A wonderfully fun and thought-provoking re-telling of the Christmas story, imagining what it would have been like to experience the birth of Jesus from a child's perspective. The author, Lynn, is witty and creative, and there are lots of very funny moments and clever asides (don't try putting olives in a fruit salad; people won't thank you). At the same time, the book aims to stay within boundaries of biblical and historical possibility, and the invented narrative is a good prompt to thinking about what might have actually happened at the first Christmas. Lynn weaves in historical and cultural information to help with this, and generally these background facts are well-integrated and not too obtrusive. I should note that there is one main exception to the biblical accuracy, which is Jamie (or James), whose perspective is told in the story. He is placed as the older brother of Jesus, but the author acknowledges at the beginning that this is a plot device rather than historically true. Some readers may be unsure about this kind of literary invention, although I think it works as an extended imagination exercise. Read with this in mind, there is lots for young readers to think about in their response to the real events, as well as just enjoying the story. What sort of Messiah were people expecting? What sort of Messiah was Jesus in the end? What would a right response to him look like? How did these events fulfil prophecy? What does that show about how God works out his plans? etc. This could be the source of some good conversations. Overall, this is a great book for preteens to engage afresh with the nativity story. And I really enjoyed reading it as an adult too!

I'm only a few chapters into this friendly book, but it's already had me laughing out loud, chortling quietly to myself and weeping. I'm itching to pass it on to younger relatives and friends - but I'm not doing that until I've finished with it! The story is told through the eyes of the titular 'boy', Jamie, who has a close connection to Joseph and Mary (no spoilers here); we follow him as he meets familiar New Testament characters and experiences the Jewish customs described in the Bible. If that sounds very worthy but not that gripping, I've given the wrong impression - L.R. Hay's skillful writing has me squealing with excitement as I encounter familiar names, and I'm able to put myself in the shoes of individuals living under the old covenant in a whole new way. The narrator speaks warmly and clearly, sharing jokes with the young (and older) reader and keeping us on our toes. There's a trick of children's theatre - pull them back in with a surprise before their attention starts to wander (that used to be at around 25 minutes, but I imagine it's much sooner now). L.R. Hay uses a similar technique, regularly throwing in anachronisms and asides that encourage the reader to actively engage with the story, almost in dialogue with it. I'm planning to buy several copies to give away, and I've bought a second book by the same author, 'Jairus' Girl'. L.R. Hay describes these stories as part of a 'Young Testament' series - let's hope there are many more to come.