A great heart-warming magical Christmas story for young readers. ( )

Radiant and charming and sweet, though I do wish there had been a little more follow-through on the angel thread. ( )

While I liked her Dust Lands series and characters, this book missed the mark, at least for me. It is a complicated tale of magical realism. Davy David is a harmless young teenage orphan, living day to day, in a small town, drawing angels with his brooms. The local pastor is a bad guy, and decides to get rid of Davy when Davy accidentally discovers the pastor's infidelity. There is also a child catcher in town (think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.) Davy has a few friends in town, like the local librarian and theater owner. In recovering a lost ball for some kids on the grounds of an abandoned museum, Davy meets a dying old lady, whom everyone thinks is a witch. She takes a shine to him and offers Davy more money than he has ever seen, to drive her home to die on her 80th birthday on Christmas. The two are joined by Davy's stray dog. Their trip is marked with much adventure ... and magic, as the old lady seems to become more alive and young along the way to the ending.
( )

It's been a while since I've read a book for younger readers, but this one was so unlike the ones I'm used to seeing in these books. There was so much more depth in this story! And while I didn't exactly cry, by the end of the book, there was this nice little silence and peace in my head. Everything in this book just...sat really well with me. I liked it!

Kinda sweet, kinda sad...it's a nice little read. ( )

A lovely and sad book with interesting characters. I can't really decide what age I would recommend this to though. It's intended for middle grade readers but I'm not convinced they would enjoy it. It's one of those stories you either love or hate. ( )