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Sweet Valley Kids Super Snoopers #1
The Case of the Secret Santa
A Holiday Mystery
Identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are members of a mystery-solving group called the Snoopers Club and Jessica has found their first case. She thinks Mr. Kreeger, the new custodian at school, looks just like Santa Claus. She sees him checking over a long list of names. Is it his gift list? Jessica and Elizabeth and the other Snoopers uncover a number of convincing clues. Mr. Kreeger couldn't really be Santa Claus...could he?
Identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are members of a mystery-solving group called the Snoopers Club and Jessica has found their first case. She thinks Mr. Kreeger, the new custodian at school, looks just like Santa Claus. She sees him checking over a long list of names. Is it his gift list? Jessica and Elizabeth and the other Snoopers uncover a number of convincing clues. Mr. Kreeger couldn't really be Santa Claus...could he?
88 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1990
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,150 books1,882 followersFrancine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 16, 2021
The Snoopers Club begins (ugh, snooping) and basically, all the kids in class decide to spy on their new janitor who looks suspiciously like Santa Claus.
Weirdly enough, Bailey School Kids did a Santa janitor plot the following year too.
Weirdly enough, Bailey School Kids did a Santa janitor plot the following year too.
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May 9, 2026The Case of the Secret Santa
Once again, it’s Christmas in Sweet Valley. The twins are at the park. Elizabeth is telling Jessica about the latest Amanda Howard mystery she’s read. Eva, Amy, Lila, and Ellen come over, and they all decide to start a club for detectives. It’s not long before Winston and Todd join too. Eva names the club “The Snoopers Club”. Now they need a mystery. Elizabeth and Jessica are voted co-presidents.
Everyone starts coming up with ideas. Todd suggests finding out why his baseball glove vanishes without a trace. Ellen says she’s lost a doll. Winston says his mom says socks keep getting lost in the washing machine. Elizabeth says these aren’t good enough. Lila says they can all find out what they’re getting for Christmas. They all agree to look for a mystery and meet the next day at recess. Later on (going home), the twins talk about Lila’s suggestion. Jessica tells Elizabeth that they can’t do this because Santa has to deliver the presents on Christmas. Elizabeth says there’s no such thing as Santa. Jessica gets upset and rides her bike ahead of her. Elizabeth thinks just because Jessica believes in Santa Claus doesn’t mean she has to.
(Jessica names some things that she wants for Christmas, like a stuffed pony, a glow in the dark watch, and a Little Linda doll. Liz says she wants a real pony this will be important later). Mrs. Otis makes an announcement the next day that they’ll decorate the classroom for Christmas and Hanukkah. Caroline and Jessica are chosen. Mrs. Otis tells Jessica to go to the custodian’s office and get the spare key to the large closet. She misplaced her key and that’s where the decorations from last year.
Jessica looks for the usual custodian, Jim, but instead there’s an elderly, jolly-looking man with white hair and a white beard looking at a piece of paper. Jessica sees that there are names on the paper and asks who they are (after telling him why she’s there). He says they’re friends of his that he’s making presents for. He says he was just going over the list to make sure he hasn’t left anyone out. He says he’s filling in for Jim for a bit and his name is Chris. He gives her the key. Jessica is surprised that he knows her name. He says “he guessed it” but he also knows she has a sister and that her name is Elizabeth. He says “he has his ways” and gives her a candy cane as an early Christmas present.
As she leaves, she tells him he looks like Santa Claus. He says maybe he is. Jessica says he can’t be. He’d be at the North Pole. Chris just laughs. His laugh sounds like “Ho Ho Ho.” Jessica tells everyone at their meeting at recess that she thinks the new janitor is Santa Claus (and why). Elizabeth says logically, he probably saw her name on her name bracelet. She has nothing tho for why he knew her name. Todd says he probably saw their names next to each other on their cubbies. Everyone says they don’t think so. Jessica she still thinks it could be him.
