Juniper’s Christmas (The Juniper Lane Adventures)

Juniper Lane's mom has gone missing and the search for her has thrown Juniper into a Christmas adventure that she didn't anticipate. She seeks out a mysterious woodsman living nearby because she is certain he can help her. She realizes he isn't who he seems to be and begins to suspect he is Santa Claus, who has been missing from the holidays for almost a decade. Now Juniper finds herself accidentally exposed to North Pole magic while trying to prevent a local crime ring from stealing Santa's magical sack. Oh yeah...and she still needs to find her mom. This fantastic Christmas story will delight readers of all ages. One of my favorite things about this book is the cast of characters. They were varied in age, personality, and uniqueness. There was also a ton of humor and silly antics. Even the crime boss behaves in such a way to keep the reader smiling. I adored Juniper. She is bold, confident, and determined. I did not doubt that she would achieve her goals even when all hope seemed to be lost. Her primary support in the book comes from an older homeless woman who has become friends with Juniper's mom. Their friendship gives Juniper the encouragement and support she needs to find her mother. Ultimately, this book captures the spirit of love, giving, and community that is central to so many Christmas traditions. I am thrilled to add this one to my Christmas shelf. Celebrate the holidays with a story of hope, magic, and saving Santa Claus, from a celebrated author beloved for his spirited storytelling. Juniper’s Christmas is the perfect holiday read, year after year.

Very cute adventure Christmas book.

This was a fun book. I really liked the characters and the way Juniper stumbled into the adventure while trying to find her mom. I liked how the Santa Claus magic worked and it was really fun to see the magic. There are a lot of heartwarming moments in this book in addition to funny moments. Good for kids of any age.

I loved this story and Mr Colfer's rendition of the Santa Claus mystery. It was a fun and exciting story from beginning to end. I never tell the actual story rendered down in a 500 word book report because 1) I never liked giving away even a portion of the story and 2) I always, always, sucked at book reports! I can tell you this much. If you have any spark of Christmas at all inside you, you will LOVE this story, no matter what age you are (I am 71). I highly recommend this book.

I have been wanting to read a seasonal read-aloud book with my kids for a few years. It never lined up for us to start a new read-aloud at a time that made sense to begin a Christmas book until this past year. We started Juniper's Christmas on December 5th, but we didn't finish until March 11th. We typically read every other night, but when activities make us late for bed, we skip reading those nights. So, it took WAY too long to read this book. The book starts with Juniper's mom, Jennifer, going missing. Juniper is immediately thrust into a highly stressful and traumatic life event. Her father died shortly before the events of this book. So she has no guardian to look after her. Her parents have both been involved in charitable work, so a homeless lady, Duchess, who is familiar with the family and has babysat for Juniper before, steps in as her temporary guardian until Jennifer can be found. However, Juniper stumbles upon a man Duchess says can help her, and Juniper is convinced that he is Santa Claus, who has been missing for nearly 10 years. There are many layers to this book. The high stakes had my kids invested in what was happening and what had happened to Juniper's mom from the beginning. The fictional world revolving around Santa Claus was done respectfully. I wasn't worried about my kids' belief being shattered. There is plenty of magic to be had, but I stressed ahead of time that this was a fictional story. Why has Santa been missing for 10 years? What happened to Juniper's mom? Will the charity event that Juniper's dad was always involved in around Christmas continue? Or will it be shut down by selfish adults and thieves? What will happen now that Juniper has bonded with a reindeer? To top things off, Santa must pull out the wish list letters from his sack this year or Christmas will be destroyed forever. Many questions needed to be answered. Many challenges were wrapped together into one big ball. However, even with all of that, there were too many lulls in the story for my liking. That being said, our reading pace could have caused this particular feeling. The writing style wasn't my favorite. It's hard to describe why. For one, I regularly stumbled when reading aloud because the words I expected to come next weren't the actual words. I imagine that many of the words used were based on some actual language I'm unfamiliar with. Skara, gifslaad, timboble, Tomescu, Sarika, etc. Being unfamiliar with the language of origin caused me to stumble even more. These would have been even more difficult words for a child reading this book on their own. A few comments were made that are mountain out of molehill things with ideology, but I noted them anyway. Nothing too severe or inappropriate for children, but noted regardless. Favorite quote: -"Mean words are the fruit of a sad tree," so Juniper couldn't help wondering what sad thing was making Rusty so mean. -People are not born mean, and usually the journey from kind to mean is a long and torturous one filled with harsh life lessons... Juniper's Christmas started off with a bang in the emotional stakes of Juniper's mom going missing. This created a desire to keep reading to find out what happened to her. However, I personally found there to be some lulls in the story, and I wasn't as interested in Trude Madden or her part of the story. Juniper's Christmas wasn't quite the Christmas story I was looking for. My 9-year-old daughter enjoyed it more than my 7-year-old son. Juniper's Christmas was just okay for me, so it gets 3 Stars. Have you or your child read Juniper's Christmas? What did you think? Let me know!

Perfect gift for my Granddaughter whose name is Also Juniper. A keepsake. Very good quality.

The writing was excellent, the story humorous and compelling. I especially liked how "elven words" were used to describe things. This would make an excellent family read aloud (or classroom read aloud) at Christmas time.

Worried about her disappeared mom, 11-year-old Juniper sets out to get help from a mysterious woodsman she believes is actually Santa. But she gets more than she bargained for when she finds herself in a race trying to prevent a crime boss from stealing Santa’s magic. What I liked: great characters! Juniper is a wonderful character, with a kind heart full of hope. The other cast of characters are quirky and unique. The storyline does tug at your heartstrings at times, but it is charming. Lots of themes woven in, including dealing with grief, healing, and hope. What I didn’t like: there is only one thing, and it is minor, but there are too many point-of-view shifts for me. I understand the need to be in different characters’ heads, but it did take me out of the flow of the story at times. Again, very minor. A great read. 4.5 out of 5 stars