The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery

Cul-de-sac Kids #3

by Beverly Lewis

It's almost Christmas, and Eric Hagel is spying on the new neighbor. What's going on next door? Why is the house always flickering with candlelight? And what about the eerie flute music every morning at 6:00?When Mr. Tressler puts up a Christmas tree, Eric's eyes nearly pop out. The angel at the top comes to life! Soon, hundreds of angels are flying in the old man's house.Can Eric and the Cul-de-sac Kids solve the mystery? And who will be brave enough to take a Christmas gift to the weird house at the end of Blossom Hill Lane?

Genres: Christmas, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Mystery, Fiction, Juvenile, Chapter Books

80 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher's Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado."

Reviews

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was our favorite book so far! There is a new neighbor that moves in and the kids are scared of him. This book is told from Eric's perspective and at first he spies on the neighbor and thinks he sees angels flying around his tree. In the end the kids get together and go carol at the new neighbors house and find out he's actually a really nice old guy!

[Leslea Wahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story with some wonderful messages for children such as welcoming strangers and not judging others. This is one episode in a series about a group of friends and neighbors.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

{Merry CHRISTmas everyone! Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday in honor of our Savior’s birth there’ll be a new Christmas book review! With a couple giveaways sprinkled in, it’s going to be so much fun! Let’s start!}


About this book:

“It's almost Christmas, and Eric Hagel is spying on the new neighbor. What's going on next door? Why is the house always flickering with candlelight? And what about the eerie flute music every morning at 6:00? When Mr. Tressler puts up a Christmas tree, Eric's eyes nearly pop out. The angel at the top comes to life! Soon, hundreds of angels are flying in the old man's house. Can Eric and the Cul-de-sac Kids solve the mystery? And who will be brave enough to take a Christmas gift to the weird house at the end of Blossom Hill Lane?”


Series: This is book #3 in the “Cul-de-sac Kids” series. {I have not read any other book in this series, but am looking forward to!}


Spiritual Content- A mention of the Bible verse that says to think about the good things {I wonder which Scripture that is… only the one this blog is based on. ;) }; The Kids talk about the first Christmas being a true mystery; The Kids think they saw Angels with Mr. Tressler, which leads to a couple discussions about Angels & the Christmas Play their Church is doing.


Negative Content- Jason likes scary mysteries & says so, when asked if they give him bad dreams he replies “Sometimes, But if I pray before I go to bed, it’s better.” {To which the Scripture above is mentioned.}


Sexual Content- {This really isn’t Sexual, but I don’t know where else to put it- Dunkum is going to be Joseph in their Church’s Christmas play and when asked who Mary is, he replies the Abby is and he cheeks turn red.}

-Eric Hagel, age 8
80-ish pages (with 6 illustrations/pictures)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Five Stars
New Teens- Four Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
{ Ratings are lowered as the girl gets older because of the simple plot & mystery. }
I thought this was an adorable mystery! I read it in less than 10 minutes, but it was a really cute mystery that had me curious! I think it would be fine for girls starting to read as well! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series! :)



Link to Review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...



*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Frieda Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery

A great book for youngsters. It is written in a way so that it can be read to the small ones or be read by older children. It has children as the main characters, so our children can relate to the story quite well. It teaches them to not judge others, & to NOT judge by one's first impressions! Helping one another is reinforced as well. As the story begins, one boy, Eric, sees that a new neighbor is moving in next door. Eric thinks he is "creepy & "scary", based on his appearance. The story's "mystery" revolves around this old man. All the kids of the cul-de-sac gather together to solve this mystery. During one of their strategy meetings, one of the boys tells that he is going to play Joseph in his church's play & goes on to tell the story of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem to the rest of the gang. Another explains the way Yule was kept in years past. Others tell how their families keep Yule in a modern way, with candles, since fireplaces are no longer built to accommodate a huge Yule Log! The children end up caroling for the old man who joins them as they traverse the rest of the neighborhood. Eric's Grandpa joins them too when they sing at Eric's house. By the end of the story, the children have learned some lessons which will carry them a lifetime, if they don't reject them. Plus, the neighborhood has gained a new friend, especially Grandpa! This is a sweet Christmas story that I would LOVE to read to my Grandchdren!

