Jake and the Gingerbread Wars (Foley)
The Gryphon Chronicles #3.5
(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)
Another Christmas book that I thought should get its own entry. It's a standalone book in a series, but you don't need to know anything about it. For once, the chapter at the end of the book is a reprint of the first book to interest new readers into investigating the rest of the series instead of a chapter from the next book.
The story is set in Victorian England. Jake Everton grew up in an orphange and stealing on the streets. It turned out that he was part of a magical family and the lost heir of Griffon (the first book is called "The Lost Heir"). The only magic he does in the book is telekinesis, although he does use a borrowed wand at one point.
Jake has cousins Archie and Isabelle, and Isabelle has a friend named Dani. Jake also has a pet Gryffin named Red. While in London, they come across two bake shops, a French one upstairs and a British one downstairs. The owners seem to be rivals in a contest with each other. While in Madame Marie's shop, Jake sees a trail of sparkles which he is sure belongs to a fairy. He believes that Marie is cheating in the contest and decides to find the fairy. In the end, the fairy sets Jake up to take a fall. The Constable comes in, and it's a former foil of Jake's from his thieving days. Jake leaves but vows to get rid of the fairy.
It turns out that the creature is actually an elf named Humbug, who ran away from the North Pole. He hates Christmas and wants to impress Old Turnip Head, Jack O'Lantern. and became a Halloween elf. (He'd be the first, obviously.) The group catch him, and discover that Santa has offered One Wish for his safe return. The elf had put a spiteful spice on some of the confections in the bake shop and had brought the gingerbread people to life in both shops. The gingerbread, taking after their owners, are now at war with each other.
The four kids and the elf flew in a sleigh, lifted by fairy dust, and pulled by Red, off to the North Pole. Humbug manages to free himself enough to cause chaos. They sleigh drops in the Arctic at a point where it could be attacked by Yeti. Humbug escapes while the four defeat the Yeti. They follow the elf's trail to a castle that it owned by Jack Frost and occupied currently by the Snow Maiden, who wants them to be her friends and entertain her.
The four manage to escape with Humbug's help because he doesn't wish to be a prisoner either. They then have to get to Santa's workshop and find a way home.
Enjoyable and well-written. The series should be popular with kids. Will I read more of them? I don't know. Maybe if I set aside some time in a couple of months to go through my "series" tag.
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