This is the latest in a series of books about the Hammonds and Worthams, and you will enjoy it more if you have read the earlier books first, unlike this reviewer. Much has happened to these families before the start of this novel, and most of this is not explained in any real detail. However, as I enjoyed this book so much, maybe now I can return and read the others, appetite whetted. Julia makes for a fine narrator and sucks the reader in from page one with the arrival of the Hammonds. It is easy to get involved with the story, wondering where George is, how they will make ends meet, and whether they will find a way of enjoying Christmas. The idea that helps save the day and engages the children in the true story of Christmas is the sort of idea you can try at home too. I can heartily recommend this to anybody who has children to entertain and / or teach and can imagine it being brought out year after year to be reread.