The story of Jamie Kimball continues as Christmas quickly approaches. A huge pine tree stands in the way of a greedy land developer's shopping mall and Jamie must find a way to save it from destruction. His efforts put the life of a little boy in jeopardy and threaten the foster home he and his little sister have grown to love. The magic of the Season and the appearance of a large, white Poodle bring an unexpected surprise as Jamie learns about the miracle of love.
Excerpt -
Jamie had turned in his seat and rolled down the window to hear. He looked across the meadow at the huge pine tree that stood almost alone and tried to remember how many times he had climbed in its branches. It had been a symbol of strength and comfort to him and Tessie as their mother had taught them to respect it.
"When you're feeling down, kids," Marla would say, "just give that big ol' tree a hug and know that it has weathered every storm that's passed through here the last two-hundred plus years."
Jamie wondered how it could survive this storm as he looked back at the heavy equipment poised to take it down.
Professional Reviews
A beautiful story!
I loved The Christmas Tree House, Robert Humphrey's continuation of the story he began last year with The Christmas Poodle. I so hoped he would do a series with the loveable Jamie and Tessie Kimball, and the marvelous Maximus, the original Christmas Poodle. This is a family holiday story that should be on every child's reading list for quality seasonal entertainment. I can hardly wait for the next one.
Joleen Hammond, a case manager in Social Services, November 3, 2003
A Christmas story for all ages
The Christmas Tree House continues the story Robert Humphrey started in his endearing little book, The Christmas Poodle. The plight of Jamie Kimball and his little sister, Tessie, reveals so much of what is happening to children behind the scenes of an overburdened bureacracy that struggles to meet the needs of the less fortunate. But I applaud the author for also highlighting the fact that there are many, many people in everyday walks of life who contribute without fanfare to help people in need. In The Christmas Poodle, we met Jamie as simply a boy facing the cruelties of poverty compounded by the death of his mother. Left with the responsibility of his little sister, he learned that help could be found in unexpected places. In The Christmas Tree House, we now find Jamie has grown by a year to learn that life's continuing challenges force all of us to make decisions that may affect us and those around us for the rest of our lives. Both stories are wonderful holiday reading and I recommend them for any age. To comment on Robert Humphrey's writing in general, The Christmas Poodle was the first work I read by Mr. Humphrey. His style revealed a lot to me about the kind of person he must be and I would have assumed that his forte is childrens' and/or holiday stories because he executes them so well. However, I recently picked up his first novel, The Mendelian Threshold, and was pleased to find a gripping suspense story that was very hard to put down. Although a completely different genre, one can still see the heart of this writer in his work. I heartily recommend any book by Robert Humphrey and will be looking for his next work.
Rosalind Dorough, an elementary school teacher, November 3, 2003
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