THE CHRISTMAS GENIE
by Dan Gutman & illustrated by Dan Santat
A fifth-grader named Chase narrates this Christmas-themed fantasy about a genie who flies into the classroom one day, offering the kids just one wish. Bob the genie has a ponytail, a tie-dyed shirt and a cranky attitude, referring to the kids as brats. The students each write down their wishes and in succeeding short chapters, the class and their teacher discuss the pros and cons of each wish, learning some concepts about finance, math and group dynamics in the process. The genie is accidentally turned into Santa Claus after the discussion of all the wishes concludes, but the children have thought through a lot of their fantasy wishes in an entertaining way. The tone of the story tries to be snappy and current but comes off as simply disrespectful. Santat’s final art not seen. (Fiction. 8-12)