Tag Archives: Christmas

Review: I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J. Lockington

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I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J. Lockington

I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Mariama J. Lockington
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published October 14, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

When snow falls, sparks fly in this irresistible queer romance from Schneider Family Book Award and Stonewall Honor winner Mariama J. Lockington—for fans of She Gets the Girl and Jennifer Dugan.

High school senior Lyric has always found Christmas to be the hardest season. While other kids got presents and family time by the fire, she was in and out of foster care. An up-and-coming make-up influencer and aspiring cosmetology student who loves a bold lip, Lyric definitely isn’t looking for romance—not when opening up to someone feels a lot like asking to get hurt.

Christmas is Juniper’s favorite time of year. At least, it was, until her moms’ separation. They’re back together now, and Juniper hopes they’ll stay that way. Because if they’re happy, that means Juniper can leave for her gap-year trip after graduation (the one she has yet to tell her parents about, and can’t really afford without their help).

When a chance meeting brings these two opposite personalities together, they should clash . . . only they don’t. Instead Lyric strikes a deal with Juniper: pose as her fake girlfriend in a series of holiday-themed social media posts and they can split the money from her beauty sponsorships. But soon the lines between what’s real and what’s not start to blur. Could it be that sparks are flying both in front of the camera and behind it?

Told from dual perspectives, one in prose and one in verse, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm is a cozy and modern love story from acclaimed author Mariama J. Lockington that’s perfect for the winter holidays or all year round.

My Review

This festive holiday romance hit all the right notes to start my Christmas season. I love the contrast between Lyric and Juniper as characters. Lyric is closed off and has difficulty trusting others, but she takes great care of her grandmother and works hard at her online beauty-influencer gig, saving money for her future. Juniper is sweet and more down-to-earth, though she’s quiet and reserved. She loves the holidays and romance. Her chapters appear in verse, which supports the romantic feel of her character.

Both girls have painful elements in their pasts that they don’t really want to talk about or acknowledge. For Lyric, it’s her history with her mom, who’s unwell and living unhoused. Juniper’s moms have recently reunited after a troubled relationship and separation. Both have dreams for the future that they’re not sure their families will support.

The girls begin fake dating because their photos and videos gain a lot of clicks on Lyric’s social media, generating some new sponsorship opportunities and income for both of them. They keep insisting they’re just friends and business partners, but sparks will not stop flying when they’re together, and it seems like everyone sees the relationship possibilities before they do.

I really like the balance of characters calling out issues with the main characters and the characters realizing things for themselves. Lockington leaves plenty of room for Lyric and Juniper to come to their own conclusions, but also shows the value of supportive relationships for helping us realize when we’ve missed the mark.

This is the first of Mariama J. Lockington’s books that I’ve read, but she’s won some huge awards for her other work in middle grade and young adult fiction. I’ll definitely be adding more of her books to my reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex. (Not shown on scene.)

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Lyric recalls a time when she was a small child, and she had a high fever and a seizure. Some of the things her mom did to try to address the fever don’t align with current medical advice. References to anger outbursts when Lyric was younger. In one scene, someone punches a locker and regrets it.

Drug Content
An adult references a time she got in trouble because unbeknownst to her, her date was selling drugs, got caught, and got her in trouble, too. Teenagers sipped vodka from a flask before entering a school dance. (Happens off-scene.) In one scene, two teen girls swipe alcohol from a parent’s liquor supplies and get drunk. They have a rough time the next day.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: North for the Winter by Bobby Podesta

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North for the Winter
Bobby Podesta
First Second
Published September 2, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About North for the Winter

From Pixar star animator Bobby Podesta comes a middle-grade classic holiday story about Virginia, a girl who must help one of Santa’s reindeer back to the North Pole before Christmas.

What would you think if you saw a reindeer fly? When this happens to Virginia, she isn’t sure what to do – she’s just lost her mom, she’s in a new city, and everything seems so hard. But when she reluctantly confesses what she saw to her neighbor, Benny, he’s convinced that flying reindeer can only mean one thing: this is Santa business.

In this stunning graphic novel debut from Pixar director Bobby Podesta, two kids and a lost reindeer go up against obsessive hunters, suspiciously convincing department store elves, and radar operators for the Continental Air Defense Command Center. No matter the odds, Virginia’s going to get Christmas back on track!

