Dunc's Undercover Christmas

Culpepper Adventures #13

by Gary Paulsen

It's Christmastime! And Dunc, Amos, and Amos's cousin, T.J., hit the mall for some serious shopping. But when the seasonal magic is threatened by some disappearing presents and Santa Claus himself is a prime suspect, the boys put their celebration on hold and go undercover in the perfect Christmas disguises. Can the sleuthing trio protect Santa's threatened reputation and catch the impostor before he strikes again?

78 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here we are with the second holiday-themed Culpepper Adventure, after book five, Dunc's Halloween. Several days before Christmas, Dunc Culpepper and Amos Binder visit the Pioneer Mall to finish shopping for gifts. Amos didn't expect he'd meet a man who might be the real Santa Claus, and neither boy thought a robbery would occur at the mall without either of them being aware until the next day. Dunc brings Amos a newspaper article that is sketchy on details but confirms the central scheme: an unidentified man in a Santa costume stole a large amount of merchandise from the mall. Amos isn't keen on being a detective, but Dunc insists they head to the mall and investigate. The police have no solid leads on Santa, but Dunc and Amos will be ready to apprehend him if he strikes again.

Dressed as elves, Dunc and Amos pretend they were hired by the mall, and are assigned to the Toy Emporium alongside a Santa named Jim Sikes who doesn't like children. Our heroes have a secret weapon to aid their sting operation: Amos's cousin, T.J. Tyler, is visiting for the holiday, a young inventor who brought many of his gadgets to help thwart the Santa impostor. At the mall, Amos is distracted by another sighting of the real Santa and the accidental unleashing of one of T.J.'s prototype toys, and the fake Santa gets away with a second heist. But the list of suspects has narrowed to one: Jim Sikes. Returning a couple of days later, Dunc, Amos, and T.J. concentrate on surveilling Sikes as he works the mall, but can they slow the thief's escape until the police arrive to end the flurry of Christmas crimes?

Dunc's Undercover Christmas is among the best of the first thirteen Culpepper Adventures. The story isn't glaringly illogical or absurd, and I rate it one and a half stars; I'd round up to two if the writing weren't so half-hearted compared to what Gary Paulsen is capable of. This series in no way represents his best work. The ending is nice, where Dunc reveals his Christmas gift for Amos, but it can't save Dunc's Undercover Christmas from being a below-average book even if it's better that usual for the series. I could point you to many better Christmas stories for kids—including Gary Paulsen's A Christmas Sonata—but you'll probably like Dunc's Undercover Christmas if you enjoyed the previous dozen Culpepper Adventures. By the way, I took the "Culpepper Challenge" personality quiz on pages seventy-five through seventy-eight, and scored minus ten. I guess I'm a lot like Dunc. Let me know in the comments section below my review what you scored. Whenever it is that you're reading these words, I wish you a merry Christmas.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

B-. fiction, children's fiction, upper elementary, humor, Christmas, series, (Culpepper Adventures, #13); from stash, keep