HAPPINESS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE BY MELISSA ANN GOODWIN

You all KNOW what a book lover and avid READER I am! If it's slipped your minds, please peek below at the pictures of SOME of my UNREAD books. The ones on the floor are the next stacks (14 at a time) which I will take in my bedroom and put on my next-to-read shelf. (I read them in order of the way I have them stacked - remember, I'm an anal Virgo - LOL!)

See? I wasn't JOKING. And that doesn't count the 17 LARGE boxes of ALREADY-READ books I have in the garage, waiting for a new home. EEEEKS! HOWEVER, that doesn't stop me from losing my mind in the bookstores and online and buying even MORE books  buying a new book now and then, especially when it's something that I can just TELL will be wonderful! As was the case when I saw this:

 I saw it on my friend Jingle's blog and wrote to Melissa, the author. Ordered it directly from HER! Now, besides being a book lover, I'm (obviously) a Christmas lover! And I love time travel! Also love young adult books EVERY bit as much as I love adult books. This one? Fits every single category! First of all, I did something I rarely do. I 'allowed' it to jump ahead of the books I was supposed to read next. THEN I read it in one sitting, NOT because it was super short, but because I didn't want to STOP till I finished it! Below is the email I sent Melissa last night!


Hi, Melissa!
Just a quick note to tell you I started (and FINISHED) THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE last night, and LOVED IT! Seriously! It caught me and pulled me in from the very beginning, and did not let go until the last word! I will be blogging about it tomorrow and spreading the word to friends here in Houston! If you should find yourself selling it at Barnes and Noble, count on me to pick it up and point it out to both shoppers and STAFF! You are a VERY gifted writer! It takes a special author to write something which appeals equally to children AND adults! This will! I think it's going to catch on and become a Christmas classic! I'm SO glad I bought it. Even MORE pleased I read it right away. It made my Christmas happier! CONGRATULATIONS! With hugs and hopes that you have to get a 2nd and 10th and 100th printing! Kai


Does that tell you what I thought? Barnes and Noble is now selling it online so I intend to go over and do a review there later this evening. Below is an 'official' synopsis, and below THAT, a reader's review.
Book Description:
When Jamie Reynolds comes to his grandparents' Vermont home for Christmas, he just wants things to go back to the way they were before his dad disappeared. Time and again he is drawn to Grandma's miniature Christmas Village, where he imagines that life is perfect. Late one night, the village comes to life before Jamie's eyes, and his fantasy of escaping into it becomes very real indeed. He discovers that the village is called Canterbury, where the year is 1932. Jamie becomes fast friends with Kelly and Christopher Pennysworth, and is taken in by Ida, who runs the local boarding house. But he also makes a dangerous enemy of the mysterious and menacing Jim Gordon, whose return to town is nothing but trouble. As Jamie desperately races against time to find his way back home, he is suddenly faced with a terrifying choice: to go ahead with his plan to leave, or to stay and help his friends, at the risk of never going home again. The Christmas Village is an adventure the whole family will love, filled with suspense, secrets and surprises to the very last page.
This is a MUST READ! Highly recommended, destined to become a classic.


And here is the review by a reader:

What a wonderful book! It will take you on an adventure filled with surprises, it will make you smile and bring a tear to your eye. It's a children's book, yes, but the kind that grown-ups wil love too, for its positive messages about family, friendship and forgiveness. When you reach the end, you'll want to read it all over again! And, the ending is ... fantastic!! This is a book you'll want to bring out year after year - a new family Christmas tradition. The Christmas Village is a delightful holiday story about a 12 year old boy named Jamie. When his dad left them Jamie was unhappy because everyone talked about them but not to them. So his mother decided that a trip to his grandparent?s house in Vermont for the Christmas holiday will be better. When his grandmother showed them a miniature Christmas Village Jamie is drawn to it. Later that day, Jamie imagined how perfect life would be in a perfect little village like Canterbury, and he made a wish ?I wish I could live in Canterbury,? and tiptoed to bed. Late one night the miniature village came to life before Jamie's eyes. Is the Christmas Village really what it seems? What secret does the miniature Christmas Village hold? This book will take the readers on a rollercoaster ride to a place in time full of excitement, suspense and twists that will surprise you toward the end of the book. What an interesting read - am still smiling. I highly recommend this book.

Am I getting paid for this? LOL! NOOOOOOOO! I just firmly believe in promoting writers. And in MY opinion, this writer, Melissa Ann Goodwin, is a writer well worth promoting! Just for the record, we've now emailed a number of times and I can tell you she's also a VERY nice human being! If you get a chance, pick up a copy and FORGET that it's categorized as YOUNG ADULT. Just open your mind, read, and FEEL the Christmas magic wrap you in a big, warm hug! I did! And I'm GLAD!