Elizabeth gets back on the subject of finding a mystery. Elizabeth tho is surprised to learn they all believe in Santa and they all agree that their mystery should be finding out if the new janitor is really Santa Claus. Jessica and Lila go to the principal's office to find out more about Chris. They find out his last name is Kreeger and that he’s from Alaska.
They tell the others. Liz says they need more clues. So, they decide to explore the custodian’s office. There’s a large metal cabinet, metal shelves filled with cleaning supplies, a ladder, some buckets and brooms, a small table and chair, and several closets. A large comfortable chair was in the center of the room. Nothing out of the ordinary. That is until… Todd looks in one of the closets and finds… A SANTA CLAUS SUIT!
Liz reaches into the pocket and finds a letter from Charles Department Store. So, Mr. Kreeger was hired to be Santa for the store’s Toyshop. Jessica says this doesn’t prove he’s not the real Santa. Winston says they should find out by going to the department store and asking him if he knows what they all want for Christmas.
Jessica asks Chris if he’s really Santa. He asks if she believes in Santa. She says she does but her sister doesn’t and asks if he’ll still bring her presents. He says, of course, he will and says he bets she wants a pony. He even knows she wants a Lil Linda doll. Liz says it’s just a lucky guess but Jessica is more convinced than ever that this is the real deal. He’s also guessed what everyone else wanted.
Alice agrees to be class mother and help at the Christmas party, but both she and Ned tell Jessica that Mr. Kreegar isn’t Santa Claus. Jessica gets upset and looks to Elizabeth to defend her belief. Liz just says if she believed in Santa she’d believe it was Chris. Jessica tells her parents that just because they’re grown-ups doesn’t mean they know everything and that Chris really is Santa Claus. She stomps out the kitchen and goes to her room.
Liz follows her but tells her sorry, but she doesn’t think her parents would lie. Jessica insists that Chris is Santa and she’ll prove it. Winston, Jessica, and Elizabeth go to ask Chris to the party. He’s looking at a map and says he’s trying to figure out a route. Every year he takes a big trip and he likes to take different routes. Jessica asks Elizabeth if she heard *that* and she’s like yeah so. Chris tells Elizabeth he’s heard she doesn’t believe in Santa Claus and she says she doesn’t. It’s just a made up story to get kids in the Christmas spirit. He asks her what Christmas spirit means to her. She says it means that everyone is supposed to be kind and love each other. And people show their love by giving presents. But there's no Santa.
Elizabeth asks him if he’s Santa, what’s the name of the reindeer. He names them all but this doesn’t convince Elizabeth. She knows all their names too. He tells her he’s sorry that she doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. It’s the reason why Christmas is so special. Elizabeth starts to think what if he really is Santa and starts to feel guilty. Chris tells her its sad but she has the Christmas spirit and that’s all that matters. Chris says he’ll come to the party. When they leave, Elizabeth isn’t sure what she believes anymore.
At the party, Elizabeth asks Chris if he really is Santa why he’s there. He says maybe he wanted to come somewhere warm for the winter. It gets pretty cold at the North Pole. The twins introduce Chris to their mom. She says she wishes he’d tell Jessica he’s not Santa. She tells him she believes in Santa but she doesn’t think he’s him. After a while, Chris says he has to go but before he does he passes out presents. He gives each kid a small, wooden, animal.
He gives Mrs. Otis a globe. She said she was planning to get one. How did he know? Mrs. Wakefield's present was a small carved wooden box. There were designs of snowflakes and stars all over it. She’s astonished and says she saw one like this and wanted it when she was a little girl.
The Snoopers have a meeting the next day and decide they should find out once and for all if Chris is Santa. They decide to just straight up ask him, but when they get to his office, Jim is there. He tells them Chris had a big job coming up that couldn’t wait and that he won’t be coming back. Elizabeth ran past Jim, and the others followed her. On the shelf was a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and an old clay pipe. They hear his laugh down and the hall, and chase after him. But they’re too late he gets in a taxi. Liz is still unsure if it’s Santa, but all that matters is that he had the Christmas spirit. They declare themselves good detectives and that the case is closed.
