Nickel Bay Nick

Gr 4–7—Eleven-year-old Sam, puny after the one-two punch of a heart transplant and his mother's abandonment of the family, is one bad move away from juvie. He freely expresses his anger toward his father and the world with bitterness and vandalism. On Christmas night, he damages the house of a rich recluse, and, to avoid arrest, Sam and his father agree that he will work to pay for his destruction. It turns out that Mr. Wells, confined to a wheelchair by a broken leg, has been the anonymous benefactor of the depressed town of Nickel Bay, handing out $100 bills each Christmas. This year, the residents have sorely missed the visit of "Nickel Bay Nick" and it is Sam's mission to become his town's secret St. Nick. To succeed he must follow orders, see the world from others' perspective, and earn the respect of his new mentor. Told with wry humor, this fast-paced novel will appeal to fans of Louis Sachar's Holes (Farrar, 1998) and Gary D. Schmidt's Okay for Now (Clarion, 2011). In the best tradition of Christmas stories, it's a bit of a tearjerker as Sam discovers just why Mr. Wells cares so much about him and learns to forgive his own parents. This is a Christmas book that can be enjoyed year-round.—Anne Connor, formerly at Los Angeles Public Library