Middle grade readers will love this book. It should appeal to both boys and girls because it is a basic adventure book. The purpose of the book's message is to explore the true meaning of Christmas without getting overly "religious." The main character, TJ, takes on several jobs to try to earn money to give her dad for Christmas. Things get out of hand, of course, while she tries to compete with her sister who is planning on purchasing a large screen TV. To "help" TJ understand what really counts for Christmas, bumbling time travelers on a school assignment from the future visit TJ and stay hidden in her bedroom. She's the only one who can see and hear them, but doesn't pay much attention to their warnings. There are plenty of laughs to go around--good clean non-crude humor.

Herby and Tuna are traveling from the future to invisibly observe their target historical figure for a school assignment. Since their arrival, everything seems to go wrong for them, including equipment malfunctions; but they do manage to tag along with TJ to school and work for awhile. Their "help" is doubtful but funny.

Besides the goofy humor in this short book, there are family dynamics to explore (TJ's mom died of cancer recently) and social dynamics to learn from. This book, like the many others written by this author is not just a fluff piece. There are valuable lessons taught within the humorous events, just enough to prompt young readers to think. Parents will love this. Books like this were something I searched for when my children were the age this book is written for (between ages 7 and 11).

If you are looking for a hilarious, fast-paced adventure for your children to read, this is one I highly recommend. ( )