The Fifth Day of Christmas

by Carol Owens

KJ is a 10 year-old boy who has gone to live with his grandparents after his family has been torn apart by domestic violence. Grief-stricken and traumatised he is unable to talk about what he has seen until an unexpected turn of events makes him realise that there is something he can do to salvage what is left of his family - if only he can find a way to talk about it. Eventually KJ is able to begin to tell his story by drawing a series of pictures and the surprise arrival of another family member strengthens his resolve to do whatever he can to bring his family back together - but will it be in time for Christmas?

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Seonaid · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual book, that is not really about Christmas at all. This is a book about how families get ripped apart by domestic violence; Christmas merely book-ends it.

The novel is narrated by 10 year old KJ as he gradually reveals what happened on that awful night, helped (and sometimes hindered) by the adults in his life. I found his story pretty compelling, and the descriptions of the acts of violence, whilst never graphic, are factual and never covered up.

I'm not sure I would recommend it as a Christmas read, but for older kids (10 upwards) I think it could be a very dramatic and tense read, for kids who like straight-forward realistic and dramatic stories.