I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Operation Nativity is such a fun and heartwarming Christmas Nativity story for children with fun, engaging illustrations. When Molly and Oscar hear a crash outside and rush out to investigate, they're shocked to see Angel Gabriel walking around the back garden in a daze. They end up racing against the clock to find a wise man, a missing shepherd, a donkey, and Mary and Joseph and save Christmas! If they fail, not only will Christmas itself no longer exist, but they won't either.
Through all the fun antics and happenings throughout the story, the reader learns not only the true meaning of Christmas but much, much more! This is a fun read for any child full of Christmas festivities and fun to get into the festive spirit.

Exuberant – possibly full-on – young comedy read. This Christmas, much against his mother's wishes, young Oscar and younger Molly will be experiencing the holidays at a certain grandmother's – the father's parents are hosting their annual nativity show, and the old biddy is a bit of a harridan when it comes to directing that, much like everything else in life. Also making their way there are some other characters – and so, when Oscar is finished coming on like all three "Outnumbered" children at once he can get down to resolving the issue that Gabriel the angel has gubbered things up, and landed Jesus, Mary, a wise man and Steve the shepherd nowhere near Nazareth or Bethlehem, but this family's country pile instead.

What we have is one of those books librarians have to drag out for a month or two, or a novel you buy and then shelve with general fiction as if it will be looked at any other time of the year. It won't, for it definitely is a Christmas special. And it's really hit a mother-lode, somehow, of being very flippant and fast-and-loose with the whole Christmas story, yet respectful of it – it's a knock-about adventure concerning making-sure-of-the-birth-of-Christ drama that, in not gallivanting about with Santa and elves and whatnot still provides all the fun of a seasonal read but also thoroughly honours the truth of the back-story. If you think this is at all sacrilegious, think again.

It packs the laughs in – well, titters at most for us adults, I guess. As I say, I certainly saw a precedent in the quippy, worldly-wise-before-their-time children we have here. But writing-wise, that is not really controlled enough. At the start of his first scene Gabriel cannot get his head around a child in a Gruffalo onesie, only for him to cope with slang like "holibobs" without batting an angelic eyelid just pages later. As I say, it could feel a touch OTT, and the amount of foreshadowing over the first few chapters is bonkers.

But you know what? Forgetting the time of forgiving, and all that, this is actually really good fun. There has seldom been a more inventive race-against-time plot, the characters – even if they might merge into the one voice – are great fun to be with, and the closing chapters are ridiculously effective, so much more so than I would have ever expected.

So, yes, I would certainly declare this a seasonal smash – and while full-length prose Christmas books is not a shelf I have experienced much of, this is probably my favourite. Full-on action, nicely quippy chapter titles, and a perfect combination of drama and schmaltz-free sentiment, this is as close to five baubles as makes no difference.

This was a surprisingly touching story, centred around Oscar and Molly, two children participating in their grandmother’s famous Christmas Eve nativity performance. Always a bit tedious, this year is a bit different when Oscar finds himself having to rescue Mary, Joseph, Angel Gabriel and Steve the shepherd, oh and a donkey called Donald and Grandma. Turkey.

A great little read for younger children, mine are 8 and 6 and the book is suitable for both ages.

Operation Nativity by Jenny Pearson and illustrated by Kate Kear, a NetGalley review. Oscar and Molly are staying with theirs while family at their grandparents house. Normally an occasion to find an excuse to get out of. However this year for Oscar and Molly it takes an unexpected turn when they rush outside to investigate a crash and are surprised to find the Angel Gabriel who tells them they need save Christmas! I read this myself, not sharing with my daughter who is 7 and think she is just slightly to young for it and I did choose it to read myself as I was drawn to the cover! I loved everything about this book, great for kids and adults alike. I loved that it was narrated through the voice of Oscar and I think the author gets everything about the child’s tone and language spot on, and not just with this character but with them all, I especially liked Molly and grandmother. It’s laugh out loud funny and also although a kids book with have you reaching for the tissues. It tells the story of the nativity, Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, etc, but it makes it fun without being overly religious. It could be a discussion starter with your children about the nativity but also about death. I liked the way the author through the children explained death, this was the beauty for me with this book in that it tackled tough subjects but explained through the perspective of children. I’ve not read anything by this author before and as an adult reading it, I would recommend it to adults and children, it’s a light read, with a great message and with the biggest heart and anything but predictable, a book to add to your TBR pile. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Majestiful (it’s a real word ask Molly! Lol)
This has to be one of the most hilarious & heartwarming Christmas books I’ve read.

It’s your traditional nativity story but with a fabulous & unique twist and comes with a delightful array of characters that will have you smiling & laughing throughout especially the beautiful Molly. Molly is adorable from the clothes she wears to the things she says & does, she is just pure joy and innocence. My favourite character by far.

