The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas

by James Patterson, Tad Safran

Overview

Move over, Dickens—America’s favorite storyteller has written a gift, “a delightful Christmas story to be shared by the whole family” (Kirkus), destined to become as treasured as A Christmas Carol.
 
At Christmastime, a family of three are missing someone dear to them. Until unexpected guests begin to arrive at their empty house, filling it with Christmas memories in the making. 
 
Listening to the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a beloved holiday tradition. 
 
Now comes a new one: Reading James Patterson’s instant classic, The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316405904
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	10/03/2022
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

James Patterson is the world's bestselling author. The creator of Alex Cross, he has produced more enduring fictional heroes than any other novelist alive. He lives in Florida with his family.

Tad Safran is a storyteller. He has written them for TV, film, podcasts, newspapers and books, always with the same goal: to entertain, intrigue and amuse. He lives at the top of a hill with his wife and twin sons who make every day like Christmas Day, i.e. messy, noisy, exhausting and quite wonderful.

Hometown:

Palm Beach, Florida

Date of Birth:

March 22, 1947

Place of Birth:

Newburgh, New York

Education:

B.A., Manhattan College, 1969; M.A., Vanderbilt University, 1971

Website:

http://www.jamespatterson.com

Editorial Reviews

2022-08-17
Five years after their mother dies on Christmas Day, two children have a magical Christmas experience.

Will and Ella Sullivan, ages 14 and 12 respectively, have had a tough five years. With their mother's death, their father, Henry, has retreated into himself. He drinks too much, refuses to buy anything approaching a luxury (and in his mind, that would include honey and jam), and does the bare minimum at Columbia University, where he's a professor. With Christmas a forbidden topic, let alone a day a celebrate, Will and Ella decide to set up a dating profile for their father in an attempt to find happiness for him—and Christmas presents for themselves. The result is a crazy, magical, outlandish story that still works: A Ms. Truelove starts messaging "Henry," and the kids message back, pretending to be their father. Henry discovers the scheme almost immediately and lets Ms. Truelove know she’s been messaging children. The next day, however, a crate arrives on the doorstep of their Harlem town house with the words "Truelove Nurseries" stenciled on the outside. Inside: A partridge in a pear tree. More gifts follow: Two turtle doves, followed by three French hens—and so on, through the end of the song for which the book is named. With outlandish yet joyful elements reminiscent of books such as Mr. Popper's Penguins (1938), this joint effort by authors Patterson and Safran is a magical throwback to classic children’s fiction. Scary elements are touched on—a mother's death, a father’s alcoholism, school bullies, shoplifting, and more—but the story itself is uplifting, with friendships rekindled, family love and happiness rediscovered, and neighborliness and kindness shared.

A delightful Christmas story to be shared by the whole family.

Kirkus Reviews