Jake & The Gingerbread Wars (A Gryphon Chronicles Christmas Novella) (The Gryphon Chronicles) Paperback – December 8, 2013

A mystery of gingerbread people come to life leads to a trip to the North Pole. Lots of exciting events.

I was impressed with this book mainly because unlike most authors of adolescent books these do not talk down to their audience or avoid using words that a teenager might have to look up. It was intelligently written and even addressed social and moral issues without becoming preachy. At several points it references a previous book but explains in such a way that you do not have to have read it. I appreciated the fact that there was no moral ambiguity that many adolescent books have had in recent years. Good on you, Foleys.

A sweet story set in the Victorian Age, this is a story suitable for children 10 and up, and adults too. I enjoyed the adventures of Jake Everton, his cousins Archie and Isabelle, friend Dani O’Dell, and pet Gryphon Red, as they captured a trouble making elf named Humbug, who is on the run from the North Pole. They’re on a mission to return him to Santa and hope for a Christmas wish granted as a reward. They run into feuding pastry chefs, battling gingerbread people, yetis, Snow Maiden and her brother Jack Frost, and plenty of danger on their way to the frigid North Pole. Of course there is magic, we’re dealing with Santa Claus here, as well as elves and fairies, and the children have some magical abilities as well, which makes it even more fun. I loved how it all turned out and I would definitely recommend this story. This is a stand-alone, but is part of the Gryphon Chronicles series, so there are more adventures to enjoy.

This was such a fun Christmas read! Exciting, magical, festive! It's full of holiday spirit, adventure, and magic. It really encapsulates the whole spirit of Christmas.Although it's a Middle Grade book, it has enough maturity and intrigue to still appeal to adults.This is my seventh Christmas novel of the season, and it is my favorite so far!

This is supposed to be a stand-alone book in The Gryphon Chronicles series. It is the only book I have read in the series, so I'm either missing schema that would make this a better read, or I was too generous in giving it two stars.The story falls in the vein of many recent novels for tween lit. You need an orphan or outcast who discovers magical powers, goes on an adventure with a group of friends (archetypes), encounters and/or befriends mythical beasts/gnomes/faeries, and must complete a quest by the novel's end. This seemed to be a mixture of Harry Potter, Narnia Chronicles, Fablehaven, and _____ (take your pick of Riordan series). Those are all fantastic books and do a much better job with plot and character than Jake and the Gingerbread Wars.The story is set in the early twentieth century, and throughout the novel, I kept wondering why. The language and tone are reminiscent of Little Women, yet the adventures have a modern undertone that doesn't make sense (you have hansom cabs, horse and buggy, and Santa's granddaughter who has a fondness for a more punk rock look - how does that happen?). There are some instances of language that are more contemporary than the setting would suggest (perhaps to engage twenty-first century readers?). In an attempt to appeal to a larger audience, it lost its way and was disappointing.It may be that the characters and situation have been better explained in other books within the series, but this *was* advertised as a stand alone. It feels like the book is having an identity crisis, and in its attempt to incorporate parts of other exceptional works, it reads as a poorly written novel.As I was reading, I was thinking of how many kids I know that would truly want to read this. Out of hundreds of kids, I think this would appeal to a handful. It would satisfy many, but it would take a special kind of reader to really enjoy and savor the story. In my opinion, the target audience would be high reading level 4th grade (vocabulary) - 7th grade. Of my 70 students, I might have three to whom I would recommend this.

I have been enjoying the Gryphon Chronicles, reading them in order. This was a fun read and I read it close to the Christmas season which is my favorite time of the year. This is a children’s book but can be enjoyed by the whole family.

JAKE & THE GINGERBREAD WARS is a new must-read Christmas classic. This time Jake finds that an elf, Humbug, has run away from the North Pole and is creating mischief because he hates Christmas. Humbug wants to be a Halloween elf. Jake must return him to Santa.Once again Jake takes the rest with him as he goes to the North Pole to return Humbug to Santa. Along the way they, naturally, run into trouble with yetis and Santa's granddaughter (didn't know he had one.) They are not sure they will stay alive to get to Santa never mind getting back in time to be in the Nativity play.I like how myths from the Arctic Circle are blended into JAKE & THE GINGERBREAD WARS. I loved how Santa brings in the Nativity story as he answers Jake's question. There is even a little Shakespeare blended in here.This is a feel good story with much that made me smile and a little that brought a tear to my eye. It is one that will bring a new Christmas tradition into my holiday season.

A novella to go along with the Gryphon Chronicles, Jake & The Gingerbread Wars follows Jake and his group as they attempt to take a wayward elf back to Santa Claus. The story is fun and the outcome is sweet. My 10- and 12-year-old sons and I all enjoyed it. We haven’t read any of the rest of the series, and my 10-year-old asked me to please put them on our “books to read” list. Because we haven’t read any of the other books, there were occasions where things were referenced that we didn’t know about, but for the most part we didn’t have any trouble jumping into the middle of the series. I recommend reading this book to middle grade kids. It makes a great family read aloud!

Lovely fantastical tale, with a great hint of steampunk. Good mix of fantastical elements and Victorian world, and a good mix of the Santa mythical side of Christmas and the True meaning of Christmas. I'm going to be passing this on to my nine year old avid reader.Jake and his cousins and friend go on a mission to the North Pole trying to return a renegade Christmas elf. On the way they encounter all sorts of wild adventures. Jake is great - a bit cocky and runs right into things getting himself and others in trouble, but his heart is very much in the right place.I'll be looking for others by the same authors!

These books are amazing, this was so full of Christmas cheer, we loved it, this is a stand alone book from the Gryphon Chronicles,the rest of the books are amazing, I love books that set your imagination on fire.

A lovely Christmas book which can be read at any time. Magic and mystery combined with adventure. A marvellous read

Lovely Christmas read.