A review by backonthealex
Deck the Halls, We're Off the Walls! by Dan Gutman

3.0

It’s Christmas vacation and A.J. couldn’t be happier - no school for nine days and now Santa is going to be at the mall on the Saturday before Christmas, and friend Ryan’s mom said she would drive them there - so the word was quickly spread to friends Michael, Neil, and Alexia. No sooner did they get to the mall, when they learned that no only Santa, but Cray-Z, the kid rapper with the hit song “The Christmas Klepto,” would also be there. The line to see Santa is very long and A.J. and friends decide to go get a present for A.J.’s younger sister, but on the way, they run into Craz-Z in the bathroom, A.J. and Craz-Z switch clothes, so Craz-Z can rest and hide from his adoring fans, and A.J. goes out a performs as the rapper. Dressed as himself again, A.J. heads to the Santa line, and when his turn comes, he asks for what he wants, and begins giving Santa the third degree. When he leaves, Santa’s beard accidentally comes off and his real identity is exposed - Mr. Klutz, the school principal. Running away from all the angry parents and upset kids, A.J. is chased to the food court, but runs into Cray-Z instead. Can Cray-Z repay A.J.’s favor and help save him? My kids loved this story, and why not, it’s pretty zany and had them laughing from start to finish. At the end of the book, there are a few pages with some interesting facts about Christmas, followed by some Fun Games and Weird-Word Puzzles, and a pretty funny section called My Weird School Trivia Questions (which my kids really loved).