Chris Soul

'Operation Nativity' by Jenny Pearson is a brilliantly funny, poignant and endearing Christmas tale. Much more than a story about putting on a nativity; this is about the meaning of family, from birth to death and with all the heart-warming hilarity in-between. I enjoyed this so much - laughing out loud on many occasions! It is also fabulously illustrated by Katie Kear throughout. One of my Christmas picks for my school's December newsletter!

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When Oscar and Molly rush outside to investigate a crash in the night, they're not expecting to find a dazed Angel Gabriel wandering around their grandparents' back garden. And they're certainly not expecting to find themselves in a race to save Christmas. But if they don't track down a missing shepherd, wise man, donkey and the actual Mary and Joseph, who've all crash-landed in Chipping Bottom, not only will Christmas cease to exist, but they will too. Operation Nativity is on!

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I work in a Church of England school so Christmas, and the nativity, is taken very, very seriously. So it's wonderfully refreshing that Jenny Pearson has taken a different spin on it all, while still honouring what Christmas is all about. Uprooting the real characters of the nativity to modern times is just genius and so, so funny!  I particularly loved exchanges about commonplace things that absolutely confuse the likes of the Angel Gabriel, such as mistaking a plane for the star leading them to Bethlehem. To understand what a plane he is, he's told that it's like a metal camel with wings, at which point the Angel Gabriel says that it is definitely not something they should follow!

 

The book is packed with moments like this that are very endearing. As with Jenny Pearson's other book this year 'Grandpa Frank's Great Big Bucket List', humour comes through the very real relationships between family members - all the awkward conversations, mishaps and misunderstandings that come with it all. Arguably, in 'Operation Nativity', the Biblical characters are less important than Oscar and Molly, Granddad and the rest of their family. At the end, the reason for the Angel Gabriel's return is so bittersweet and touching you will need a tissue to hand.  Because what Jenny Pearson does best is make us laugh while warming our hearts. Unlike some other funny writers (I'm thinking of particular celebrity ones) Jenny Pearson's humour reminds us of the value we hold in our relationships and what truly matters - she really gets children and family. Alongside the outrageous premise and hilarious set-pieces, Jenny Pearson brilliantly reflects all of us with wit, warmth and fainting vicars. 

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Thank you to Usborne for sending a copy to review. Merry Christmas!

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https://www.waterstones.com/book/operation-nativity/jenny-pearson/katie-kear/9781803705033

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