Title:	Claude’s Christmas Adventure
	Author:	Sophie Pembroke
	Published:	October 20, 2016, Avon/Harper Collins
	No. of Pages:	243
	Cover Price:	$3.99 Kindle

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Christmas is such a busy time of year, it’s nice to be able to take a break and read a good, light holiday novel. Claude’s Christmas Adventure by Sophie Pembroke, is just that. Claude, a beloved French Bulldog, is loaded in his crate in the car to so he can accompany his humans, Daisy and Oliver and their children, to see Grandparents who have just bought a crumbling chateau in France. Six-year old Jay is Claude’s favorite, and has a stuffed dog that looks very similar to Claude. Jay puts that stuffed dog in Claude’s crate with him and doesn’t lock it, so when Perdita, Claude’s nemesis shows up, Claude escapes and chases her away. When he goes back to the car he discovers it’s gone, and he’s home alone for Christmas.

Because of the stuffed dog in the crate, the humans don’t notice Claude is gone until they are on the ferry to France. Claude can’t get back in the house, and squeezes through Perdita’s pet door; at that time his adventure begins. Most of the humans Claude interacts with talk about sending him to the pound, so he has to hide; that’s where the suspense starts to build.

The layout of the novel is similar to Gone Girl, where each chapter is about a single character. This style has certainly taken off, and is a nice way to keep track of what’s happening to each individual. Claude’s Christmas Adventure is well-written, devoid of any sex, violence, or profanity, humorous, and suitable for all ages. Claude comes across as almost human, and sees himself like most men do – handsome, perfect body, and very smart.

The novel, while upbeat, does have some mild suspense, as well as villains, and characters who don’t have much Christmas spirit. Claude is inadvertently changing things in the neighborhood with the help of Perdita’s human, Holly, and the postman.

Claude’s Christmas Adventure is a novel for everyone who likes to read something festive and upbeat. It’s set in England, and the prose is decidedly English; it adds a certain charm to the novel, and will definitely persuade readers into adopting a French bulldog.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this novel.

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Claude's Christmas Adventure