Mo Alan's attitude toward Christmas is closer to Ebenezer Scrooge than Old St. Nick. But when Dr. Chris Ringle asks Mo to volunteer on the children's hospital cancer ward, he reluctantly agrees. There he meets a scarred young patient who hides her face behind a paper bag. Will the new friends experience a Christmas miracle?

Dr. Christopher Ringle is the last person you'd expect to find moonlighting as Santa Claus at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. But it is there that he meets a young man named Molar Alan, who desperately needs a new perspective on the underlying value of Christmas. Dr. Ringle recruits Mo and his older brother as volunteers at a nearby children's hospital for the holiday season. At the hospital, Mo is tasked to help bring holiday cheer to the young cancer patients on the fifth floor. His biggest challenge is befriending a decidedly angry girl who is so embarrassed by her scarred appearance that she hides her face behind the safety of a paper bag. Almost in spite of himself, Mo finds that Christmas joy emanates from a source far greater than the North Pole, while the young girl learns that she is more beautiful than she had ever imagined.

Kevin Alan Milne earned an MBA at Pennsylvania State University. Born in Portland, Oregon, Milne grew up in the nearby quiet country town of Sherwood, Oregon, where he currently resides with his wife and five children. This is his first novel.

In this affable yuletide yarn, brothers Aaron and Molar are understandably preoccupied with the material side of Christmas, until they meet Dr. Ringle, a shopping mall Santa who is also a doctor at a local children's cancer ward. Dr. Ringle encourages them to volunteer at the ward from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and especially encourages their friendship with two children: recalcitrant and angry Katrina, whose postsurgical scarring leaves her afraid to be seen without a paper bag on her head, and effusively optimistic Madhu, who does not understand the story of Christmas. The story is unexpectedly heartwarming, and Milne mostly avoids sap while delivering his warm fuzzies and dashes of Christmas hope and magic. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"The Paper Bag Christmas is one of the most inspiring and emotionally endearing books I've ever read."

"The Paper Bag Christmas reads like a Christmas classic -- warm, funny, sweet, inspiring, humbling, and nostalgic."

"The Paper Bag Christmas is the rare kind of story that makes your eyes teary while your heart smiles. I was truly moved."

"Milne's debut novel is the epitome of the true meaning of Christmas. It's an inspiring tale filled with heartfelt characters that will move readers to view Christmas in a whole new light."

"The story is unexpectedly heartwarming...delivering his warm fuzzies and dashes of Christmas hope and magic."

"[T]he book is just right for a family reading-aloud project . . .Milne also provides an . . .unforgettable story, forcing us to believe in all of his characters . . .and in something more."

"This is a small book in size but the message it sends is so big-this book points out the true meaning of Christmas."

"[I]t's sweetly honest, ushering in the holiday season with joyful ease."

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