The Christmas Cup [Hardcover]

Nancy Ruth Patterson (Author), Leslie Bowman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Eight-year-old Megan and her grandmother turn a worthless old cup to good use by saving money in it to buy a gift for a special person at Christmas.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Transcends the season with its joy." -- starred review from School Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Nancy Ruth Patterson was born in Missouri and based The Christmas Cup on people and places of her childhood. She retired in 1999 as Founding Director of CITY School, a program for gifted students. She also wrote The Shiniest Rock of All (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1991). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 71 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books; 1St Edition edition (September 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531058212
• ISBN-13: 978-0531058213
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,426,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for Education!!!, October 29, 2003

By 

Julie and Betsy (Oxford, MS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christmas Cup (Paperback)

Megan McCallie was in third grade when she learned a valuable lesson. It all started the summer before third grade, when she decided to set up a lemonade stand. She sold a cup of lemonade for five cents. Megan is a smart girl because she set up her lemonade stand the same day her neighbor were auctioning their antiques. She knew many people would stop by the auction so she would also get a lot of business. As the afternoon came, the crowd began to disappear. The auctioneer brought out a rusted milkshake cup. The auctioneer kept lowering the bid. Nobody wanted it and called it a piece of junk. Megan shouted out that she would buy it for five dollars. To her, it was special. Many of her neighborhood friends made fun of her. She went to her grandmother, Nannie, and came up with a wonderful way to turn this old rusted milkshake cup into a special cup. It was now called the Christmas Cup. Megan and Nannie placed all of their money change in this cup. When Christmas came around she would be able to buy something for someone who was nice to her. As the story continues she has many people on her list of people who were nice to her, but she can only choose one person. The person who she chooses was not only nice to her, but taught her a priceless lesson. Teachers would be able to incorporate this book into their states curriculum.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ann Megan McCallie will steal your heart., December 29, 2003

By 

Matthew McCann "Skylerdragon" (Festus, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christmas Cup (Paperback)

Though she is all girl, Nancy Ruth Patterson's main character in The Christmas Cup is memorable and promising. She is smart, fun, dignified, and sincere. For Megan, as the others lovingly call her, life's cup overfloweth with love. Unfortunately, Megan is an uncommon personality today.
Megan will definitely appeal to her real life peers because of her common simplicity. She is realistic in so many ways. She looks up to her grandmother and her mother. Her appearance seems to reflect her mother's beauty, as well as capture the attention of "the best looking boy in her class". Megan is also an inquisitive eight year old who discovers more about herself through her observance of others.
Megan will appeal to adults because her character holds the keys to innocence and imagination lost in our own adolsecence. Megan is admired by so many and doesn't even realize it. She is the good kid that everybody likes. She is also the loveable puppy at times because she is always questioning those around her. She puts others first easily.
Megan will appeal to the older gnereations because of her responsiblity and charity. She considers herself unlucky but is actually gifted and blessed by a loving family, a gracious creator, and a warm accepting community.
Though the story is short, I fell in love with Megan McCallie and I would like to read other adventures with her in them, if the author ever wrote any.