Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that characters eat marijuana-laced brownies, drink spiked egg nog, and smooch (the characters in one story have sex, but the details are vague). There's some product name-dropping, but for the most part there isn't a materialistic tone. At their heart, these stories have warm messages about the transformative power of the holidays.
Families can talk about some of the common themes in holiday stories: redemption, selflessness, and even finding true love. Can you think of other holiday movies and books that play with these themes? We tend to think of this as a powerful time of year -- is this the truth or just a nice myth?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kate Pavao
There's nothing too earth-shattering here, but MISTLETOE is a sweet collection of holiday stories. Each of the four tales -- written by a pack of teen series writers -- plays upon similar themes but is distinct enough to keep readers engaged: A Jewish girl finds a nice Jewish boy working as an elf in a department store; a girl discovers that her best friend's boyfriend is her real true love; a Hollywood heartthrob meets a ghost -- and learns to love -- during a strange New Year's party; and -- in what's probably the most touching of the lot, an updated The Gift of the Magi -- a poor young couple learns that giving your "heart openly" is really the best gift.
In the end, these stories may not be particularly literary, but there are enough heartwarming moments -- and smooches -- to keep teen readers sighing happily.
From The Book
She tilted her head back and let herself fall into those wonderful blue eyes of his.
And then he kissed her.
She expected Christmas magic.
Instead, she got New Year's fire.
Plot Summary:
This book is really four short stories with holiday magic at their heart. The characters have different struggles (one realizes she's fallen for her best friend's boyfriend, while another, in a twist on The Gift of the Magi, wishes she could afford a real gift for her guy). In the end, all the characters learn a lesson -- and get kissed.
Related Books:
More Holiday Fare:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
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Sexual ContentSome kissing; a vague reference to having sex. |
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Social BehaviorAt their heart, these stories have warm messages about the tranformative power of the holidays. |
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CommercialismiPod, Starbucks, Jimmy Choo, Manolos |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoCharacters eat pot-laced brownies and drink coffee and spiked egg nog. |
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