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Spirit Flyer #5
The Last Christmas
A Christian Home and School 1990 Top Ten Book!
For Barry Smedlowe, Centerville would never be the same. Sloan Favor stole his clubhouse, then stole his party and finally stole his club members themselves. Everythign was falling to pieces. After the Halloween War, even the whole country seemed in turmoil. And the attempts of the ORDER Party to get the nation under control looked suspicious. Were they trying to fix the elections? Why did they put all the people with Spirit Flyers bicycles in jail?
With the holidays drawing near and problems getting bigger and more complicated, Barry felt all alone. He could hardly imagine that what seemed like the last Christmas would actually become his first.
For Barry Smedlowe, Centerville would never be the same. Sloan Favor stole his clubhouse, then stole his party and finally stole his club members themselves. Everythign was falling to pieces. After the Halloween War, even the whole country seemed in turmoil. And the attempts of the ORDER Party to get the nation under control looked suspicious. Were they trying to fix the elections? Why did they put all the people with Spirit Flyers bicycles in jail?
With the holidays drawing near and problems getting bigger and more complicated, Barry felt all alone. He could hardly imagine that what seemed like the last Christmas would actually become his first.
204 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 3, 2009
I read this as a kid - made a huge impression on me. So big, that I finally tried looking it up again. The library didn't carry it. And wow. Still an awesome series. The first book is the hardest for me - glowing red eyes, black snake funnel clouds - scary stuff. But if ever there were a series that did a good job explaining good and bad - the insidious tendrils of evil and the overwhelming unconditional love of God, this is it. Each book in the series is fabulous. My eight year old is not ready for this yet, but I will read it to her when she is ready. I've seen bad reviews - yes, if you are a person who dislikes fantasy, magic and scary stuff, this is not a series for you. But John Bibee did a fabulous job with the Spirit Flyer Series - my kids will definitely go through the whole group with me some day.
February 14, 2021
This is as far as I ever read as a child and as I'm doing a re-read, I don't know that I will go beyond.
It's funny, like Tolkien, allegory is not exactly my favourite way of imparting deep truths into story. However, I think it works for the Magic Bicycle series- the themes of bondage and freedom and of faith in practice versus a fire-insurance faith really come through. It's not my natural liking, but I still liked it.
It does have its funny quirks though. Arguments of cessationism and culturally compromised Christians as allegorized through arguments over bike parts is rather amusing in this book.
I really like that the bully Barry gets a turn as a point of view characters. Reading him now, he's kind of a dorky bully, but he's a guy you love to hate. But when he gets unseated by the practically perfect in every way Sloan, it's a chance for Barry to go through some personal and spiritual struggles. For a children's novel whose writing is nothing spectacular, I think it hits an interesting nuance that (Spoilers, I guess), even when change occurs, you have the past to contend with. Not everyone will believe your change and that has potential to send the newly changed person back into old patterns.
(One of the great tragedies in the Lord of the Rings book is that the well-meaning Sam cannot accept that Smeagol has ever changed, and so unfortunately Sam is a major catalyst for Smeagol going back to his old ways when all hung on a knife's edge. One cannot blame Sam for his suspicion, but it's an unfortunate possible reality.)
The series seems headed towards a sort of apocalyptic one world government/ one world corporation. The one major weakness of this book is the ending. BIG SPOILERS.
All seems lost when everyone has been rounded up. Everyone who owns a Spirit Flyer is in prison. They're singing prison songs, and then... two lawyers show up and they all get released? There's some sort of talk about the villain's being confused but they have their orders from further up the chain of command and maybe there's some other nefarious plan. But it's all a bit of a weak ending.
It's seems like at this point the corporation/ Order government runs everything in America and maybe around the world- police, courts, government. Why would they care about two lawyers showing up with a legal loophole or whatever? They've got all the power they need to ignore a couple lawyers.
The implication is that it was divine intervention that released them, using the two lawyers, and all the series do have that as the major catalyst for resolving the conflict. But here it didn't sit as well. It's a tonal whiplash from total defeat to complete victory without anything being down by the main characters.
