This is a Christmas story told in the form of an advent calender in twenty-four chapters, which lends itself to being read a bit at a time, as a special way of observing the Christmas season. Like all Gaarder's books, this one has a didactic component; in this case, he takes us back in time across Europe on a journey to Jesus' birthplace. This can be a bit artificial, and the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory, but all the same Gaarder weaves an interesting, engaging story.

I read this last year around Christmas, and it made the rounds in my family before returning to my bookshelf. It seems like the sort of book which is meant to be shared, so I'm giving it to my mother with the request that she pass it on to someone from her handbell choir at church.