"Aaaagh!"

Sally Connors screamed grabbing her head with her hands and looking up at the ceiling. "What words do I use!"

This is the beginning of the story and thus begins the fantastic journey that Sally Connors will take with Horace Helfin. Sally was born on Christmas Day and will be nine years old in just a few days. She is carefully crafting a letter to Santa, the contents of which will long remain a secret. Sally's parents, John and Amanda, have separated; John works for a fantastical toy manufacturer; Sally lives at home with Amanda, an overworked litigator. Soon, a strange boy named Horace Helfin comes into their lives- and changes them forever. Horace mysteriously "just showed up one day" at Saint Bartholomew's Orphanage. Suffering from a strange malady, Horace nonetheless proves to be full of life and mischief, a veritable walking disaster zone. Everywhere he goes, havoc follows in his wake; yet, nonetheless, everyone finds him irresistibly charming, with his gnomic statements uttered in rhymed couplets except when he is angry or sad.

"Horace Helfin is my name. Do you want to play a game?"

In a series of madcap adventures, he confronts and outwits a whole rogue gallery of delectable villains, including Corey Wilson, the neighborhood bully, Mrs. Hunnicutt, the dastardly mother of an insufferable brat, and Baron Von Muncher, the neighbors' foaming-at-the mouth Rottweiler.

Most menacing of all, though, is Arthur A. Meney, John's ruthless boss who sets his sights on Amanda. His machinations threaten to undermine Sally's most fervent hope- but Arthur never anticipates having to deal with the high jinks of Horace Helfin! As the novel hurtles towards its climax, Sally suffers a serious accident, and Horace seemingly sacrifices everything to save her. Will Christmas be ruined? Will John and Amanda get back together? Will Sally recover? Will Horace survive? And what explains the seemingly superhuman abilities Horace manifests at times?

Full of action, suspense, humor and unexpected twists, Horace Helfin's Holiday Home is a delight for the whole family. A story about friendship, sacrifice, hope, forgiveness, the joy of giving, the importance of family, and the true spirit of Christmas, Horace Helfin's Holiday Home is a great novel for young readers and a great gift for readers of all ages.

Cover Artist: Paulette Bensignor: www.bensignor.com

Perfect Paperback: 256 pages

EBook available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

HORACE HELFIN'S HORRIFYING HALLOWEEN- HORACE HELFIN # 2

EBook available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble- 200 pages- Illustrated

 

To order:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Horace-Helfins-Holiday-Philip-McCarthy/dp/0961482966/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298957435&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=horace+helfin&page=index∏=univ&choice=allproducts&query=horace+helfin&flag=False&ugrp=1