I very much get it- it's a very difficult thing to write narratively because the whole point of Christianity is that you cannot save yourself. There's no good work that balances the scale; it's by faith alone, and all the work is done by God. So the stories are allegorizing these rescue plans, which naturally runs into the main characters not being able to save themselves and needing rescuing from outside themselves. And while that smells of Deux ex Machina, I think it works in the other stories because there IS something that the characters choose to do: surrender. The act of surrendering of not going their own way in Books 1, 2, and 4 is the character being pro-active in realizing they can't do it. Then help comes and then the bikes work as they should. (I don't include 3 because it wasn't part of my reread: +25 years is too long to remember how that one ended.)
This story has a disconnect. MORE SPOILERS. Barry also surrenders, but his character arc has no connection to the resolution of getting them all out of prison. And I think that's why although all the other books were resolved by divine intervention, they were still satisfying endings, whereas this ending was not as satisfying.
Having said that, I still rated this one four stars (again, assuming target audience of upper elementary) because I really did like that this one didn't just leave Barry as a one-note bully, but made me sympathetic to his struggles and his journey. I think it's a great idea to tackle- the worst people can change, even the thief on the cross. All it requires is repentance.
It's funny, like Tolkien, allegory is not exactly my favourite way of imparting deep truths into story. However, I think it works for the Magic Bicycle series- the themes of bondage and freedom and of faith in practice versus a fire-insurance faith really come through. It's not my natural liking, but I still liked it.
It does have its funny quirks though. Arguments of cessationism and culturally compromised Christians as allegorized through arguments over bike parts is rather amusing in this book.
I really like that the bully Barry gets a turn as a point of view characters. Reading him now, he's kind of a dorky bully, but he's a guy you love to hate. But when he gets unseated by the practically perfect in every way Sloan, it's a chance for Barry to go through some personal and spiritual struggles. For a children's novel whose writing is nothing spectacular, I think it hits an interesting nuance that (Spoilers, I guess), even when change occurs, you have the past to contend with. Not everyone will believe your change and that has potential to send the newly changed person back into old patterns.
(One of the great tragedies in the Lord of the Rings book is that the well-meaning Sam cannot accept that Smeagol has ever changed, and so unfortunately Sam is a major catalyst for Smeagol going back to his old ways when all hung on a knife's edge. One cannot blame Sam for his suspicion, but it's an unfortunate possible reality.)
The series seems headed towards a sort of apocalyptic one world government/ one world corporation. The one major weakness of this book is the ending. BIG SPOILERS.
All seems lost when everyone has been rounded up. Everyone who owns a Spirit Flyer is in prison. They're singing prison songs, and then... two lawyers show up and they all get released? There's some sort of talk about the villain's being confused but they have their orders from further up the chain of command and maybe there's some other nefarious plan. But it's all a bit of a weak ending.
It's seems like at this point the corporation/ Order government runs everything in America and maybe around the world- police, courts, government. Why would they care about two lawyers showing up with a legal loophole or whatever? They've got all the power they need to ignore a couple lawyers.
The implication is that it was divine intervention that released them, using the two lawyers, and all the series do have that as the major catalyst for resolving the conflict. But here it didn't sit as well. It's a tonal whiplash from total defeat to complete victory without anything being down by the main characters.
I very much get it- it's a very difficult thing to write narratively because the whole point of Christianity is that you cannot save yourself. There's no good work that balances the scale; it's by faith alone, and all the work is done by God. So the stories are allegorizing these rescue plans, which naturally runs into the main characters not being able to save themselves and needing rescuing from outside themselves. And while that smells of Deux ex Machina, I think it works in the other stories because there IS something that the characters choose to do: surrender. The act of surrendering of not going their own way in Books 1, 2, and 4 is the character being pro-active in realizing they can't do it. Then help comes and then the bikes work as they should. (I don't include 3 because it wasn't part of my reread: +25 years is too long to remember how that one ended.)
