The Popcorn Tree

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Boo and Lou are two magic jumping jacks that were made by a Gypsy in
England long ago. Once they had a place of honor on a family’s
Christmas tree, but these days they languish unloved in a basement
because the children of the house have grown up and moved away. But Boo
and Lou have not been forgotten. Hundreds of miles away, a woman tells
her own two children what made Christmas special for her when she was a
little girl. When the kids hear about the jumping jacks, they decide to
secretly find the ornaments as a Christmas surprise for their mother.
Contact is made, but somehow Boo and Lou get lost in the shuffle and
Christmas looks as if it might be a disaster unless somehow the two
magic jumping jacks can find the way to their new home. And so begins an
adventure that eventually brings together three generations of a
far-flung family.

There are certain essential ingredients to a good Christmas
story—children, suspense, and magic. All three are present in this
finely crafted story, which Mamchur tells in deft little sentences
(there are no wasted words anywhere). The detailed plot is well matched
by McGaw’s wonderful brightly painted illustrations. Highly
recommended.