Jeffrey Rittenhouse
Ho ho, hold on tight!This Christmas Eve, Santa is trading hooves for horsepower. His brand new candy cane car runs on pure Christmas joy. The happier the houses, the faster it goes. What could possibly go wrong?Plenty.A wrong turn sends Santa clear across Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh, where he crosses the same bridge four times and tries a sandwich with the fries inside. A police officer clocks him going 74 in a 45 on Street Road, and Santa offers him a gingerbread cookie instead of his license. And on one dark little street in Feasterville called Juniper Court, the car runs out of joy completely.Nine year old Caleb Marchuk is wide awake. He has a red notebook, a flour trap on the hearth, a jingle bell tied to his stocking, and one big question: is Santa real? When a candy cane car sputters to a stop right outside his window, Caleb is about to find out.With help from his dad, his neighbors, and one very proud reindeer named Blitzen, Caleb has to do something nobody has ever done before. He has to make enough Christmas joy to get Santa back on the road, or half the world wakes up to an empty tree.Perfect for reading aloud, one chapter a night, all through December.15 short chapters, just right for bedtimeA funny, warm adventure for ages 6 to 10A heartfelt answer to the Santa question that respects kids who still believe and kids who are starting to wonderLaughs for the grown up doing the reading, tooA new family Christmas tradition for every kid who has ever wondered, and every grown up who still checks the sky on Christmas Eve.
