Kerry B. reviewed on 7/29/2006 + 23 more book reviews

It is Christmas Eve in New York City when Brian, a determined seven year old, follows the thief who took his mother's wallet, hoping to retrieve the St. Christopher's medal that he believes will save his father, who has leukemia, just as it saved his grandfather in World War II. However, the child is kidnapped by a vicious escaped convict who needs a hostage. The central characters come to life rapidly as the fast-moving story quickly builds suspense. Teens will appreciate the realistic, paradoxical description of the relationship between Brian and his older brother: caring, concerned, and name-calling at the same time. Although readers know that the ending will be a happy one, they won't expect the coincidences and the touching holiday details.?

While in New York for a lifesaving operation for her husband, Catherine Dornan takes their young sons to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. Stopping to listen to a street musician, seven-year-old Brian sees a woman take his mother's wallet. The wallet holds his grandmother's St. Christopher medal--the medal that saved her husband's life in WWII and which Brian believes will save his father's life now. Unable to get his mother's attention, young Brian follows the thief into the city's subways--beginning a journey that will threaten his own life and forever change the lives of his mother and the thief.


Size
Length: 154 pages
Height: 7.8 in.
Width: 6.3 in.
Thickness: 1.0 in.
Weight: 10.4 oz.

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