This story has a disconnect. MORE SPOILERS. Barry also surrenders, but his character arc has no connection to the resolution of getting them all out of prison. And I think that's why although all the other books were resolved by divine intervention, they were still satisfying endings, whereas this ending was not as satisfying.
Having said that, I still rated this one four stars (again, assuming target audience of upper elementary) because I really did like that this one didn't just leave Barry as a one-note bully, but made me sympathetic to his struggles and his journey. I think it's a great idea to tackle- the worst people can change, even the thief on the cross. All it requires is repentance.
January 5, 2022
I am still scratching my head about these Spirit Flyer books. They are seriously the strangest, most mind bending things I’ve ever read. Madeleine L’Engle meets P.K. Dick meets Frank Peretti is the closest I can come to describing how to characterize these books.
The books are based on an allegory using Spirit Flyers (mostly old red bicycles) as the symbol of a life changed when you give your life to the service of the King and the Kingson (God and Jesus.) Each story has a different protagonist and antagonist, although the characters are intertwined and the stories make one solid arch, and the main behind the scenes “boss” villain is the same. It centers around the “boss” villain owing an evil toy company, Goliath Toys, that makes products that are literally meant to enslave children, and in the process he is part of a world-wide conspiracy for a one world government.
The basic idea is that the Spirit Flyers=Christians and Cobras/Goliath Toys=Satan’s Forces. There is a war waging for the souls of men that most people aren’t aware of, and the war is spilling over into the real world. The crazy thing is that these books have the best and most convincing setup for America becoming a dystopia I’ve ever read. (P.K. Dick is the best dystopic writer I know of, but his stories are usually after the crisis has created the dystopia, not during the crisis.)
If this has you intrigued, or are like me and already read the 3 authors I mentioned I’d say you should read it for yourself.
The books are based on an allegory using Spirit Flyers (mostly old red bicycles) as the symbol of a life changed when you give your life to the service of the King and the Kingson (God and Jesus.) Each story has a different protagonist and antagonist, although the characters are intertwined and the stories make one solid arch, and the main behind the scenes “boss” villain is the same. It centers around the “boss” villain owing an evil toy company, Goliath Toys, that makes products that are literally meant to enslave children, and in the process he is part of a world-wide conspiracy for a one world government.
The basic idea is that the Spirit Flyers=Christians and Cobras/Goliath Toys=Satan’s Forces. There is a war waging for the souls of men that most people aren’t aware of, and the war is spilling over into the real world. The crazy thing is that these books have the best and most convincing setup for America becoming a dystopia I’ve ever read. (P.K. Dick is the best dystopic writer I know of, but his stories are usually after the crisis has created the dystopia, not during the crisis.)
If this has you intrigued, or are like me and already read the 3 authors I mentioned I’d say you should read it for yourself.
December 9, 2014
Just finished reading this right before Christmas... I love how the book shows us the struggle within a young boy's soul. And how the Kingson shows the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. If I could meet John Bibee, I would tell him I want to help get his books out to children and families who haven't read them.
July 26, 2025
I think the spiritual symbolism in this book is stronger than in previous books. I also really appreciate the redemptive arc for Barry. It shows that no one is beyond the power of forgiveness and joy. He was the antagonist for all of the other books, and this shows the redemption that the Lord offers. Obviously, this is a children’s book and I am an adult, but I think I can appreciate these books differently now than as a child. I think it shows children the power of the gospel, but it’s a good reminder for adults as well.
This may just be my opinion, but I feel these books grow in maturity and content a little as the series progress. There are dark themes of violence, betrayal, loneliness and corruption in this book. They are subtle, since it is aimed toward children, but it’s serious. I think these are excellent books for kids as they grow in their relationship with God.
This may just be my opinion, but I feel these books grow in maturity and content a little as the series progress. There are dark themes of violence, betrayal, loneliness and corruption in this book. They are subtle, since it is aimed toward children, but it’s serious. I think these are excellent books for kids as they grow in their relationship with God.
January 20, 2016
Good young adult book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews