Sophie Washington: Secret Santa

I have seriously fallen in love with the Sophie Washington Book Series!

This is the fourth book I’ve read in The Sophie Washington Book Series, and this is the fifth book in the series that I’ve featured on my blog! I have truly enjoyed every single one of them! So yes, I was stoked to read and review this book – and it did not disappoint one bit!

This book follows Sophie, now in sixth grade, and her family and friends in the beautiful suburbs of Houston, Texas. This book takes place just three weeks away from Christmas, when Sophie begins receiving packages marked from her Secret Santa. Sophie isn’t part of any Secret Santa program and can’t imagine who could be sending her all these gifts. Sophie and her friends start going through the possible suspects and narrow the list down to two boys, Nathan and Toby. Now they are determined to follow the clues and find out who the real Secret Santa is! This Christmas is sure to be one huge holiday event that Sophie will be sure to never forget!

I love the characters!! Sophie, her little brother, Cole, her family, her friends, Chloe, Valentina, and Mariama – they were all enjoyable, genuine, realistic, and relatable.

I really like that this book takes real-life issues head on and allows the young reader to easily connect with the characters and the situations they get into at home and at school.

This book really delves into bullying, which is such a hot topic these days. I love that the author doesn’t shy away from the ugliness and instead brings light to these issues. Kids are young and don’t always realize the right or wrong way to tackle these situations. This is another reason I love this book series as the author lets the characters make mistakes and learn from them – just like real kids would do. This book lets the characters work through real-life problems and hopefully will inform, teach, and inspire the young readers when they face similar situations.

I loved the mystery aspect of this book. I enjoyed following the clues and trying to solve the mysterious Secret Santa puzzle alongside Sophie and her friends.

There are some exciting twists and turns and unexpected moments that will keep you guessing!

I really enjoyed reading this book with Christmas just around the corner as it definitely got me into the holiday spirit! However, this book could easily be enjoyed any time of the year!

This book also offers insight into Sophie’s friends and family’s traditions of Christmas. This was really exciting to see all the different cultures and customs being represented.

This book series is just filled with so many wonderful life lessons and morals and this particular book did not miss the mark!

I liked that this book touched on so many topics such as friendship, family, love, forgiveness, life lessons, second chances, growth, faith, hope, bullying, torment, support, determination, overcoming challenges, new beginnings, unity, integrity, respect, compassion, appreciation, dignity, honor, humor, recognition, and so much more.

Mrs. Tonya Duncan Ellis remains showcasing her beautiful Houston and Texas roots by throwing in many references throughout the book since the book does take place in the Houston Suburbs. I have been to Houston many times, and I have lived in several parts of Texas before. So, I really enjoy when I read a book from there that the real Texas is found in the pages – and it sure was!

Mrs. Tonya Duncan Ellis continues to shine with her impressive writing technique with each Sophie Washington book! This book has a great storyline that flows, fantastic writing style with detailed scenes, beautiful illustrated images, well-developed characters, important and educational life lessons, is steady paced, and keeps you completely entertained through the last page – regardless of your age!

I think the best part of this book being for middle graders, is that it’s a fun, cool, intriguing, suspenseful book for them! It’s not a dumbed down kid’s book and it’s not a book that a parent can be worried that their kid is reading. It’s a book that a kid will want to read, won’t be embarrassed to read in front of their friends or their parents. It’s the right kind of a book a kid should be reading and the right kind of book their parent will be glad they are reading!

This book is book seven of the Sophie Washington Book Series. Although I have read other books in this series, this book can absolutely be read on its own as a standalone without any fear of getting lost or confused. However, I am really enjoying this book series, and would totally recommend the whole series!!

This book is “G” rated as there is no swearing, no violence, no adult situations, and no sexual content.

I would absolutely recommend this book for middle graders as I think they would love this book and the Sophie Washington Book Series!

This book is marketed towards middle grades and I totally agree! However, I might even go as far as to suggest this book for readers in third grade to seventh grade as they too would also easily enjoy this book and book series as well!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Granddaughter likes the series!