The Hooples's Horrible Holiday

Stephen Manes clearly understands what makes children laugh — the escalating disaster of the Hooples' Thanksgiving journey is exactly the kind of slapstick chaos that turns reluctant readers into willing ones, and the power-outage resolution teaches something genuine about what the holiday is actually for. The 1986 publication date means some references will land as charmingly old-fashioned rather than relatable, and jumping in at book three without knowing the family isn't a dealbreaker but is worth noting. A fun seasonal read-aloud for families and classrooms.