Giveaway of "Grace Given" !!!

 Review of A Christmas Home

by Greg Kincaid

 Todd McCray, hero of A Dog Named Christmas, is now twenty-four years old and working at a local animal shelter, where he meets and quickly becomes best friends with Laura, a young volunteer. Laura, like Todd, has disabilities of her own, but her struggles are more physical than developmental. Their friendship is sealed when Todd—with the help of his trusted companion, the tenacious Labrador retriever named Christmas—trains a beautiful dog named Gracie to help Laura with the day-to-day life tasks that are difficult for her. 
            Life seems good for Todd, but all is not well in his hometown. Struggling families unable to make ends meet are abandoning more and more dogs, and the shelter is swelling to capacity.  The local government is struggling to meet its obligations too, and in early December, on the cusp of another holiday season, Todd’s boss delivers the bad news.  Due to funding problems, the shelter will close its doors before the end of the year.  But what will happen to all the animals?  
   As the Christmas holiday approaches, Todd has limited time to find homes for all the dogs. Not to mention that he needs to secure a new job and figure out what to do when his friendship with Laura takes an unexpected romantic turn. All this seems overwhelming unless you’ve got a loving family, dedicated friends, and a couple of very special dogs behind you. In which case, nothing is impossible.

My Review:    Greg Kincaid has written a delightful Christmas story for dog lovers of all ages.  I think this book would be suitable for younger readers with a high-reading level.   If you have not read A Dog Named Christmas, I believe you can still enjoy this book as a stand-alone.  I have seen the movie version of it and so that helped with many details.    It was nice to see Todd grown up and able to work and live independently.   He has many challenges in life with his developmental disability and everyone is worried about him when the shelter is set to be closed, but I think he shows everyone in the story just how strong  a man he has become!   He moves forward with great strength and dignity.   His parents are concerned, of course. His mother, in particular, has some difficulty in "cutting the apron strings" but I don't want to spoil the book by telling too much!   You need to read the book to see just how independent Todd has become.   You will likely fall in love with Christmas, the dog, just as I did.   What a wonderful loving pet !  this is a heartwarming tale for the Christmas season.  I was wondering if this one will also be made into a movie, as it would certainly be one I would like to see.   

About the Author:
Greg Kincaid, author of A Dog Named Christmas and Christmas with Tucker, is a practicing lawyer who specializes in family law mediation. He is also an active advocate for literacy and for the humane treatment of animals. He helped to start the Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidaysprogram that has found homes for tens of thousands of shelter dogs. The father of five children, he lives on a farm in western Johnson County, Kansas, with his wife, two cats and two dogs.  You can visit his website at:  http://www.gregkincaid.com.
I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multonamah Publishing in exchange for my honest review.