Tag Archives: advent calendar

Day 21 of the Library Advent Calendar

lettersfromfatherchristmasI have saved the best for last – Day 21 on the Library Advent Calendar is my personal favourite Christmas book. Letters from Father Christmas, by J. R. R. Tolkien (yes, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) is a collection of the letters that he wrote to his own children, charmingly illustrated and lovingly detailed.

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or painting. The letters were from Father Christmas.
They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone North Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house into the dining room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house, and many more.

 

Day 20 of the Library Advent Calendar

the-more-the-merrierDay 20 is Anne Fine’s hilariously funny The More the Merrier, all about a Christmas when too many relatives come to visit.

The Christmas holiday is, traditionally, a time for families to gather together. But more definitely does not mean the merrier in Ralph’s household – not with Uncle Tristram hurling spuds at the cat, cousin Titania in her frilly dresses, nutty Great-Aunt Ida and others. Mum’s on the verge of a breakdown and Ralph’s been banished to his bedroom…

This is definitely a laugh-out-loud book, just the thing to borrow over the holidays.

Day 19 of the Library Advent Calendar

a-christmas-carolIt’s the last week of the Library Advent Calendar, and we start this week with the classic Christmas book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him.

Today’s Advent Book is Miss Stirling’s special request!

Day 16 of the Library Advent Calendar

familyDay 16 is another look back in time to see what Christmas was like in the past – I really like the corny cracker jokes scattered across the pages.

Have you ever wondered what Christmastime might have been like in the past? Granny Collins describes how she celebrated the holidays with her family back in the 1940s and 1950s, including the games they played, the songs they sang, and all the delicious foods they made. Also included are lots of fun activities that Granny Collins remembers from when she was a girl—you can learn how to make yummy sugar cookies and your own pop-up Christmas card. Filled with colorful illustrations and interesting facts, this is your guide to learning about Christmases past.

Day 15 of the Library Advent Calendar

the-christmas-mysteryThe Christmas Mystery is a story that is divided up into 24 chapters, each a small complete tale. So really, it’s an advent calendar all by itself, perfect for Day 15!

One day Elisabet, while Christmas shopping with her mother, vanishes into thin air. Accompanied by angels, shepherds, kings and even a Roman governor, she is rushing back through time and space to Bethlehem, to be present at the birth of Christ. Fifty years later a boy called Joachim pieces together her story from a magic advent calendar and brings it to a conclusion.

Day 14 of the Library Advent Calendar

big-book-of-christmasDay 14 is all about things to do for Christmas, at Christmas, whilst waiting for Christmas… It is, in fact, The Big Book of Christmas!

A winter wonderland of a book, THE BIG BOOK OF CHRISTMAS is packed with Christmas songs, poems, bible readings for carol services, carols, three plays, including a fantastic song-filled nativity play, and tips, things to make and recipes for class Christmas parties. It really does contain everything a school could need to celebrate at Christmas. With an introduction by Philip Ardagh.

Day 13 of the Library Advent Calendar

lion witch wardrobeAnd now we come to Day 13 and the place where it is always Winter but never Christmas…

They opened a door and entered a world–Narnia–the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Lucy is the first to stumble through the back of the enormous wardrobe in the professor’s mysterious old country house, discovering the magic world beyond. At first, no one believes her. But soon Edmund, Peter and Susan, too, discover the magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. And in the blink of an eye, they are changed forever.

Day 12 of the Library Advent Calendar

siberiaWe are up to Day 12, and today’s book is set in a dystopian future in a cold, cold land.

When Sloe was tiny, her Papa disappeared and she and her mama went to live in a prison camp in the snowy north, in a time and place when there are no more wild animals. Mama’s crime: teaching science, and her dedication to the hope that the lost animal species can be reborn. To Sloe, Mama’s secret work is magic, as enchanting as Mama’s tales of a bright city across the ice where they will be free.

Years later, Sloe is sent to a prison school, and Mama disappears. At 13, Sloe escapes, pursued by a mysterious man. With only hope to keep her going, Sloe sets out on a solitary 1000-mile journey. But she is not truly alone for Mama left Sloe a gift: the seeds of five missing species and the knowledge to bring them to life.

Day 9 of the Library Advent Calendar

hauntingThe 9th day on the advent calendar has gone spooky…

It’s Christmas Eve and a group of friends have gathered ’round a fireside. As a hushed anticipation falls over the group, the only sound is the hiss of logs on the fire. Warmed by their intimacy, the friends begin to tell tales – eerie tales of restless spirits eternally condemned to walk the earth. Tales that will haunt you long after you have closed the pages of this book…