The Christmas Mystery (Christmas Fiction)

by Jostein Gaarder

A magical Christmas story from the bestselling author of Sophie's World

In the corner of a dusty old bookstore, a boy named Joachim discovers a magic advent calendar. When he opens the first door on 1st December, a small piece of paper falls out: on it is the beginning of a story about a little girl named Elisabet...

Little Elisabet has been missing ever since the day she ran after a lamb and found herself travelling right across Europe to Palestine, and back through 2000 years to meet the Holy Family in Bethlehem. There she met angels, shepherds and wise men who joined her on her pilgrimage.

Each of the twenty-four windows in Joachim's calendar hides another chapter in Elisabet's story, along with the key to unlock a renewed sense of awe at the true meaning of Christmas.

But who was Elisabet and where is she now? On Christmas Eve, all the pieces of the puzzle will come together...

• ISBN10: 0753808668
• ISBN13: 9780753808665
• Publish Date: 7 October 1999 (first published 1 October 1996)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
• Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Initial thoughts: As an Advent calendar of sorts I tremendously enjoyed The Christmas Mystery. It was also fun to trace their travels on a map and seeing the trail form from the beginning to the end. Had I read this as a book in a single sitting though, I might not have liked it as much. Despite the metaficitve approach to the book, it doesn't contain all that complexity. Nonetheless, it presents some very significant historical markers in a way that is memorable to children who might hear about some events and places for the first time.

[Ace]

The Christmas Mystery is a classic book that never gets old. Even years after first reading it, I absolutely love it and the story. It was incredibly hard - to the point I failed - to read the corresponding chapter on the correct date! Like all of his books Gaarder has done an amazing job in captivating the reader with such a unique storyline.