My Review

This sweet Christmas story begins with a girl and her father on a move from Arizona to Colorado. They’re moving in with Virginia’s aunt, her dad’s sister, to give them both some time to recover from her mom’s death in a car accident. On the way, they encounter a lost reindeer, who seems to form a special bond with Virginia.

Though the reindeer doesn’t ever speak, it licks Virginia’s nose and nods at her in answer to questions. She rides Donner into the sky to escape a trapper, something she finds terrifying at first, and then exhilarating.

Virginia’s relationship with Donner allows her to blossom. She invests in his return to Santa’s team and learns to depend on others and form a new community, too.

The inclusion of the military characters adds a funny note. They’re mystified by the presence of eight flight paths that appear to come from Canada every Christmas Eve.

If you’re looking for a snowy, feel-good Christmas story, put this one on your list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Vague references to an adult swearing. One time this is represented by symbols in a speech bubble. A second time it’s just dashes and exclamation points.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Contains flying reindeer, elves, and Santa Claus delivering presents on Christmas.

Violent Content
A trapper pursues Donner, trying to catch him with a net. He fires the net from a launcher that looks a little bit like a gun. One perspective follows military personnel who track unidentified aircraft and send planes to investigate/potentially shoot down anything deemed dangerous.

Drug Content
An elf gives Virginia a powder that puts someone to sleep instantly. She uses this to incapacitate someone during a rescue mission.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: The Essential Christmas Classics by Charles Dickens, ETA Hoffman, et al

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The Essential Christmas Classics Boxed Set by
Charles Dickens, E. T. A. Hoffman et al
Aladdin
Published October 7, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Essential Christmas Classics Collection (Boxed Set)

Celebrate the holidays with this collection of Christmas classics, including A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, and a collection of holiday short stories—together in one hardcover boxed set!

Celebrate the season with this collection of popular holiday stories from Christmases past. This set includes E. T. A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker, the story of a girl’s Christmas gift coming to life and battling the sinister mouse king, which later inspired Tchaikovsky’s popular holiday ballet. Next is A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’s renowned novella about the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge being confronted with his greed and learning the meaning of Christmas.

Rounding out the set is TheTwelve Classics of Christmas, a collection of twelve holiday short stories. From favorites like Clement C. Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” to lesser-known tales from beloved authors like Louisa May Alcott, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Brothers Grimm, this anthology is the perfect way to count down to Christmas.

My Reviews

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This isn’t the first time I’ve read this classic Christmas tale, but it’s the first time I’ve read it in print in a while. Some of the language in this edition is updated to make it a little more modern, but the story still resonates with its powerful themes about charity, kindness, and caring for others.

One element from the story that I can’t unsee is its antisemitic tropes in the setup of the characters of Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley. Both are miserly men who worked as moneylenders and refused to offer charity to others.

Another icky component is the writing about the famous disabled character. Dickens uses the overly angelic and wise beyond his years Tiny Tim to emphasize the poor and disabled as in need of pity.

I like the message about giving charitably, lifting others up, and offering kindness to those around us as central to the Christmas spirit. It’s strange to think that when I grew up, no one considered this novel as antithetical to the Christian message about Christmas. I’m not sure that is still true.

Certainly anyone believing empathy is a sin would find Scrooge facing eternally punished for refusing to give his wealth to the poor mightily uncomfortable at least. Which is absolutely wild. If you went back in time to my most fervent evangelical days and told me that many of the church leaders I so looked up to would reject empathy and charity as wicked, I wouldn’t have believed you.

Nevertheless, I think that with some additional discussion about the ableism and harmful stereotypes, this book still serves as a reminder of the central values of the Christmas holiday. A lesson far too many of us need to remember.

Content Notes

Recommended for ages 10 up. Ableism surrounding a disabled character. Racist Jewish stereotypes. A total of four ghosts (including his former partner) appear to Scrooge, spiriting him through Christmases of the past, present, and future.

The Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffman

This is the original story that inspired the famous ballet by the same title. It’s easy to see how the ballet emerged from the book, but a lot of things happen in these pages that didn’t make it to the stage. Drosselmeier, the clever Godfather who fixes the family’s clocks and makes incredible mechanical toys, appears more morally gray than his ballet counterpart. He makes fun of the main character (named Maria, not Clara) for liking the Nutcracker, whom he intended as a gift for the family, not specifically for her. At one point, he tells a long story to Maria and her brother that spans several chapter and involves a conflict between a king and a mouse queen. This story reveals the identities of the two sides battling in Maria’s playroom.

