Books with title What Child Is This?: A Christmas Story

Christmas is coming and everyone around 16-year-old Liz Kitchell is busy with preparations. The big houses in her neighborhood are shimmering inside and out with luxurious decorations. And her parents are trying to impress all their friends with extravagant parties and expensive gifts. But Liz feels empty inside. In her English class, her group has to write a composition: How do you get what you want for Christmas? While Liz and her classmates write jokes, she wonders—what is the real reason for the celebration? As Liz begins to reach out to others who are hurting, she discovers the true joy of the season. Best-selling author for young adults, Caroline B. Cooney pens a memorable story about a modern Christmas miracle. Ed Sala’s heartwarming narration will inspire you to believe in the power of love and hope for the impossible.

Katie, a foster child, wants only one thing for Christmas: a family. However, there are no wise men coming from the East or shepherds watching in the fields. There’s also a teenager named Matt, who believes in doing a good deed. And another teenager, Liz, whose family decorates and celebrates but leaves her wondering where the true meaning of the holiday has gone. And Mr. Knight and his son, Tack, who run an inn and put up a tree each season, on which children’s wishes will hang as they hope and wait for them to be granted. It’s the season of joy, hope, and miracles, but will the Christmas spirit be strong enough to grant those wishes that seem impossible?

On this Christmas Eve, the snow lies on the ground and the stars shine bright, but the grown-ups leave a lot to be desired.And the children desire so much.Katie, a foster child, wants only one thing: a family.Who is there who can bring such as immense gift? There are no wise men coming from the East. There are no shepherds watching in the fields.But there is Matt Morden, age sixteen, who believes he is doing a good deed.There is Liz Kitchell, also sixteen, whose family decorates and celebrates but leaves Liz wondering where the meaning of the holiday has gone.There are Mr. Knight and his son, Tack, who run an inn and put up a tree on which children's wishes will hang, waiting to be granted.It's Christmas, the season of miracles, joy, and hope. Is that spirit strong enough to bring about the impossible?Join Caroline B. Cooney, bestselling author of The Face on the Milk Carton and The Voice on the Radio, in celebrating a most memorable Christmas. What Child Is This? is a story about giving and the beauty of love.

Not everyone is lucky at Christmas. Some people would call 16-year-old Liz Kitchell and her family truly fortunate, but it doens't feel that way to her. It seems that only a miracle can give 8-year-old Katie her holiday wish. She wants a family, something she does not have as a foster child. As for 17-year-old Matt, he too is in a foster home and is finally letting himself feel a sense of belonging. When he allows himself to do a good deed for Katie, he doesn't realize what would happen. Is the spirit of Christmas strong enough to grant the impossible?

In this lovely book, originally published in 1916, illustrator Margaret Evans Price and author Isabel C. Byrum beautifully tell the Christmas story, from the baby in the manger, surrounded by animals, to the arrival of the three wise men. The story, from the point of view of a child, is sweet and sincere and the accompanying illustrations exquisite. The narrator, Ethel opens the story: “In Bethlehem, I’ve heard them say, Upon a Christmas morn, Within a stable rough and rude, a tiny babe was born.” We continue in this vein as Ethel reflects upon the feelings of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds awakened by angels, the Wise Men following their star and of course Baby Jesus. The style of the interiors and clothing is more 1910s than Biblical, but so lovely and stylish that we are indifferent to the anachronism. A Child’s Christmas Story is a tender introduction to the nativity story for any early reader, and a perfect holiday gift.