cover image Tumbleweed Christmas

Tumbleweed Christmas

Alane Ferguson. Simon & Schuster, $15 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-689-80465-6

Car trouble puts a definite crimp in the Christmas Eve travel plans of Scotty and his mother. When the two are stranded on a desert road and then towed to the rickety Dry Bean Motel, Scotty's dreams of the turkey dinner and brightly decorated tree at his grandparents' start to fade fast. But the generosity of a mechanic named Jasper helps Scotty put his Christmas detour in perspective. Ferguson's delivery, fortunately, is less formulaic than her plotting. Cacti, sagebrush and a red sunset suggest the hot and dusty atmosphere. Ages 4-7. (Oct.)