A Season for Miracles: Twelve Tales of Christmas

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

In this collection of stories from the authors of books in the Dear
Canada series, various characters relate an experience around the
Christmas season. Although the characters come from different times in
history, diverse geographic regions, and various social circumstances
and have unique personalities, they are all young girls who share many
of the same challenges. Often they must work very hard and make
sacrifices to help their families survive or to succeed in the world
themselves. They face the grief of being separated from their homes or
family members, and they are familiar with illness and death from
disease or war. The characters are usually involved in household chores,
including helping with the babies. The girls also experience the same
joys of the season, including the simple pleasure of singing together,
decorating, baking, and gathering together with family and friends,
sharing simple gifts and loving feelings.

The stories are all told in diary format, except for a hilarious
letter from Arabella Stevenson describing her family’s Christmas
dinner. The quality of writing throughout the book is consistently
excellent. These “twelve tales of Christmas” may spark the interest
of a reader who is new to the series to explore the characters’
stories further, or a chance to revisit a favourite character. Highly
recommended.