Rating: 5 I didn’t really have a lot of thoughts for this one. I can’t really say I remember believing in Santa Claus as a kid but then I can’t say I didn’t. I was I think a lucky kid and got a lot of toys, but then I had an aunt that worked at a toy store that would put toys to the side for me when the new ones arrived. So, knowing exactly where my toys came from (or rather who they came from) it kind of takes away the “magic” of believing that there was a white, bearded, man from the North Pole that delivered them on Christmas Eve when I was getting new dolls and such every Friday when the shipments came in. Not to brag or sound like a brat but that’s just how it was for me as a kid. Life was good at that point in time.
Once again, it’s Christmas in Sweet Valley. The twins are at the park. Elizabeth is telling Jessica about the latest Amanda Howard mystery she’s read. Eva, Amy, Lila, and Ellen come over, and they all decide to start a club for detectives. It’s not long before Winston and Todd join too. Eva names the club “The Snoopers Club”. Now they need a mystery. Elizabeth and Jessica are voted co-presidents.
Everyone starts coming up with ideas. Todd suggests finding out why his baseball glove vanishes without a trace. Ellen says she’s lost a doll. Winston says his mom says socks keep getting lost in the washing machine. Elizabeth says these aren’t good enough. Lila says they can all find out what they’re getting for Christmas. They all agree to look for a mystery and meet the next day at recess. Later on (going home), the twins talk about Lila’s suggestion. Jessica tells Elizabeth that they can’t do this because Santa has to deliver the presents on Christmas. Elizabeth says there’s no such thing as Santa. Jessica gets upset and rides her bike ahead of her. Elizabeth thinks just because Jessica believes in Santa Claus doesn’t mean she has to.
(Jessica names some things that she wants for Christmas, like a stuffed pony, a glow in the dark watch, and a Little Linda doll. Liz says she wants a real pony this will be important later). Mrs. Otis makes an announcement the next day that they’ll decorate the classroom for Christmas and Hanukkah. Caroline and Jessica are chosen. Mrs. Otis tells Jessica to go to the custodian’s office and get the spare key to the large closet. She misplaced her key and that’s where the decorations from last year.
Jessica looks for the usual custodian, Jim, but instead there’s an elderly, jolly-looking man with white hair and a white beard looking at a piece of paper. Jessica sees that there are names on the paper and asks who they are (after telling him why she’s there). He says they’re friends of his that he’s making presents for. He says he was just going over the list to make sure he hasn’t left anyone out. He says he’s filling in for Jim for a bit and his name is Chris. He gives her the key. Jessica is surprised that he knows her name. He says “he guessed it” but he also knows she has a sister and that her name is Elizabeth. He says “he has his ways” and gives her a candy cane as an early Christmas present.
As she leaves, she tells him he looks like Santa Claus. He says maybe he is. Jessica says he can’t be. He’d be at the North Pole. Chris just laughs. His laugh sounds like “Ho Ho Ho.” Jessica tells everyone at their meeting at recess that she thinks the new janitor is Santa Claus (and why). Elizabeth says logically, he probably saw her name on her name bracelet. She has nothing tho for why he knew her name. Todd says he probably saw their names next to each other on their cubbies. Everyone says they don’t think so. Jessica she still thinks it could be him.
Elizabeth gets back on the subject of finding a mystery. Elizabeth tho is surprised to learn they all believe in Santa and they all agree that their mystery should be finding out if the new janitor is really Santa Claus. Jessica and Lila go to the principal's office to find out more about Chris. They find out his last name is Kreeger and that he’s from Alaska.
They tell the others. Liz says they need more clues. So, they decide to explore the custodian’s office. There’s a large metal cabinet, metal shelves filled with cleaning supplies, a ladder, some buckets and brooms, a small table and chair, and several closets. A large comfortable chair was in the center of the room. Nothing out of the ordinary. That is until… Todd looks in one of the closets and finds… A SANTA CLAUS SUIT!
