seemed more realistic (although it’s a kid series about a heroic dog, so realism isn’t important).

I actually vaguely could remember parts of this one, but nothing about any of the other books.
Profile Image for Melanie Bracco.
163 reviews
March 9, 2025
In this sequel to Santa Paws, Nick (aka Santa Paws) has settled into his new home with the Callahan family, loving rides in the car, going for walks and getting fed Milk-Bones and other good treats, and we get a glimpse into what the Callahan's family home is like. I found it funny that the father is a writer who always listens to lots of Frank Sinatra music and likes to wear certain articles of attire for inspiration when he's trying to write up a particular scene (e.g. a top hat for a ballroom scene).
This year, Gregory and his sister Patricia are spending the holidays at their grandparent's lake cabin in Vermont, and they ask if they can bring along Santa Paws. When hearing their Uncle Steve is going to fly there in his little plane (he's a private pilot), Gregory and Patricia are excited and want to fly along with him.
But when a mechanical failure ends up causing the plane to crash land in the snowy wilderness, Uncle Steve, Patricia, Gregory and Santa Paws have to brave the harsh weather conditions and rugged outdoors in order to survive long enough to be rescued.
I loved this second book in the Santa Paws series, great story! Thank goodness for Santa Paws, what an amazing, smart dog!
Profile Image for Liana.
688 reviews36 followers
February 16, 2017
Wah... I remember when my teacher read this to my class...

THE BOOK WAS TOO INTENSE FOR OUR POOR LITTLE HEARTS!!! ...BUT WE LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT.

So exciting and scary... *dies*
Profile Image for Betsy.
61 reviews2 followers
March 28, 2012
First off, I have not read the first book but I'm sure it is very good as well as this book. This book is a very good book for a child book. I actually enjoyed reading this book because it is so easy to read and understand. I absolutely made a vivid imagination of the story as I read along. I actually burst into minor tears at the ending of this book. This book is good for people who enjoy kiddie books and light reading. It may be childish to be reading at my age, but I did enjoy reading this book as an adult. I would definitely encourage children to read this book, because they will definitely learn a lot about the purpose of this story. It will also open children's mind to see how they have potential to do something like the characters in this book did. The dog is very cute and very brilliant at helping out. Not many dogs in reality will do that like Santa Paws, but it can be done. This book is recommended for children who are enthusiastic to read, and for children who are not interested in reading. I guarantee that this type of reading will make unenthusiastic children hooked on to reading until the end and said that they really enjoyed reading this book.
170 reviews
April 11, 2009
Santa Paws chose to be Greg Callahan's pet. Greg was a 5th grade boy who provided him food when he was just a stray. Greg names him Nicholas, but a lot of times they call him Santa paws. Santa Paws now has a great life, with nice owners and a home. Then, one day, some time before Christmas, Greg and her sister Patricia's uncle Steve invited them for a ride in his plane. Things go smoothly, but then, suddenly, they were going to crash! They crashed to the side of a mountain, and they were lost in the cold, snowy wilderness with no sign of civilization.Now uncle Steve, Greg, Patricia, and Santa Paws had to save themselves, and they go on the search for their family or the city. Or will they catch their death attempting to search?
Profile Image for Star Shining Forever.
614 reviews28 followers
September 25, 2013
Awesome Santa Paws adventure! Patricia, Gregory and Uncle Steve are in a plane crash in the New England wilderness, a few days before Christmas. Hurt (some seriously), surrounded by cold and snow, and miles from civilization, they must find a way to survive and get help.

This was a classic adventure story, along the lines of the family movie "Alaska," which I love! This one is told more from the peoples' point of view because the dog doesn't fully understand what's going on. But the danger and peril are there. Told through the eyes of the kids, it's more scary because they're from the town and obviously not Eagle Scouts. But they cope admirably. I really like survival stories like this one—read it for a more tense version than a typical Santa Paws. :-)
Profile Image for Spencer.
1,570 reviews19 followers
September 19, 2020
2018
Another cute addition to the Santa Paws series. This one is a little bit more personal because he is saving his family after a plane crash. Not only does it focus on the Callahan family, but it's the only rescue Santa Paws has during this story. Usually, he runs around saving everyone, but after their plane crashed into the mountains, it took all of his energy just to save them. Good old Santa Paws doesn't quit, even though he is quite injured and it's because of his heroic efforts that everyone in the Callahan family survive.
2 reviews
December 2, 2022
What a cute story. This one was definitely more intense that the first book in the series but really good! The plane crash and story of survival are actually really good. Greg and Patricia’s characters are more well developed in this novel and makes them more relatable. And of course Santa Paws is wonderful as always.
Profile Image for Chelsea C.
89 reviews4 followers
December 15, 2016
This is probably my favourite of the Santa Paws books albeit I haven't read number 6. Anyway it's pretty interesting how there's actually fairly useful survival tips woven into the story of the novel.

9 reviews
May 19, 2010
This is one of my favorite books I have read, mainly because I love dogs, and any dog lover should definately read this.
Profile Image for Cinnamon.
401 reviews2 followers
February 4, 2011
Not too bad. The adventure had just enough suspense to keep me going. I will read this to my kids this summer.
Some of the references to technology and pop culture were very out of date.
Profile Image for Jackie Brown .
382 reviews2 followers
July 24, 2011
Cute Christmas story and a short read. It may be a kids' book but it is still adorable.
Profile Image for Lauren.
26 reviews8 followers
March 5, 2014
When I was 8 this was my favorite book, I re-read it until the cover tore!
81 reviews1 follower
November 28, 2012
Not that thrilling. Reminded me of a short story I read about a man who freezes to death. This one thankfully had a happy ending but the journey was not exactly enjoyable.
1,393 reviews14 followers
Read
January 2, 2014
AR Quiz No. 28475 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: MG - BL: 4.7 - AR Pts: 5.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.