Synopses & Reviews
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist comes one of the funniest, warmest, most delightful Christmas stories ever.
My name is Doug Barnes, and this stuff happened on Christmas Eve in my town, which is Asquont, New York.
The year is 1960, and, as it is every year, the Christmas pageant at St. John's Episcopal Church, directed by Mrs. Elkins who used to be in The Theater in New York, and who is tall and skinny, with hair the color of the orange part of a candy corn is a very big deal. Doug is a shepherd this year, which is better than being a Three King, because, for one thing, you get to carry a stick. But there are problems everywhere: His fellow shepherds are hacking around, which makes Mrs. Elkins yell at all of them; the girl he likes is playing Mary opposite a Joseph who is depressingly smart and athletic and cute; the family dog is doing very poorly, and they have no idea what they're going to tell Doug's little sister Becky, who's playing one of the Host of Angels and who loves the dog more than anything; and his dad's just gotten a flat tire, which means they might not even get to the pageant at all.
But Christmas is a time of miracles. And for Doug and his family, this will be the most miraculous Christmas of all.
Dave Barry has been delighting readers for decades with his newspaper columns, nonfiction, novels for adults and novels for children, but this book is something special: a story for all ages that'll touch the heart and make you laugh out loud. And you may never look at a manger scene the same way again.
Review
"A nostalgic Christmas fable strikes an engaging balance between humor and heart....Dickens needn't fear the competition, but a Very Barry Christmas should prove a holiday favorite for years to come." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Humorist Barry spins a short and cute yarn, Jean Shepherd style....Fun for the entire family." Library Journal
Synopsis
Delighted to be playing the part of a shepherd in the local Christmas pageant at St. John's Episcopal Church, Doug Barnes is suddenly confronted by a host of problems--including the misbehavior of his fellow shepherds, the cute boy playing Joseph opposite the girl he likes as Mary, the illness of the family dog, and his dad's flat tire, which could keep him out of the pageant. 200,000 first printing.
Synopsis
The book America took to its heart-the "hilarious" (USA Today) national bestseller from the Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist: "A Very Barry Christmas should prove a holiday favorite for years to come!" (Kirkus Reviews)
Synopsis
The national bestseller from the Pulitzer Prizewinning authorone of the warmest and most delightful Christmas stories ever.
With fond nostalgia, Dave Barry takes readers back to a simpler time: The year is 1960, and young Doug Barnes is playing a shepherd in the Christmas pageant at St. Johns Episcopal Churchwhich is a very big deal. But there are problems everywhere. His fellow shepherds are misbehaving, which makes their director, Mrs. Elkins, yell at all of them; the girl he likes is playing Mary opposite a Joseph who is depressingly smart, athletic, and cute; the family dog is doing very poorly, and they have no idea what theyre going to tell Dougs little sister, Becky, whos playing one of the Host of Angels and who loves the dog more than anything; and his dads just gotten a flat tire, which means they might not even get to the pageant after all.
But Christmas is a time of miracles. And for Doug and his family, this will be the most miraculous Christmas of all.
About the Author
Among Dave Barry's recent bestselling books are his novels Big Trouble and Tricky Business; the nonfiction Dave Barry's Money Secrets; and the two Peter Pan sequels, written with Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers and Peter and the Shadow Thieves.