One thing that I found strange is that Maria is only seven years old when the story takes place. Yet at the end, she gets married to an adult man. It’s also super weird that Maria’s Godfather appears to know the (human) identity of the Nutcracker, but he gave him to Maria’s family as a Christmas gift.

It was interesting to read the original story and see how the ballet was inspired by the elements of the tale. I’m not sure I would have read this book on my own. I think today’s young readers will need some additional context for some moments in the text. Readers curious about the origins of the Nutcracker ballet may find this book appealing.

Content Notes

Recommended for ages 10 up. Situations of peril. A battle between toys and mice leaves toys broken and some mice dead. Descriptions of capturing and killing mice. A mouse torments a girl at night.

Twelve Classics of Christmas by Various Authors

This collection of short Christmas stories features some familiar tales, such as the famous poem about the night before Christmas, the Grimm Brothers’ story of “The Elves and the Shoemaker”, and “The Gift of the Magi” by O’Henry. Other stories might be less familiar than their authors. Short stories by L. Frank Baum, L. M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, and F. Scott Fitzgerald appear in the collection.

The stories by Alcott and Montgomery were my favorites. Both centered on the idea of charity being a central value of the Christmas holiday. They reminded me of the kinds of characters in their novels, so I enjoyed that. Other stories were a little darker, including “A Kidnapped Santa Claus” in which a team of demons who live near Santa’s workshop kidnap the jolly old elf in order to sow chaos among the children on earth. Dickens offers a predictably eerie story about a cruel gravedigger’s encounter with goblins that makes him change his ways.

Content Notes

Recommended for ages 10 up. Some stories contain magical or spiritual creatures such as demons, goblins, etc. The elves appearing in one story at first have no clothes. (There are no illustrations in the collection.) Some stories contain mentions of going to church. Two stories mention the birth of Jesus and contain characters searching for him.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy the three books in this boxed set in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Barbara Robinson
HarperCollins
Published April 12, 2005 (Originally published 1972)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.” The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids.

Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are an awful bunch. They set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s toolshed, blackmailed Wanda Pierce to get her charm bracelet, and smacked Alice Wendelken across the head. And that’s just the start! When the Herdmans show up at church for the free snacks and suddenly take over the Christmas pageant, the other kids are shocked. It’s obvious that they’re up to no good. But Christmas magic is all around and the Herdmans, who have never heard the Christmas story before, start to reimagine it in their own way.

This year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special.

My Review

I think I maybe read this book in school back in the day? I’m not totally sure, but I know I read it when I was in elementary school, and had wanted to read it again.

This year I’ve been addicted to Tim Curry’s audiobook performance of A Christmas Carol, but I wanted to read another Christmas story that left me feeling more centered on things that matter at Christmas. I’m super glad I remembered this one.

I love that the story is so simple. It’s literally 7 chapters, and I think I read the whole thing in maybe 30 minutes? It would easily be a great book to read aloud with a family over the holidays.

I also love that the story centers around kids that are outsiders, kids who are judged to be “undeserving” of starring roles by the good Christian church members. Yet, it’s their performance that so calls to mind the truth that Mary and Joseph and Jesus were outsiders and refugees themselves.

The whole story is about how this unexpected turn of events takes a tradition that everyone sort of goes through the motions repeating and brings it to life and makes us experience it in a fresh, new way.

It reminds us that the Christian Gospel is supposed to be accessible to everyone, not just the church people. That God has starring roles planned for people we wouldn’t expect him to choose.

At any rate, this is one of my favorite Christmas stories, and I’m glad that I was able to read it again this year.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Few racial details given.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Most of the story takes place in a Christian church, with kids putting on a Christmas pageant centered around the story of Christ’s birth.

Violent Content
Some reference to arson and bullying by the Herdman kids.

Drug Content
References to the Herdman kids smoking.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: Silent Days, Holy Night by Phyllis Clark Nichols

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Silent Days, Holy Night
Phyllis Clark Nichols
Gilead Publishing
Published on October 30, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Silent Days, Holy Night

The sounds of Christmases past echo through a silent house . . .