[Jan Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not for me. It was very religious. The kids talked about faith, church, and other religious matters all the time. The thing that ruined it for me was wondering if their teacher went to church. I do not think this is appropriate for children to talk about the religion of others and use it as a measure of someone's worth.

[Judson Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do angels exist next door?

This is a cute story about the new neighbor’s “angels.” T
The kids wanted to know, but how would they find out? They came up with a group plan and it worked well and the mystery was solved in an unexpected way.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book. I love reading Beverly Lewis. I love the characters and the writing style. Yes, it's a middle school book. I have made my Holiday and Winter TBR for 2022. The first book I read for my Holiday Read.

[Allison G. Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun quick read diving into the world of children's minds. Though I consider being curious as ok, I hope it doesn't encourage kids to go spying around at their neighbors. It's also a story about friendship.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Christmas story about the Cul-de-Sac kids. While it didn't appeal to me, I will read it to my First graders and see how they respond. A few of them are ready to read books like this series.

[Lauren Blanchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

GREAT BOOK!!

[Shannon Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books for kids!! I loved the Christian influence and my 6 year old son could relate to the situations while still reading the book himself!! HIGHLY recommend!!

[Mary T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book in this series. Hard to keep track of all the kids, but it was a cute little story!

[Rachael Woodall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of misreading a book (neighbor) by is cover 💚🎄

[Robert Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cute book

[Ashlee Francois · Rating 5 out of 5]

so fun

This is an amazing book it is so fun I will read it again and the book it self it is amazing and I am going to read the next book in the series

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this all the time when I was little

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is number 3 in a series for kids about the Cul-De-Sac Kids. In this story Eric is out delivering papers when he sees an old man who he thinks is scary. When the kids begin to spy on the man they devise a plan to help them "get closer" to his house only to end up becoming friends with the man! This is a good book for young readers or listeners to learn about fear, people you don't know, and being kind.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

We switch to Eric's point of view for this Christmas mystery about the new neighbor that comes to the cul-de-sac. While I never really understood why he was so afraid of the man after only seeing him once, the mystery that followed was interesting and their solution even better. I do like how the kids banded together in the end and used their different talents in such a variety of ways. This made for a fun read.

[Anne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Beverly Lewis and I came across this ebook when it was free on Amazon.com so I thought I would get it even though it is a kid book. I think kids would enjoy this chapter book and even adults will for a quick read. I think I read it in about 10 mins. I didn't know that Beverly Lewis wrote children books and now I will have to keep my eyes open for more for my grand daughter and future grand kids.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an adorable children's Christmas book that would be great as a family read aloud or independent reading for a third or fourth grader. The kiddos in the Cul-de-sac group are of different ages and races, yet they get along great and support one another. When an older gentleman moves into the neighborhood something mysterious begins to happen. This book teaches good lessons that would make great family discussions.

[Mary-Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric finds his new neighbour to be creepy and mysterious. The solution to the mystery of the flying angels was unexpected by this reader. At the end of the book, the children make friends with their new neighbour, Mr. Tressler.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's story has a good life lesson built into it. It seems as though the author felt the need to introduce the characters all at once rather than throughout the story so the reader had an event or something to mane a connection with.

[Patricia C Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Christmas Story

We often forget how tough this season can be for some. Christmas is for families, but we don't all necessarily have family. We can all be "angels" for someone else.

[Susan Faloon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute story for an adult to share with children or for third grade and up reading level.

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 11862 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 3.1 - AR Pts: 1.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP

[Carmina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because the sang and welcomed Mr Shreuder to the cul de sac.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute story with a great Christian moral. Wonderful series for kids.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5 year old daughter loved this one.