Liz reaches into the pocket and finds a letter from Charles Department Store. So, Mr. Kreeger was hired to be Santa for the store’s Toyshop. Jessica says this doesn’t prove he’s not the real Santa. Winston says they should find out by going to the department store and asking him if he knows what they all want for Christmas.
Jessica asks Chris if he’s really Santa. He asks if she believes in Santa. She says she does but her sister doesn’t and asks if he’ll still bring her presents. He says, of course, he will and says he bets she wants a pony. He even knows she wants a Lil Linda doll. Liz says it’s just a lucky guess but Jessica is more convinced than ever that this is the real deal. He’s also guessed what everyone else wanted.
Alice agrees to be class mother and help at the Christmas party, but both she and Ned tell Jessica that Mr. Kreegar isn’t Santa Claus. Jessica gets upset and looks to Elizabeth to defend her belief. Liz just says if she believed in Santa she’d believe it was Chris. Jessica tells her parents that just because they’re grown-ups doesn’t mean they know everything and that Chris really is Santa Claus. She stomps out the kitchen and goes to her room.
Liz follows her but tells her sorry, but she doesn’t think her parents would lie. Jessica insists that Chris is Santa and she’ll prove it. Winston, Jessica, and Elizabeth go to ask Chris to the party. He’s looking at a map and says he’s trying to figure out a route. Every year he takes a big trip and he likes to take different routes. Jessica asks Elizabeth if she heard *that* and she’s like yeah so. Chris tells Elizabeth he’s heard she doesn’t believe in Santa Claus and she says she doesn’t. It’s just a made up story to get kids in the Christmas spirit. He asks her what Christmas spirit means to her. She says it means that everyone is supposed to be kind and love each other. And people show their love by giving presents. But there's no Santa.
Elizabeth asks him if he’s Santa, what’s the name of the reindeer. He names them all but this doesn’t convince Elizabeth. She knows all their names too. He tells her he’s sorry that she doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. It’s the reason why Christmas is so special. Elizabeth starts to think what if he really is Santa and starts to feel guilty. Chris tells her its sad but she has the Christmas spirit and that’s all that matters. Chris says he’ll come to the party. When they leave, Elizabeth isn’t sure what she believes anymore.
At the party, Elizabeth asks Chris if he really is Santa why he’s there. He says maybe he wanted to come somewhere warm for the winter. It gets pretty cold at the North Pole. The twins introduce Chris to their mom. She says she wishes he’d tell Jessica he’s not Santa. She tells him she believes in Santa but she doesn’t think he’s him. After a while, Chris says he has to go but before he does he passes out presents. He gives each kid a small, wooden, animal.
He gives Mrs. Otis a globe. She said she was planning to get one. How did he know? Mrs. Wakefield's present was a small carved wooden box. There were designs of snowflakes and stars all over it. She’s astonished and says she saw one like this and wanted it when she was a little girl.
The Snoopers have a meeting the next day and decide they should find out once and for all if Chris is Santa. They decide to just straight up ask him, but when they get to his office, Jim is there. He tells them Chris had a big job coming up that couldn’t wait and that he won’t be coming back. Elizabeth ran past Jim, and the others followed her. On the shelf was a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and an old clay pipe. They hear his laugh down and the hall, and chase after him. But they’re too late he gets in a taxi. Liz is still unsure if it’s Santa, but all that matters is that he had the Christmas spirit. They declare themselves good detectives and that the case is closed.
Rating: 5 I didn’t really have a lot of thoughts for this one. I can’t really say I remember believing in Santa Claus as a kid but then I can’t say I didn’t. I was I think a lucky kid and got a lot of toys, but then I had an aunt that worked at a toy store that would put toys to the side for me when the new ones arrived. So, knowing exactly where my toys came from (or rather who they came from) it kind of takes away the “magic” of believing that there was a white, bearded, man from the North Pole that delivered them on Christmas Eve when I was getting new dolls and such every Friday when the shipments came in. Not to brag or sound like a brat but that’s just how it was for me as a kid. Life was good at that point in time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2023
I didnt read this book, but i wanted to count a story ive read so i Choose this one, because it has a part of the storys name so..
