Sleigh Stowaway! Santa's Puppy by Catherine Hapka

Peppermint Bark is a peppy puppy whose only desire is to ride with Santa in his sleigh on Christmas Eve.

"I want to help!" he barked. "I want to come with you and see all the children of the world!"

"Thanks, little buddy," said Santa," but if you got out of the sleigh and were left behind--if I couldn't find you before the last time zone strikes midnight--" Santa glanced toward the huge North Pole gates, tightly shut for 364 days of the year.

But as Santa is checking his list twice, Peppermint Bark slips into the sleigh and digs down deep in the pile of gifts... and he's off!

Meanwhile, down in the the town of Poinsettia, Chris Kerstman is quarreling with his big sister, the suddenly super-sophisticated Holly, who's drifted into becoming a Santa denier. She only wants to hang out with her friend Ivy and talk about matching necklaces.

But when Chris is awakened early the next morning by what sounds like a barking dog in the attic, he hustles out to identify what's making the woof up on the roof! It's you-know-who, who slipped out of the sleigh to watch Santa go down the Kerstman's chimney and tried to follow. And when Chris rescues a sooty Peppermint Bark, he discovers that he--and, strangely, Ivy-- can understand the pup's bark. Chris can't keep the puppy because of his father's allergies, but when Peppermint reveals the he has to find a gateway back to the North Pole before midnight, he, Ivy, and a still doubtful Holly set out to find an open polar portal at, where else, the town of Poinsettia's famous Christmas festival.

Only the worst Scrooge in the world would harbor a doubt that all will end well, with Santa's puppy getting home just in the (Saint) Nick of time, but the fun of this holiday tale lies in the wild chase through the Poinsettia Christmas festival, pursued by fake and real elves, several disappointed toddlers who want to sit in Santa's lap, their parents, and disgruntled Nativity scene actors whose donkey Chris purloins to outdistance the grouchy parade manager, as Chris races to get Peppermint Bark to the disappearing portal at the top the festival's Christmas tree.

Chris held on tight to Paco the donkey as he skidded to a stop at the base of the huge town Christmas tree. It was all up to him. Tired as he was, he'd just have to do his best. "I can smell it now," barked Peppermint Bark--there's definitely a portal up there...."

What's not to like... when there's eager Christmas Eve anticipation, an adorable, peppy puppy who barks in English for those who believe, a big sister who needs to regain her Christmas spirit, and a climactic climb through a very tall Christmas tree just as the final North Pole portal above begins to close...

And that's not even the best part of this yuletide romp, in Catherine Hapka's jolly just-published Santa's Puppy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019). With the jovial tropes of holiday after-school specials and many Christmas movies, this one features a conclusion as peppy as peppermint sticks and sweet as hot cocoa, a festive frolic and a captivating Christmas caper.

"Merry mayhem," says Kirkus Reviews.