Mark's Review of The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

This month for Book Club we are reading The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder. Like the best-seller Sophie's World, by the same author, this book has layers (or as the donkey in Shrek would say: "Lay-ers"). Although found in the Children's Section at my local library, The Christmas Mystery has much in appeal to adults, not least because of the time travelling characters who stop at significant times in the history of Europe whilst trying to find their way to Bethlehem for the mysterious birth. The characters are colourful, the premise - well mysterious - an advent calendar, the history of Father Christmas, lots of angels and sheep and a long journey. It's a good after dinner or before bed book for young and old. A festive family read. A highlight for me was the description of "the Glory of heaven being too great to be contained there - it spills out upon the earth".