Do you see what I see?: Fraud at Snowfields by Daniel Klock

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're diving into a holiday tinged read targeted at the Kids Fiction and Young Adult set.  It takes the magic of Christmas and turns it inside out to explain all those mysterious gifts under the tree you don't really remember buying and those deja vu moments where you thought you say something by the fireplace.  Ladies and gents, school is back in session and what luck!  It's time for a lesson in processing letters to...Santa Claus?  Whoa.  Today's book of choice is....

Fraud at Snowfields

by

Daniel Klock

9781481091459

Daniel Klockenbrink

About the book...

Bluerorcs! Six, seven, a dozen? He cannot tell because the tiny bright blue explosions of light keep blinding him. Will, running as fast as he can. Flashes of blue, flashes of yellow, brilliant flashes of blue and yellow together like fireworks—Will is as frightened as he has ever been. He keeps running...

Only a short time after a strange nightmare Will again feels like he is caught in a dream—but this time the best dream he has ever had. For Mr Chevalier visits him at his parents' house to invite him to join the White Christmas Organisation—the secret organisation that handles the production and delivery of the Christmas presents and that is headed by Father Christmas himself. Will had always been a firm believer in the magic of Christmas and now he is on his way to be part of it all as he begins his job training at Snowfields. And—while traveling with the amazing cloud-based delivery system—he has no idea what other wonders he is going to see or what he is getting himself into...

For just as he is having the time of his life with his new friends at his new school with amazing subjects as well as hard hands-on training, he is caught up in the biggest conspiracy Snowfields has seen in decades.

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The story...

Children with a penchant for all things Christmas are called upon to attend a special school very much like Hogwarts, only not.  Instead of continuing the practice of magic in good versus evil and conquering maniacal overlords, they help make sure the holiday goes off without a snag, aiding the big man in red's mission to bring happiness to the world.  A grand mission.  A fine mission.  A noble mission...until someone let's the power go to their head and decides to line their own pockets with a little extra dough...and I'm not talking cookie.  One thing leads to another and we're back in a Potter-ish adventure as we utilize good magic to defeat bad magic and bring things in for a safe landing.  Does it work?  Umm, that's a question best answered by reading the book....suffice it to say there are casualties, trusts broken, evil plots uncovered, and the potential for more to come. 

*dun dun DUNNNNNNNNN*

The nitty gritty...

The adventure was good.  I mean who hasn't at some point or another wished every day could be Christmas, right?  There are even SONGS with those exact lyrics.  So, finding out that you could be chosen to work for the man in red and become a part of a worldwide network that seeks to make Christmas cheery and bright for all is like a dream come true.  Will is a great lad and his enthusiasm for the holiday will make you smile time and again.  His friends are equally enchanted by Christmas so it definitely makes for an easier time fitting in upon their arrival at Snowfields.  Cloudy's Transportation Service was a fun touch (transportation essentially by cloud, too cool), as was the inclusion of several magical creatures (goblins, Blueorcs, etc), and the entire set up of The White Christmas Organisation really plays well with keeping the spirit of the season alive both in the story as well as with readers and the twist at the end isn't overly transparent leaving you a bit of a surprise.  However...there is one thing in the opposite direction of "like" that I must note. 

This particular adventure could have used with a bit more editing.  It wasn't so much correct word usage, punctuation or page count, but passages that need some weeding out.  When you love something, you can tend to ramble on about it.  When we're dealing with the written word, that rambling can create scenes that aren't necessary for the story or are duplicated to the extent of annoyance.  I'm afraid both happened within the pages of this adventure, so much so at times that I wanted to take a pen and start crossing things out just to see where it would take me.  Did it ruin the overall story?  No...but it could have made it THAT much better.

The conclusion...

Though overly wordy and descriptive at times, I do believe that older Kids Fiction/Young Adult readers will still be inclined to climb on board for this sleigh ride of adventure.  There's friendship and dual natures, magic and mayhem, successes and failures, with an underlying theme of never underestimating the little guy; he/she may just be the one that saves the day.  So don your gay apparel, it's never too late after all, and learn what's really behind all those weird switcheroos you may have noticed with the presents on Christmas Day.  Your memory might not be playing tricks on you after all.  It may have been a little sprinkling of holiday magic that made its way to you...

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Review copy received courtesy of author Daniel Klock.  (THANKS!)  For more information on The White Christmas Organisation, the author, or any other connection to the book that may pass before your mind, be sure to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now in paperback and ebook forms, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or at a virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!