A review by crafalsk264
The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas by James Patterson

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

Will (~14) and Ella (~12) Sullivan are latch-key children. They live with their father, Henry, in a run-down, sprawling Victorian house. Their mother (Katie) died 5 years ago around Christmas and since then the  children are fed, physically cared for, and have their basic needs met, but there are no holidays, no birthdays, no family vacations, and no presents. When Katie was alive, the house was arrayed with holiday decorations, the back garden was filled with all kinds of growing things, filled with good smells and tastes, and music—including her favorite Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.

This year Will and Ella have a plan. They create a profile for their dad on a dating website—with the plan that if he falls in love , he may remarry and they get Christmas back—including presents. When it comes to actually submitting the profile, they run into a snag—no credit card. So the plan stalls. But then the gifts start to arrive: a pear tree and a partridge chick, two turtle doves, three French hens, etc. So they have to come clean and admit to their dad that in his profile, they list his favorite carol as “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”  Henry begins a one-sided message chain with an anonymous woman known only as Miz TruLove who has signed the cards on the gifts. When a neighbor complains about the birds, the Sullivans receive a visit from a charming Department of Animal Protection employee named Marianna.

Some of James Patterson’s books have a thread of ironic humor running through them, especially the YA books. In  this book, Patterson and his co-author, Tad Safron, have created a warm, funny, engaging Christmas tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I can see this becoming one of my usual holiday re-reads.