Well, it is getting to be that time of year. Although not quite Thanksgiving, the holiday decorations are showing up in all the stores and the lighted reindeer and wreaths are appearing in the downtown area. It is also the time that we start to see a lot of little Christmas books, some by our favorite authors, and some by the not-so-famous.

I finished Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews (see my last post) and it was a fun read--I would recommend it for a light Christmas read whether or not you have read the other books about those characters. But, I just finished this morning a truly laugh-out-loud Christmas story. It is The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry. It is only 118 pages, with many vintage photos, and is a super-quick, feel-good read! Set in 1960, Doug is a shepherd in this year's Christmas pageant, an improvement over the Wise Man role from last year that got he and his fellow Wise guys in big trouble. The girl he likes, Judy, is Mary, but playing Joseph is Kyle, the smart, funny, athletic guy that everyone wants to be. And, the family dog, Frank, is getting old and may not make it until Christmas. Throw in a surprise ending involving bat guano....funny enough to make me read parts aloud to my middle schoolers, and funny enough to make them laugh (and they weren't just being polite!). This book is joining The True Story of Christmas by Anne Fine and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson as my Christmas must-reads!