Talk Santa to Me

July 1, 2022
Christmas is coming, but all is not merry and bright for Frankincense Wood. Francie's best friend, Alice Kim, is going to a different school, and it's getting harder to connect. The 15-year-old is also dealing with cruel ongoing teasing from some boys following her first kiss two years earlier. Francie works at the Hollydale Holiday Shop, the family store filled with memories of her beloved late grandfather. Her overbearing Aunt Carole is implementing efficient, regimented processes in hopes of turning around the store's financial situation. When Francie offhandedly refers to herself as Santa's Intern while promoting the shop on a local cable-access show, they are inundated with letters requesting things from Santa. Meanwhile, Francie is hoping for a second chance at kissing, this time with cute transfer student Hector Ramirez. When a heartfelt letter inspires Francie to raise money to buy books for kids using local food pantries, she, Hector, and their classmate Ellie Baptiste work on a short film for a school project that also serves as a book drive fundraiser. A bonus: lots of time together with her new crush. The romantic plotline is strong but does not overshadow the treatment of friendship, grief, money worries, and more. Readers will relate to Francie's feelings of mortification about the boys' shaming of her. Francie and her family are coded White; Alice has Korean ancestry, Hector reads as Latinx, and Ellie is cued as Black. Will delight readers looking for a romance with humor and heart. (Romance. 12-16)

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September 1, 2022

Gr 8 Up-Francie's family is all about Christmas, and their year-round holiday store is well-known in the town of Hollydale and beyond. Francie is still mourning the death of her grandpa, who played the quintessential Santa, but she is trying to hold it together in her job at the store so that she can purchase her uncle's Miata to gain some freedom. Meanwhile, her aunt has moved back to town and wants to alter the store's longtime business plan. In a play to outwit her scheming aunt, Francie portrays Santa's intern on a local cable show that ends up going viral. As a result, Francie must spend hours writing back to all the children who write to Santa. Francie is the target of bullying by her school's hockey team for a kissing debacle when she was 13, and wonders if her new crush, the boy who works at the Christmas tree lot across the street from Francie's family store, will turn into something more. Even with the inclusion of family and bullying issues, this is a light, fun read. All characters are white, except for Francie's love interest, who is Latinx. VERDICT The perfect choice for rom-com fans who love the enchantment of the Christmas season.-Elizabeth Kahn

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September 12, 2022
A high school sophomore struggles to maintain her family business’s integrity and holiday traditions in this lighthearted romance by Urban (Almost There and Almost Not). Following the recent death of Francie’s grandfather, her condescending Aunt Carole relocates from California to Hollydale, Ind., to help Francie’s parents and good-natured Uncle Jack run Hollydale Holiday Shop, the Wood family business and a go-to yuletide decor store. The shop is known for its nostalgic holiday vibes, but despite Francie’s protestations, Aunt Carole plans to implement a more “modernized” vision, hoping to improve their financial situation. These new changes aren’t the only things Francie is distracted by; she’s also trying to get her driver’s license and save enough money to buy Uncle Jack’s vintage Miata. On top of that, she’s desperate for a redo of her disastrous first kiss and, upon meeting handsome Latinx-cued Hector Ramirez, who works in the neighboring Christmas tree lot, she thinks she might have a shot. Employing witty dialogue and an endless well of holiday cheer, Urban humorously spins myriad plot threads, featuring realistic teen trials, familial relationships struggling under the weight of grief, and a sprinkle of romance for an earnest seasonal offering. Ages 12–up.