The Storys named snooper…
The Storys named snooper…
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July 15, 2018Elizabeth, Jessica and their friends decide form a junior detective group—The Snoopers Club—but at first they can’t think of any mysteries to solve. Elizabeth suggests to Jessica that they could find hidden treasure and Jessica suggests looking for their Christmas presents, although most won’t arrive until Santa brings them on Christmas Eve. Elizabeth says that she doesn’t believe in Santa any more, but Jessica is convinced that he’s real.
At school, the twins are sent to the custodian’s office to get a spare key. In the place of the usual custodian, Jim, they find a jolly old man named Chris, who knows Jessica and Elizabeth’s names and has a long list of other names on his desk. Jessica thinks that Chris might really be Santa and the Snoopers Club decides to make the custodian’s true identity their first mystery to solve.
I was utterly fascinated by the way that this book dealt with the Santa question. I was surprised that it actually talked about some children believing in Santa while others were equally certain that he didn’t exist. Would it cause some young readers to question their own beliefs? I don’t know. I do appreciate that it brought the question into things, though, as it’s a far more complex mystery when it isn’t just “is Chris Santa?” but rather an examination of belief.
At school, the twins are sent to the custodian’s office to get a spare key. In the place of the usual custodian, Jim, they find a jolly old man named Chris, who knows Jessica and Elizabeth’s names and has a long list of other names on his desk. Jessica thinks that Chris might really be Santa and the Snoopers Club decides to make the custodian’s true identity their first mystery to solve.
I was utterly fascinated by the way that this book dealt with the Santa question. I was surprised that it actually talked about some children believing in Santa while others were equally certain that he didn’t exist. Would it cause some young readers to question their own beliefs? I don’t know. I do appreciate that it brought the question into things, though, as it’s a far more complex mystery when it isn’t just “is Chris Santa?” but rather an examination of belief.
February 24, 2024
Jessica and her friends decide to have a detective club and they have a strong ground to believe that their janitor is Santa Claus. Even though the adults and Elizabeth do not believe that the journey show is Santa Claus the story ends with giving us a hint that Santa Claus is real and it's the janitor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2024
Cozy Christmas book to read for sweet valley lovers and holiday Season.
January 30, 2025
So cute.
May 13, 2013
Sweet Valley Kids Super Snooper 1 - The Case of the Secret Santa
Jess, Liz, Lila, Ellen, Todd, Winston, Amy and Eva decide solving mysteries are cool, and they should form a club to do just that. The Snoopers are born! But what mysteries are there that need solving? Jessica meets the new custodian and is convinced he’s the real Santa. She tells the Snoopers but no one is convinced. Liz, Lila and Todd don’t even believe in Santa which is shocking. I hope no kids read this book and came to that shocking conclusion (like I did with Claudias Portrait book 😔). They gather the clues - he looks like Santa, his name is Chris Kreegan, he lived in Alaska, is planning a big trip, knows the raindeers names, and most importantly (IMO) knew what they all wanted for Christmas. He leaves to go do a big job, and we never find out, but I think they’re now all convinced? 🤷🏼♀️
My rating - 5/10 - I mean look, the plot was a bit weak, but I love Christmas 🎄
#sweetvalley #sweetvalleykids #sweetvalleytwins #unicornclub #sweetvalleyjnrhigh #sweetvalleyhigh #sweetvalleysenioryear #sweetvalleyuniversity #sweetvalleyseries #bookreview
July 26, 2012
I liked this story a lot. Like one of those Christmas specials w/ undercover Santa. I also liked how it was a cliffhanger, kinda to leave it to the reader's imagination, whether they are pro-Santa or anti-Santa.
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April 11, 2014I thought this was a cute book. We ran out of my daughter's favorite books (Junie B. Jones), so she decided to try a new series by borrowing this book from her school library. I'm glad she did because my kids adore mysteries and enjoyed every page.
July 9, 2013
I have read so many of these books I can't remember all of them.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews