The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper

Merciless Marvin the Magnificent #2

by Jean Van Leeuwen

In comfortable residence at Macy's during the Christmas season, Merciless Marvin the Magnificent and his gang are convinced that the store's Santa Claus has been kidnapped and determine to save him.

Genres: Christmas, Childrens, Mystery, Fiction, Holiday, Animals, Audiobook

133 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Jean Van Leeuwen was an American children's book author, of over forty children's books, including the Oliver Pig series, and Bound for Oregon.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently grabbed a used copy for a friend's kid, and they passed it along to me after they were finished. It's been a million years since I read it as a child, so I figured 'why not?' So glad I did! It's simply charming. As a youngster, I remember it as one of the best books in the world... it didn't stand the test of time like "21 Balloons" or "Mixed-Up Files", but it really was worth reading again (and a perfect 'quick-read' solution during tax season). I'm excited to pass this one along to my nieces and nephews.

[Qt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a while ago and was delighted to re-read it this year. I thought it was cute, fun, quite amusing, and a very nice Christmas book--perfect for me :-)

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This year due to honest and true health conditions Santa didn't make it till after Christmas to our house, and we finally got our decorations down today. Not our best holiday, was very nice and quiet however, kinda missed being around nieces, nephews, brothers, sister, and grands.

Thought as I was undecking my halls that it might be fun to listen to a holiday adventure, so looked and found a cute one called "The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper", by Jean Van Leeuwen and narrated by Daniel Bostick, with Full Cast Audio.

I just got introduced to the funniest characters of this book. We have Merciless Marvin the Magnificent, Fat's the Fuse and Raymond the Rat I guess are back. I guess you all have met them already, but I haven't until now, and I really like them very much. When you think of two mice and a rat, what do you think of. My first thought was food and shelter. Isn't a mouse always hungry and looking to be safe. Well, we have Marvin going to the world's biggest store (Macy's) and is so happy to find a perfect mice sized home in the toy section with a cozy bed with a quilt that was so comfy he fell asleep in no time at all. A security guard doing his job was checking the store out. Marvin thought it best to get his friends Fat's and Raymond, so they could stay there for the winter. The house was perfect, and there is a wonderful delicatessen just an elevator over that has every cheese they could possibly want, plus caviar and other wonderful things to eat.

Marvin notices that Santa is missing. We see there is a fake Santa in his place. Trying to figure why, they only have seven days till Christmas. First couple days, they didn't know how to look for important clues... and the real Santa. Don't want to share any spoilers, as that could "spoil" the story for you.

Hope you all had wonderful holidays. I do definitely recommend this book. It was fun, charming, and delightful. Happy New Year!!! Rate: 4.5 Stars

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper written by: Jean Van Leeuwen and illustrated by: Steven Kellogg as my Christmas book. I rate it five stars. This book was about a mouse named Marvin. Marvin hit “the jackpot” by going into a Macy’s store, and he felt lonely, so he called his “gang” to come to the house. Mr. Dunderhoff (the Santa at Macy’s) comes to see all the kids (or more the kids come to him) and leaves treats for the mice Marvin, Raymond, and Fats who live in the house. One day Mr. Dunderhoff gets captured, and Fats and Raymond are really sad. The mice figure out that the Gimble’s santa santa-napped Mr. Dunderhoff. In the end the police find Mr. Dunderhoff by a note the mice wrote telling them where he was, and just in time for Christmas Eve. This book is full of Christmas spirit coming from a mouse’s point of view.

Written by: Evie age 11

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I owned a copy of this book as a child - a story of three mice that live in a dollhouse in Macy's, become friends with the Macy's Santa (well, he leaves them food - a standard animal-person relationship), and rescue him when he is kidnapped. I won't giveaway WHO kidnaps Santa in this review though - no need to spoil Christmas. As a kid, the combination of the storyline and a dollhouse -a important piece to a girl whose mom built her a dollhouse from a kit- was irresistable. Last summer, the good librarians at the Bellingham Public Library helped to locate the story for me. It lived up to my memory of it.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a clever book by a well known author. Marvin and his “gang” consisting of fellow mice Fats and Raymond- are holed up in a paradise for the winter: Macy’s Department Store Toy Department. Then the Macy’s Santa goes missing and the mice are certain he must have been kidnapped. They come up with hilarious schemes to rescue him and along the way discover the true spirit of Christmas. Wonderful line drawings by Steven Kellogg add to the charm of this story.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter has declared this the most perfect Christmas book ever! It’s got Christmas, snow, New York, mice, mystery, Santa. What’s not to love?!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this children's book! It's out of print but there are a lot of used copies on Amazon.

[kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know how I came across the title of this book, but found it at my library. Literally it’s 50 years old and I’m holding the original book in my hands reading it! It even had a pocket in the back with a card like how we used to check out books in the old days where you signed your name and they would put the due date stamp on the card. I am old enough to remember that as I am in my 60s!

This was truly a delightful story. I loved the illustrations. They are what I would consider old fashioned Illustrations but very fun, adding to the storyline. So much detail in the original illustrations! It was fun to really look at them very thoroughly!

