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"Brand-New Holiday Classic!"

—Scholastic Book Fairs

The Broken Ornament

Jack wants this to be the best Christmas ever, and he knows just how to make it happen…

More! More lights, more presents, more cookies, more treats. More. More. More! So, when Jack breaks a dusty old ornament, he’s not sure why his mom is so upset. They can always get more ornaments, so what’s the big deal? Turns out the ornament was an heirloom, precious for more reasons than one. And Jack has a lot to learn about the true meaning Christmas.

A fairy emerges from the shattered ornament. She has the power to make the most magical Christmasy things happen. Suddenly trees are sprouting, reindeer are flying, and snowmen are snowball fighting. All of it is so perfect, or it would be if she could fix Mom’s ornament. But she can’t.

So it’s up to Jack to make some Christmas magic of his own.

Published: September 18, 2018
Ages: 4-8
Format: Hardcover, 48 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Purchase Info

Extras

Browse Art

Look inside the book with this gallery.

Activities

Characters from the book guide you through a maze, word find, holiday decorations, and more!

Desktop Wallpapers

Download wallpapers featuring characters from the book!

Holiday Ornaments

Print, cut out, and assemble your own ornaments

Videos

View these promos for The Broken Ornament

Praise

"Christmas Magic."
–NPR

"Some parts 'Polar Express', some parts 'Jumanji'."
–Today Show

“The author delivers a sound, easily relatable lesson about the perils of greed—and the essence of Christmas—as Jack devises a way to make amends in the story’s heartwarming finale.”
–Publishers Weekly

“This story perfectly weaves together the stresses, nostalgia and magic experienced by many families during the holiday season.”
–Boston Herald

“The sweet story…tells a classic tale of what really matters this time of year.”
–Parade

"DiTerlizzi’s illustrations are fabulous, as always: the trees sprouting up through the floorboards and curling against the ceiling, the reindeer prancing in through the front door, the living snowmen having a snowball fight with the army of Nutcrackers … the magic really comes to life."
–GeekDad

"Illustrations in colored pencil and gouache create the crowded full-page scenes of the wild indoor hullabaloo, and show Jack’s changing emotions as he learns about the true spirit of Christmas."
–Booklist

"Drives home its message heartily with a maximalist retro visual style."
–New York Times

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Tony DiTerlizzi: Never abandon imagination.

Imagination is a world of possibility that exists within each of us. It is what makes us uniquely human. It is our creative fingerprint that touches and influences the world around us. Imagination is essential to art and science; to innovation and prosperity. It gives us hope, calls us to action and leads to change.

Whether it’s fairies, dragons, robots or aliens, all of my children’s book characters are siblings born of my imagination – an imagination strengthened through years of encouragement from family, teachers and friends. While so many others abandoned it during their transition from childhood to adulthood, I fiercely held onto mine, hoping for a day when I could share it to inspire the next generation of dreamers. Innovators. World changers.

Imagination empowers us to envision and create a reality of what could be. We must hold it dear, foster it and never abandon it.