I'm really excited about this first one. A few years ago around Christmastime, I was looking for a new holiday read aloud. I noticed Are You Grumpy, Santa Claus? by JibJab creators Gregg and Evan Spiridellis. It looked funny, so I bought it. It didn't take long for it to become a favorite around our house.

So, when I saw that the Spiridelli brothers had penned another holiday tale, I had to have it. While The Longest Christmas List Ever isn't nearly as funny as the first story, it's just as engaging. With bright, colorful illustrations, it tells the story of Trevor, a boy who wants to make sure he gets everything he wants for Christmas. Soon, his list's so long it bursts out of his house and winds down Main Street. When he attempts to mail it to Santa, Trevor will learn an important lesson about Christmas.

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: G

I'm not familiar with Jonathan Allen's other books, but apparently he's written several others in the "I'm Not" series. In "I'm not Santa!," Little Hare mistakes fluffly Little Owl for Santa Claus. The more Little Hare insists, the more frustrated Little Owl grows. It takes a special visitor to calm them both down. Simple illustrations and a funny storyline make this a fast, enjoyable read. It's sure to get some laughs from the 4-5 year old set.

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: G

If you're a Tim Burton fan, you'll enjoy this next one: The Thirteen Days of Christmas by Steven Davison and Carolyn Gardner (illustrations by Tim Wollweber and Sherri Lundberg). This ghoulish version of The Twelve Days of Christmas features characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas counting down in their own special way. Tim Burton's style is a little too bizarre for me, so I wasn't all that impressed with this one. I requested it because my 10-year-old is a fan. If you are, too, chances are you'll appreciate it more than I did.

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for scary images

You all know that it's better to give than to receive, so get ready for some giving! Actually, I received two copies of The Lost Summer, a newly-released YA novel by Kathryn Williams from Disney, so I'm giving one away. I haven't read it yet, but here's the blurb from the jacket flaps:

For seventeen-year-old Helena Waite, summer means more than just a break from school - it means Southpoint. Each July, Helena returns to the summer camp with its familiar routines, landmarks, and faces. This year, however, she is returning not as a camper but as a counselor. The only downside? Her best friend, Katie Bell, is still a camper.

As the days begin to heat up, Helena discovers that the innocent world of bonfires and field days has been pushed aside for late-night prans on the boys' camp and skinny-dipping in the lake. To fit into this new life, Helena finds herself turning her back on Katie Bell, and when a longtime crush becomes a romantic possibility, life gets even more confusing. With the carefree summers of her past slipping through her fingers, Helena begins to wonder why growing up means having to change.

Told with honesty and heart, Kathryn Williams's second novel tackles the timeless themes of coming-of-age, summer romance, and, of course, the power of friendship.

Like it or not (and I'm in the not camp), summer's not over yet, so I thought this would be a good Christmas in July giveaway. If it sounds like something you'd be interested in, all you have to do is complete this sentence: All I want for Christmas is ... I'll draw the name of one winner on August 12 (the day my older kids go back to school - woo hoo!). If you blog about the giveaway, I'll even give you an extra entry. See, how that giving thing works? Nice, eh? Oh yeah, the contest is open to readers everywhere. Good luck!

(All book images from Barnes & Noble)

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Claverage Middle School might as well be Mars for 13-year-old Capricorn Anderson. Raised on an isolated farming commune, he's wholly unprepared for the noise, the bullying, the chaos that defines junior high. But with Rain, his grandmother and guardian, in the hospital, Cap really doesn't have a choice - it's either Claverage (dubbed "C Average" by the student body) or a group home. He'll take Claverage, even if it embodies everything that's wrong with the "money-hungry rat race of modern society" (4) from which Rain has tried so hard to shield him.

Schooled by Gordon Korman tells the story of tie-dye wearing, peace-loving Cap, as he navigates his way through the alien world of C Average. His hippie clothes, scraggly hair, and complete innocence (When a teacher accuses him of being a regular Jerry Seinfeld, he replies in all seriousness, "You must have me confused with another student. My name is Capricorn Anderson." [19]) make him the perfect target for some good, old-fashioned bullying. Because he's never experienced meanness in his life, Cap can't understand why he keeps finding spitballs in his hair, why kids direct him to classrooms that don't exist, or why he's suddenly been elected eighth grade class president.

For Zach Powers, the most popular boy in 8th Grade, Capricorn Anderson provides the perfect opportunity to prove exactly who's boss at C Average Middle School. As the Big Kahuna on Campus, it's his right to find the biggest nerd around, electing him class president, and watch him stumble through the job like an idiot. Cap's too perfect - when Zach informs him that the class president has to hold press conferences in the geography lab, the hippie kid searches the school for the fictional classroom. When Zach tells him the president has to know the name of every kid in school, Cap memorizes the yearbook. Cap's utterly guileless, and it's irking Zach to no end. It's just no fun picking on a kid who has no idea he's being picked on. The worst part is, some of his posse actually feel sorry for Cap - weirdly enough, the oddest kid ever to walk C Average's halls, is quickly becoming Zach's biggest rival.

Capricorn Anderson hardly realizes there is such a thing as a middle school hierarchy, let alone his changing place in it. All he wants is to get back to the commune, where he can breathe fresh air, harvest his fruit, and live in perfect harmony with nature and the one person who really understands him, his grandma. Zach wants nothing more than to grant him his wish. What happens when the Kahuna and the hippie kid collide? Well, Bob Dylan's immortal words describe it pretty well: The Times They Are A'Changin'. With Capricorn Anderson in the house, C Average will never be the same again.

Fresh and funny, Schooled provides a unique take on the familiar subject of identity. Capricorn Anderson - a boy who's too pure to be anything but authentic - shows readers exactly what it means to be true to oneself. Never preachy, the story's simply different, fun, and entertaining - with a message that comes across loud and clear. I adored it.

Grade: A

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for some junior high-type humor (nothing really crass, just a lot of talk about wedgies and such).