The mice are so fun. You could make a children’s movie from the story or a short Christmas classic cartoon! Great plot with the kidnapping of Santa and how the mice figure out how to get Santa back. I was entranced. It’s fun to be a little kid again and just enjoy the thrill of a nice story. I felt so good after reading it! It has a great ending! I loved the ingenuity of solving the mystery of Santa who is missing and figuring out how to rescue him.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book decades ago when I was in Grade 5 but never finished it before having to return it to the library. Periodically, during the holidays I would think of it and try to find a copy.

I finally managed to get the audiobook, a little late for Christmas but I didn't want to risk forgetting about it again. At first I wasn't sure I would be able to finish it because of the Bronx accent and the strange cadence from the reader. Thankfully this was a dramatic reading and once other characters were introduced it was better.

It's hard to write a review of a kids book you started in 1986 and finally just came around to finishing, because now at this stage in my life when I hear of mice running around delicatessens I don't find it cute and adorable. Trying to put that aside it was a cute story of detective work to save Christmas and I think kids would still enjoy it.

[Wintermote · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more. It’s about mice and Christmas and Santa Claus and mice who Save the day. What coins be better?! But I just could not like this book very much. I listen to it as an audiobook, and I think it was the narrator that just ruined it for me. I would read this again to my kindergartner—but ME reading the print edition.

[Carole White · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my childhood, there were years that I read and re-read this book, I’d check it out from the library over & over. I recently ordered my very own copy. The first few pages were sooo familiar…..I’m so happy to have the book & re-read it yet again! Plus there are others in this series I’ve never read. Mystery solving mice? Yes please!

[Val B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful children's book with a wanna-be-noir mouse criminal gang that takes up residence in a dollhouse in a department store during the Christmas season -- only to find themselves with front row seats to a crime when Santa Claus is kidnapped. Marvin and his gang switch hats to become the good guys trying to save Christmas. The audio book cast turns in a virtuoso performance.

[Ruth Covington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading and enjoyed just as much as the first. Marvin is one of my favorite narrators. Also love the illustrations by Stephen Kellogg. Every book in this series is cute and fun, but I especially love the Christmasy nature of this one.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this every Christmas. It's one of my favorite read aloud books with my children! I read it as a kid myself and adored it. The books is well written: the characters are witty, empathetic and rather funny. Steven Kellogg's illustrations make the book come alive.

[Rachael Annette Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I listened to this on Epic her on school library. It was an amazing book! We both loved it and the narrator was equally wonderful! My daughter saved it to her many favorites in her reading library. I enjoyed it as much as she enjoyed this book.

[Anne Hayner · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5? Recommended as a "classic, all-time favorite" Christmas story, but too cutesy and silly to be in the same league as classics like A Certain Small Shepherd or The Story of Holly and Ivy or Angels and Other Strangers or so many other beloved ones.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great holiday book for a second grader. Chapter book with a great story and some holiday magic. I would encourage the audiobook. It was well read.

[Tandi Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas classic, one that can be read aloud to your kids over several evenings at Christmas time year after year.

[Cathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very endearing vintage book for children. The story was so cute and I loved the pictures by Steven Kellogg as well. I need to find the first book in this series.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story for the kids

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute. Great fluffy Christmas read. Honestly the best book I’ve ever read in a while.

[Kimberly Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite kid’s book of all time. It’s imaginative, clever, and the illustrations are perfect!

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and cute. I think kids will love it.

[Shannon Haugland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun book but not great audible. Should be read every year!

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook on a road trip to our 4th Christmas. It's cute, but the narrator was a bit over the top. We had just finished Peter Nimble, which was hard to follow.

[Alena Fluharty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it to my two kids, they loved it!

[Mary Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wonderful. Warmed my heart. Definitely going to make it a yearly tradition

[Texas State Poder · Rating 5 out of 5]

By:Abraham V.

The biggest thing happened no one notices but one mouse,Marvin.Marvin goes to the worlds biggest store and
he fiends himself in a perfect home where everything is small but cozy,he finds because he stayed in the mall at the toy section,at night,and notices a security guard almost finding him but gets lucky enough to find the doll house.He decides to bring his gang ,Raymond and Fats,and also decides to stay there for the winter and will not go out until Spring,Marvin notices that Santa is missing but is replaced by a fake Santa no one notices but Marvin and his gang,each comes in use Marvin is the one who can tell which is the real Santa ,and has a cozy home,Fats is the muscle,Raymond has the gear and some bright ideas which is backed up by Marvin.These mice only have seven days to Christmas and the first few days they can not find clues,These mice have to go through a whole journey to find clues and find Santa.Also the mice in this book are kind of funny and this book is a classic reader I recommend this book to adventure lovers,and animal lovers.Will the mice save Santa?Read to find out.

[Chazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvin the Magnificent and his gang figure a way to spend the winter in Macy's Department store. Much better than the streets, they set up house in a fancy doll house and when the store is closed have access to the deli and other departments for their food needs. What could be better?

Having a friend of the great Santa makes it even better! But things turn upside down when Santa goes missing! Santa has been there for years and the kids just love him! The substitute Santa is no substitute for the regular one and Marvin and the gang decide they have to find the real Santa.

How these three mice manage to track down where the real Santa is being held prisoner and get him rescued makes for a fun read. Their determination and ingenuity are great. With lots of action there is never a dull moment.