School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Roxie Dockery and her family always look forward to Christmas, no matter how humble. Life in Appalachia was difficult even before the Great Depression swept over the country, but there was always a little candy and fruit, a Christmas tree at the church, and the grandparents coming for a visit. This year, though, a snowstorm leaves the family trapped on their mountain. Next, a huge tree crashes down on their house, leaving Baby John with a broken arm and the entire family homeless. However, the resourceful Dockerys move themselves into the barn and work together to create a new home and a Christmas celebration, which turns out to be the best yet. There's a lot of fetchin' and tendin' and the like, which gets a little tiresome, but vivid descriptions of everyday life and a believable, funny, and-above all-loving family make this a pleasant holiday read.-M. A. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Like The Christmas Promise and The Shine Man (reviewed above), this novel is also set during the Depression. In Appalachia, "poor before the depression was just the same as poor durin' the depression" however, if there's one thing the Dockery family has plenty of, it's love. A falling tree destroys their log cabin during a snowstorm, but 12-year-old Roxie and her family find a way to make the holidays special. Davis's heartwarming tale feels like a lost episode straight out of Laura Ingalls Wilder, full of gentle adventure and memorable characters. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In December 1930, when a huge snowstorm hits the Appalachian mountains where twelve-year-old Roxie Dockery and her family live, a tree falls and destroys their house. Forced to move into the barn, the Dockerys still manage to have a wonderful Christmas celebration. Although the characters are not well developed, the story is heartwarming. From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. It was a Christmas season to remember, one hard winter during the Great Depression. Twelve-year-old Roxie tells of the deep snow around her North Carolina mountain home; the tree that fell on their home, destroying it and injuring her little brother; the move that sent the family to live in the barn and the animals to live in the house; the struggle to make presents for family members in secret; and the joy of relatives arriving unexpectedly on Christmas day. Although the practice of indicatin' a southern accent by droppin' the final letter from words ending in "ing" quickly becomes tiresome, this first-person narrative otherwise reads well. Davis portrays the emotional jostling of brothers and sisters not quite getting along, as well as the warmth of family love during the holiday season. In the appended note, Davis states that he based the characters on his mother, Roxie, and her family. The book concludes with a section of photos showing the family during the 1930s. --Carolyn Phelan
