"Christmas is the world's biggest birthday party, for everybody in the world is invited to join in. That's why the party has lasted for so many years."

Fifty years ago a girl disappeared from her home in Norway. She ran after a lamb and found herself travelling right across Europe to Palestine, and back through 2,000 years to meet the Holy Family in Bethlehem. There Elisabet met angels (Ephiriel, Impuriel, Seraphiel, Cherubiel and Evangeliel), shepherds (Joshua, Jacob, Isaac and Daniel), wise men (Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior) and other biblical characters (Quirinius, the Governor of Syria and Augustus, Emperor of the Roman Empire) who joined her on her pilgrimage. "We'll also welcome the baby Jesus into the world. He was called God's lamb, because He was just as kind and innocent as the little lamb's fleece is soft. We have to travel two thousand years backwards in time to the moment when Jesus was born."

In present-day Norway, a boy acquires a strange old Advent calendar. Hidden in each of the windows is a tiny piece of paper. Little by little these pieces unfold the girl's story and as we learn what happened to her, another story is revealed - that of the strange old man who made the calendar. Indeed this is a novel way of re-introducing Christmas in one's reading list not only because of the season but because it is creative, entertaining and informative.

Gaarder tells the most famous story in the world freshly, every chapter containing his characteristic twists and turns. Like "Sophie's World" it's a children's book that can be read by adults, and it could even be read together through the advent period, day by day. "There are two ways of becoming wise. One is to travel out into the world and see as much as possible of God's creation. The other is to put down roots in one spot and to study everything that happens there in as much detail as you can. The trouble is that it's impossible to do both at the same time."

Book Details:

Title The Christmas Mystery
Author Jostein Gaarder
Reviewed By Purplycookie ( )

According to Librarything.com*, there is a book club in the German speaking part of Switzerland called Sophie's World. It is a far more organized and professional book club than either of the two to which I belong and I was interested by the title. Sophie's World is a book written by (apologies if this isn't new to you!) Jostein Gaarder of Norway. I have yet to pick it up and read it, but I will at some point. A couple of weeks after discovering this delightful book club and the origins of its name, my favorite choir teacher (the fact that she is the only choir teacher at my school is moot, because she is just one of my favorite people) asked if I had read the Christmas Mystery. I said no, I hadn't even heard of it. So, she promptly went out and bought me a copy because it's one of her favorite books. (lots of favorites today)
I made the connection when I saw the cover of the book that it was the same author as Sophie's World, mostly because it says on the cover, "by the author of Sophie's World, but I did recognize his name as being familiar. ANYWAY....

So, the story of the Christmas Mystery unfolds, spills out, however you want to put it over the course of Advent (the book starts on the 1st of December, so technically, it begins a little bit into Advent; details...). I love Advent. It's one of my favorite times of year, like Lent. Because I didn't get the book until the 17th or so, and I didn't want to lug it home with me and then lug it back, I whipped through it in a night. I admit, this means that I probably missed a lot and I don't entirely get the ending. But, I didn't want to stop reading it. Next year, I will do as my friend does and read a chapter a day. it's a beautiful idea of pilgrims moving backwards through time to participate in the Nativity and expresses the importance of Witness.
Get your own copy.

AND, sorry, just discovered this, the illustrations are by Rosemary Wells!!!! You know, the woman who does Max and Ruby and Read to Your Bunny and all those cute animals. SAME LADY!!! How cool is that?

*Librarything.com rocks! Go, sign up, pay up, and participate!
Originally posted February 2, 2007

This book has the same elegant concept and structure as Sophie's World, but unfortunately it's more preachy than educational and thought provoking. It's still beautifully written but the religious plot didn't interest me at all. ( )

Saw this in the newly opened local bookshop and ordered it from the library. Again this is a new genre for me – I’m trying to broaden my reading. All I knew about the writer was that the book covers are appealing and have I caught my eye. The story unfolds with the opening of an advent calendar so the novel is split into the days leading up to Christmas – I read each section on the appropriate day, so that it was like a literary advent calendar. I didn’t finish this in the end even in bit size pieces fantasy is not my genre but I tried. ( )

This is a charming, easy read, but it doesn't match up to Gaarder's previous standard. It's much more light-hearted than some of his other books, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I personally love Gaarder's writing best when he's tying your brain in knots with mind-boggling concepts.

This book doesn't have that aspect to the same degree, but it's still a sweet book which makes perfect Christmas reading. ( )