It’s also a story about family. Not just the fun of spending the festive season together but the stresses that that can bring too. It’s an honest portrayal of when families come together. (I’ve even had a Lady Lucifer in my life, too! Lol)

I won’t lie, you will cry but I promise, as heartbreaking as it is, it will also fill you with love & happiness.

Oh, and how can I forget the illustrations? Amazing! They capture the pure joy and fun of the story in a quirky and fabulous way.
It’s brilliant having those characters (especially Molly) come alive on the page. Love them! ♥️

A beautiful Christmas must read for the entire family.
Thank you, NetGalley & Usborne Publishing, for this Crimbo-tastic arc.

Jenny Pearson does it again! I am such a fan of Jenny's writing for children. It's so human, witty and enjoyable. Operation Nativity is no exception. A brilliant Christmas book that had me giggling all the way through. The Angel Gabriel is really quite hilarious as Oscar and his little sister Molly try to find the remainder of the key players in the Nativity story who have somehow managed to time travel 2000+ years into the future and ended up dispersed in the countryside around the village of Chipping Bottom.

With donkey and turkey escapades galore the story is reminiscent of the Nativity films, utterly absurd and unbelievable but totally heartwarming and just so all-round Christmassy that you can help but finish the book with a great big smile on your face. Definitely recommend for your Christmas reading.

This is a rather charming, uplifting story about a family involved in putting on the annual nativity play in their grandparents' village, only this year they find that members of the cast played their part in the original story all those years ago. The ultimate time travelling fantasy for children aged seven upwards which provides a gentle reminder of the Bible story. 

When Oscar and Molly rush outside to investigate a crash in the night, they're not expecting to find a dazed Angel Gabriel wandering around their grandparents' back garden. And they're certainly not expecting to find themselves in a race to save Christmas.

But if they don't track down a missing shepherd, wise man, donkey and the actual Mary and Joseph, who've all crash-landed in Chipping Bottom, not only will Christmas cease to exist, but they will too. 

I was a bit dubious about this book to start with. It sounded rather ridiculous and irreverent! But I thought it rather lovely and heartwarming and it is certainly a fresh and entertaining way to be reminded of the original story of the nativity.

When Oscar and Molly rush outside to investigate a crash in the night, they're not expecting to find a dazed Angel Gabriel wandering around their grandparents' back garden. And they're certainly not expecting to find themselves in a race to save Christmas.

But if they don't track down a missing shepherd, wise man, donkey and the actual Mary and Joseph, who've all crash-landed in Chipping Bottom, not only will Christmas cease to exist, but they will too. Operation Nativity is on.

This is an atmospheric Christmas read full of real Christmas truth/magic, family, humor, adventure, & incredible messages. Along with the stunning cover, the book is full of just as stunning illustrations throughout by Katie Kear that bring the story to life before your eyes. HIGHLY recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Usborne for this eCopy to review

I loved Operation nativity, it was a fun take on the nativity story with Oscar having to help the angel Gabriel save Christmas or the world as we know it will be very different indeed and Oscar may even not exist.

Que lots of funny mishaps and near misses as Oscar and his sister Molly search for the missing nativity members and hide them all in an unused bathroom. Will they succeed? Will the secret be kept? And will the family nativity play be a success?

Great characters and a great plot make this a family festive treat!

I found this book on Goodreads last year and thought it looked like such a fun read for the Christmas season, so I was very happy to find it on Netgalley. It was the hilarious middle grade read I was hoping for, with a festive twist that made it unlike other Christmas books I've read!

Oscar isn't thrilled to be staying with his (incredibly posh) grandparents for Christmas- especially his nativity-obsessed grandmother who won't rest until she puts on the best show in Chipping Bottom. But when the Angel Gabriel crash lands outside his window and announces the cast of the real life nativity, including actual Mary and Joseph, are lost and need to be recovered before Christmas Eve, Oscar and his sister are pulled along on an entertaining mission to save Christmas.

I love a good middle grade Christmas read, and this was unlike anything I've read before in that it focused on the nativity instead of the typical Santa Claus story (which I also love, don't get me wrong). This premise intrigued me, and meant it shot to the top of my Christmas TBR this year.
First and foremost this book was hilarious, which I think will help entice a lot of young readers to it- if I still worked as a librarian then this would be top of my list to purchase. I really enjoyed the cast of characters who were each unique. including Oscar's extended family and the nativity characters who were fantastically well developed. I thought the story was paced well, the discoveries of each missing character were spread throughout the story without it getting boring in between. The author did a good job of integrating this with the time Oscar was spending with his family, despite so much going on it didn't feel like any aspect of the story was ignored. I liked the illustrations throughout the book, I just wish there had been a few more of them. The ending was surprisingly emotional, and brought a tear to my eye!
I must admit this story wasn't as engaging as I'd hoped, it took me a while to get through because I simply wasn;t enjoying it enough to want to pick it up every day. It also lacked a little of the magic feeling I usually get from children's Christmas books, which are the reasons why I didn't rate this book higher.

