This was a heartwarming read that flew by very quickly. As such it's an ideal book to read at Christmas, and in fact is set over the Christmas period although it's not so very festive that you couldn't also pick it up at any other time of the year. 

I did feel that some of the characters could have been developed more, we get to know them in broad strokes but I wanted more depth. That said, there are sequels so hopefully the characters do have chance to shine later in the series. I'm also concious that I'm an adult reading a children's book, and kids may well be very happy with the way the characters are written. 

I do have to give a quick mention to the cover illustration by Karl James Mountford, it's simply stunning.