Everyone in town knows Emerald Crest, the green granite mansion atop the highest hill: the legendary, lavish Christmas festivities that used to light up the nights— and the silence that followed when the parties abruptly stopped many years ago. And everyone has heard whispers about the reclusive, mysterious master of the manor, Henry Lafferty the Second . . .

When eleven-year-old Julia Russell steps into the great house for the first time and meets Mr. Lafferty, the entire course of her life is altered. She meets a man who is nothing at all like the rumors she’s heard from neighbors and classmates. He’s kind and extraordinarily talented—he also happens to be deaf and uses a wheelchair. And when she overhears a secret about him, Julia decides it’s time for the town to bring Christmas back to Emerald Crest—an act that will change them all forever.

My Review
What a sweet story! Silent Days, Holy Night is sort of framed—where an older Julia (26) returns to Ember Crest mansion to celebrate Christmas and she thinks back to when she was eleven, the first time she met Mr. Lafferty, the mansion’s owner, and what it took to bring Christmas to him, and then continues the celebration in the present.

I liked Julia’s close-knit family and community and the way they protected Mr. Lafferty by respecting his wishes for privacy. Julia’s relationships with her parents, her grandparents, and her best friend Piper were all really nicely done, too. Julia’s inquisitive nature kept everyone on their toes and made me laugh. Other tender moments brought tears to my eyes, like when Mr. Lafferty hugs her for the first time. Such a great moment.

Silent Days, Holy Night is such a cozy story. It’s perfect for curling up with on a cold afternoon with hot chocolate or warm tea in hand. Even though the story centers around Christmas, its celebration of faith, family, and community make it the perfect read for any day of the year.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white or not physically described. One man is deaf and in a wheelchair.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Julia and her family pray at different points in Silent Days, Holy Night. Anytime Julia says something she knows she shouldn’t say or isn’t true, she asks Jesus to forgive her. She works on a Christmas performance which will celebrate the birth of Jesus with songs and stories.

Violent Content
A couple boys fall and get hurt.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of Silent Days, Holy Night in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Snow Witch by Rosie Boyes

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , , , ,

Snow Witch
Rosie Boyes
Published on October 1, 2018

Amazon | Goodreads

About Snow Witch
A GRANDFATHER CLOCK. A GLASS LOCKET. A POWERFUL CURSE UNLEASHED ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

Twelve-year-old Kitty Wigeon can’t wait for Christmas at St Flurries, a grand old manor house in the countryside, until one chilly night she vanishes without a trace.

One hundred years later… Still grieving over the death of their mother, Kes Bunting and his younger sister Star, are sent to live at St Flurries. They find a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets.

Who, or what, is making footprints in the snow?

And what evil force is taking a cold grip on Star?

Wrap up warm as you join Kes, and a cast of eccentric snow creatures, in a race against time to solve a hundred-year-old curse. Will he succeed? Or will the fate of his sister be decided by a shivery kiss from… the Snow Witch?

My Review
I enjoyed a lot of things about this story: the brother/sister relationship, the family history and how it tied in with the current mystery, the fun English setting. Snow Witch has a lot of good things going for it. I want to call it a really cute story, but I’m worried that will backfire! Haha. I really just mean that it’s a sweet, fun winter tale with some mystery and magic.

I liked Kes a lot. He has such a big heart and has clearly been through so much already. His relationship with his sister is really sweet. I wasn’t as deeply moved by the section of the story from Kitty’s point-of-view. It’s kind of a long flashback, and I totally get why the story follows her memories. I think I just liked Kes so much better and wanted the story to get back where he has a chance to piece everything together and save the day. I liked both of the older ladies in the story, too. Honestly, I should just say it had great characters! Some, like the older ladies, were quirky and surprising. Others, like Kes and his sister, had so much courage.

If you’re looking for a book to read on a winter night with a cup of cocoa, check out Snow Witch. I think it would also appeal to fans of The Griffin of Darkwood by Becky Citra. For more about this book, check out my interview with author Rosie Boyes.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white or not physically described. The story is set in England.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
A traveling fortune teller casts a curse on a young girl she believes stole something from her.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Some references to a man drinking too much alcohol. At one point, a child nearly drowns while the man is supposed to be watching him.