I am glad I read this festive book and would definitely recommend it, particularly to children who enjoy authors like Tom Fletcher and David Walliams.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an ebook copy of this title!

I thought this book was terrific but think that I will enjoy reading to the children nearer to Christmas. I suspect that it will be a Christmas classic. Excellent book.

Operation Nativity By Jenny Pearson Published by Usborne What an absolute treat!! Another MUST read from Jenny Pearson, author and teacher who “just knows” how to keep you & your audience on the edge of your seat. This funny, heartwarming story full of family and their traditions at Christmas made me laugh out loud! But equally full of hope, humour and love especially when life throws you a tough challenge. When Oscar and Molly hear a crash and a bang they rush outside to investigate, but they're not expecting to find a dazed Angel Gabriel wandering around their grandparents' back garden. Or a donkey and maybe some other members of the nativity! And so begins the race to save Christmas. If they don't track down a missing shepherd, wise man, donkey and the actual Mary and Joseph, not only will Christmas cease to exist, but they will too. And that is another story! Operation Nativity is a MUST for the Christmas class read, just the right Christmas gift you were looking for or just to cheer yourself up. Praise for Jenny Pearson - a classic in the making!
 Joanne Bardgett - Year 3 teacher of littlies, lover of children’s books. #Netgallery #Usborne

Okay, so yes, it is aimed at 7-10 year olds, and I'm 30. So what? There's something just splendid about reading a children's Christmas book. Even the very best adult Christmas books are full of difficulties and loss and heartbreak and the expense of the season. What I wanted was just a good old nostalgic festive read. And that's what I got.

I've not read a Jenny Pearson book before but from this one I can see that she is very talented at wrapping difficult themes in age appropriate humour. Which can be a very difficult thing to achieve.

The illustrations!! It seems once you get to a certain age, people assume we don't want illustrations in our books. Let me tell you something, yes we do! Done right, they add to much to the prose and just add to the delight and the joy that the book is bringing you.

I knew it was going to be a bit special when, in the early pages, our protagonist says:

"I suppose it doesn't really matter if I can convince you or not. People will always believe different things and I actually think that's ok."

This is something that I think adults really need to remember, especially at this time of year.

I loved that it really showed the reality of a dysfunctional family. For all its glory, Christmas can be a difficult time if families don't get on, are spread around, are missing people. And whilst fiction books and movies and TV shows tend to present the perfect family image, this shows the reality of it which made it all the more funny.

I don't want to be the person who moans about us losing the meaning of Christmas; about us focussing more on presents and food and Santa rather than the religious aspect, but I'm afraid I'm going to be. Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas in all its guises. I love Santa and presents, and festive movies and sons and the food and everything, but I do try and add a religious element to my own celebrations (this is a personal choice and not one that I assume everyone else does). But it was refreshing to me, to see a mainstream book that showed the origins of the Christmas festival without it being too preachy or trying to ram religion down the reader's throat. It is very straightforward in that, without that religious element, we wouldn't have the Christmas we know and love today. But Jenny has managed to wrap it up with those fun, more trivial elements, as she knows that these are equally as important to a modern celebration.

What I wasn't expecting was to find it so moving. It's a children's book, about Christmas, with a lost Angel and a donkey. It was meant to be fun. And it was fun. But boy I found it emotional. There were definitely tears, so be prepared with a cuddle when you're reading it to your little one.

I did wonder if 352 pages is perhaps a bit too long for the younger end of the age range. It's a lot of book to commit to. But I think it is enjoyable and fund enough to balance that, but I would say the younger end would need someone to read it with them.

This is a hilarious take on the nativity story. I love it and would definitely get a copy of the book.

And then I discovered on Amazon that this was published last year with a different cover but with the same author and illustrator. If I get that version, is it going to be the same book inside?

A fabulously funny and heart-warming Christmas story. It's a fast-paced children's adventure story that this particular adult adored! Molly's antics had me laughing out loud and Oscar's engagements with the angel Gabriel were incredibly funny but towards the end brought a tear to the eye. I was reading an ecopy and don't feel I got the benefit of the wonderful illustrations so a hard copy is definitely on my Christmas list and I'll be slipping it into the Christmas stockings of all my young relatives!