Secrets of a Christmas Box: Part 3

Secrets of Christmas Box
Written by Steven Hornby
Color Illustration by Justin Gerard
Chapter Illustration by Gabriel Hordos


Published by Ecky Thump Books, Inc 2009
248 pages / 56 illustrations / for ages 8 and up



The Synopsis
Enter the magical, festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers' , as Larry, a Christmas Snowman, wakes up after a long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing. Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues. Away from the safety of the tree and in the unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'.

The Review
This is a sparkling tale that is a magical adventure! I particularly enjoyed the fact that it had a "Honey, I shrunk the kids" feel. This gives the audience a fresh perspective from the ornaments point of view. I could just picture the characters on a journey across the living room floor.

I liked Steven's writing style. The text had a terrific flow which made it easily and effortlessly read. Steven gives you point by point in his story telling leaving nothing to chance. He paints a beautiful picture of a family's anticipation of Christmas. Sitting in the family room with a warm cup of wine or cider, enjoying the twinkling lights, aroma of food, and the total ambiance, makes me want Christmas to come early!

The book was written for children, however it was written to appeal to either the young or old. I felt there was something in for everyone. The ending was left wide open leaving room for a fantastic new sequel.

From an Illustrators Point of View
The cover art is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I feel like I am looking right onto a branch from my own tree right now! The media chosen has been handled in quite a delightful way. The brightness of the lights on the tree capture the ambiance of Christmas perfectly! The personalities of the characters come blazing through on the cover as well. I love it!!

The chapter illustrations are spontaneous and very active little graphite sketches. I think they are perfect for the book. I love illustrated novels! In fact, I can't figure out why all novels aren't illustrated. The drawings were truly dazzling and supported the text seamlessly!

Overall, the book exudes those kind of magical Christmas feelings that you only get that time of year. I loved the book and I am looking forward to reading the sequel. (I can only hope they make a motion picture film!)

Secrets of a Christmas Box: Part 2

Steven Hornby Biography

Steven Hornby is a multi award winning animator and has been storytelling for over 15 years in visual effects and animated movies. He was born in Preston, England and attended Lancaster University for Design Communication. After working on a set of commerials in Europe and Australasia and his own short film, "Zzz Night", Steven joined the animation crew in 2000, on the Academy Award winning "The Lord of the Rings" film in New Zealand.

He is best known for his award winning animation, bringing to life J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional character, Gollum, on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

He has since worked as a lead animator on "I, Robot" (2004), "King Kong" (2005), Disney's "Meet the Robinson's" (2007) and "Glago's Guest" (2008), and more recently Dreamwork's "Kung Fu Panda" (2008), and "How to Train Your Dragon" (In Theaters 2010).

In 2009, Steven finished his children's fantasy novel, "Secrets of a Christmas Box" to be released September 1, 2009. He initially planned 'Secrets of a Christmas Box' as a screenplay after spending several years having the story running around in his head, but instead turned it into his first children's novel.

Steven is currently working on the sequel to his Christmas novel. He lives in Burbank, California with his family.

Secrets of a Christmas Box: Part1

This is the first of a few posts in light of a new, FANTASTIC book being released! I had the joy of reading the book early in order to prepare this review series. Today's post is information I received in the publicity packet.

The Synopsis
Enter the magical, festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers' , as Larry, a Christmas Snowman, wakes up after a long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing.

Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues.

Away from the safety of the tree and in the unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'?


About the Author
Steven Hornby grew up near Preston in the north of England and has been in the entertainment industry for nearly 15 years, working on heartwarming animated and award-winning visual effects films. After years of bring classic stories to life on screen, Hornby has written his own Christmas novel destined to be a family classic.

"Growing out of my childhood, I remember trying to hold onto those magical feelings only I got a Christmas time, the warm fuzziness in my stomach and the giddy excitement of knowing Santa Claus would soon be arriving. But those feeling faded and in their place completely new developed; equally as good mind you, just different. So I wanted to create a world that captured those magical feelings I had as a child, but also include a sense of what Christmas means to me today, every time I open up that wonderful Christmas box." - Steven Hornby

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My Reaction

I wrote my last post to "The Graveyard Book" without completely finishing the book, I have to admit! So now, I can properly comment! I cried at the end! I loved it! What a beautiful, spooky, yearning, funny, creepy, adventurous, perfect book!!! As I read my way through the book, I really began to identify with the main character, Bod (short for Nobody Owens). There was something special about Bod that made him so different from anyone else -- he lived in a graveyard since he was about a year and a half and was raised by spirits. Many souls in the community taught him about many different aspects from the time periods they lived. I thought this was a very unique point of view!

In the last chapter, I was truly touched by how the spirit world began to fade away and everything was changing for Bod. In a sense, life was gently tell him that it was time to move on and experience the world for what it is. Live freely and experience everything you can.

The last line of the book: "But between now and then, there was life; and Bod walked into it with his eyes and his heart wide open." -Neil Gaiman

John Newbery Award

I always wondered what criteria some books had to possess to win awards the following year. I did a little research and found some answers. I'll be happy to pass these on to you!

The Medal is awarded to the person with the most distinguished contribution to literature in the United States the year previous. There are no limits to the book, but it is required that it be original work. Honor books are also named and those are also quite distinguished.

The award is solely given to American authors or residents of the United States.

The committee considers all types of writing: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. However, reprints and compilations are not considered.

2009 Winner of the John Newbery Medal

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, and published by HarperCollins Children's Books.

This book was produced as an illustrated young adult novel. It is 307 pages long and is sure to enthrall people of all ages.

Neil paints a fantastic point of view of a child growing up in a very unlikely place. Nobody Owens manages to escape the murderer and find refuge in the old graveyard. The spirits take on the responsibility of raising the child. The story possesses all the parts of a great book: humor, fantasy, human desire, and full of surprises.

I would recommend this book to anyone who desires a haunting new perspective.

What makes a "Classic," a classic?

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to travel to my grandmother's 100th birthday party. After the festivities, I wandered to the basement and came across a box full of my books from when I was a child. Memories came flooding back as I paged through the endless stack. I consider them all classics in my eyes because of the memories they hold for me. However, I got wondering what really makes a book a classic.

Some things in life are fleeting while others stand the test of time. Books are no different. The books that stand the test of time are the classics. They speak to all walks of life, cultures, and eras. Classics also contain an element of novelty. The first time an author discusses an important theme. Maybe it's the way the author describes the setting and the time period by pulling you into the time period. Whatever the reason, the book has the staying-power to stand the test of time.

That said, Where the Wild Things Are springs to mind. The book is flawless in my opinion. The writing is simple -- no more, no less! The illustrations and layout of the book are supreme! Did you notice the illustration frames start out small and gradually get larger as the story swells in intensity? At the height of the story the illustrations are at full bleed. At the close of the "wild rumpus" the illustrations shrink back to their original size.

WOW!! This is definitely on my favorites list.