Customer Reviews

'Tis The Season (Main Street #3)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love this book for what it teaches but be careful if your children don't know all the secrets of Christmas yet. Might be a good idea for parents to read first. Hope that makes sense.

I concur with the other parents who were disappointed that this volume provides such an adult view of Christmas. The series is wonderful, but I was deeply saddened when I read this book with my nine year-old daughter last summer and realized too late that the holiday magic was over. Christmas at my house will never be the same, and that is not one of the "gifts" I thought my daughter would gain from her voracious reading of age-appropriate books.

I loved this book. I love this series. It is a reminder of the simple yet exciting stories that I read when I was a girl.

Flora and Ruby are orphaned when their parents died a year ago. They went to Camden Falls to live with their grandmother, Min. The books are about their adjustment to living there. I enjoyed 'TIS THE SEASON immensely because it was about Christmas. The traditions of a small town were fascinating and the kindness for others was overwhelming.

But this book wasn't dripping with honey. There is a particular story line of one of the kids in the book having to deal with abuse. One scene actually brought me to tears. The complex problems of the children are written with simplicity, and the problems are just a fact of life and not written with too much drama. I liked that because I think kids need to know that these things do happen in life, but we have to have the strength to live through them.

I loved the description used in the book. Ms. Martin described the decorating of Camdem Falls and I wanted to live there. This is another successful book in a wonderful series!

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

I am 10 years old and I love these Main Street books.


After I read the review that said that this was defective, I really disagreed with that. I disagreed because I have all of the Main street books, and they all have the same kind of pages. Rough and not smooth on the edges. They are all like that and when I am just looking at them, I like to feel the edges of the book.

They are the greatest books I have ever read. The books are written so detailed and specific. The characters face there own problems and the friends always help each other get over it and make them feel better if they are feeling blue.

What's different about 'Tis the Season is that Flora and Ruby, the two main characters, know more people than the last two books and get to know more about what happens in Camden Falls. It seems like a nice place to live because all the stores and homes are really close and it's safe to wander about by yourself and talk to people.

I can't stop reading these books and I can't wait until the next book comes out.

I have read the first two books in the series so far and have loved them. My daughter is in fourth grade and she has enjoyed them as well. Luckily I read the books before she does, and found out that this book doesn't let children believe in the magic of Christmas anymore. I was certainly shocked that this occured in a book that is written at a fifth grade level. I'm sure that my daughter is not the only one who still believes in Christmas. It is unfortunate, because the books are well written and have a great storyline for young girls.

The author does a fine job of portraying small town America during the holiday season. Martin's writing is so descriptive that you truly feel you're right there walking along Main Street, down Aiken Avenue, and in the Row Houses where many of this small Massachusetts town live.

I have to admit to being on the fence about this story, though. There's so much conflict that it's a bit overwhelming at times. While the book ends on a happy note, I had a difficult time plodding through all the misery to get there. In addition, I feel it's important for parents to read this book first, because certain Christmas secrets are revealed that might ruin the magic for a young reader.

I would like to read the previous two books in this series to see if I feel differently about Martin's Main Street books. This one just didn't do it for me.

My just-turned-eleven-year-old-daughter loves this series and all books by Ann M. Martin. Unfortunately, after getting a bit into the book, she came up to me and said, "Mom, I don't think I'm going to read this book if that's okay with you." (I had given it to her for her 11th birthday. She had asked for it.) I asked her why and she said, "Because it's talking about Santa not being real and I don't want to know about that. I don't want to think about it." My heart sank. She'd recently unwittingly discovered there was no tooth fairy (by reading an old blog I'd written detailing how her older brother had discovered there was no tooth fairy) and had taken that very poorly. She said she wasn't ready to stop believing and I could totally understand that. (I'm not ready for her to quit believing either.) Then came this book! I usually read the reviews for the books I order for her, but she had already read the others in this series and was only missing this one, thus the reason for it being on her birthday list. Ann M. Martin is an excellent author and I'm sure this book is as good as the others in this series, but please beware of the Santa spoiler should your child still be a believer.

I purchased this series of books and audio books for my 8+ year old granddaughter. She just loved the books and listened to the audio books so often that she knows all the dialogue. Not only is it a perfect fit for her age group but also her five year old sister requests that the books be read to her at bedtime. They love to sit and listen to them while relaxing or doing crafts. The subject matter deals with everyday joys, sorrows, problems, and solutions. I didn't begin with book 1 because it involves the death of the girls parents in an auto accident and I didn't know how that situation would be received. I first gave her the Secret Book Club and she was "hooked"! For her birthday or other occasion the other books followed. She now has all the audio books (Volumes 1-5) and has read the other three. The Row House neighbors are families who are different in age and background but fit together to form a "family" of sorts. The characters are models of friends we would like our children to be ---kind,caring,funny,thoughtful, and yet still kids who make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. Mary

My daughters and I listened to this audiobook every day on our commute to school/work. We all loved it!
The narrator has different voices for each character and that really makes the story come alive. I recommend the entire series!

** This review is written by my 11 year-old daughter (with my supervision) **

This book is one of my FAVORITE books!! It just is a great story and message! BUY THIS BOOK! It's not just a book its an adventure with 2 girls you will love!