The elves can't be kept on shelves in this hilarious middle-grade debut about what happens when Santa opens a contest to find his successor. These elves are off the shelves.Ollie and Celia think they know what the life of an elf is supposed to be like: Make toys. Help Santa. Make more toys. Help Santa. Try out a new ice-cream flavor. Help Santa. But then Santa rocks the North Pole with a surprise announcement! He's decided this is going to be his last year in the Big Red Suit--and instead of letting his oldest son, the unfortunately named Klaus Claus, take over, he's opening up the job to an kid who wants to apply--Claus or elf.The Santa Trials have begun!Ollie and Celia enter the contest, having no idea whatsoever that they'll soon have to squeeze through impossible chimneys, race runaway sleighs, sweet-talk a squad of rowdy reindeer, and consume cruel amounts of cookies and milk. It's both an adventure and a survival test, far beyond what any elf or Claus has been asked to do before. But whoever rises to the top will get a reward even bigger than Christmas . . .

Buster's a therapy dog who needs to take matters into his own paws to help a boy understand his own anxiety even if it means breaking a few rules. Buster's in big trouble. He's been dragged to Dog Court for breaking one of the most sacred of all dog rules: Never, ever talk to a human, or let a human know how smart you really are. But he swears he had a good reason! The boy he's been taking care of, Tonio, needed his help in a big way. You see, Tonio is afraid all the time -- afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing, afraid of making a fool of himself or (even worse) hurting someone else's feelings. His doctor thinks having a therapy dog will help his anxiety -- and Buster wants to help. He really wants to help. Even if it means breaking the rules

Humor and heart come unleashed in this adventure about a boy living with anxiety who must join with his therapy dog to save dogkind from a dog-hating secret agent. Tonio is not allowed to let anyone know that he can communicate fluently with his therapy dog, Buster. But when dogkind requires that Tonio make friends with a bully, are Tonio and Buster going to go through a ruff patch... or learn some new tricks to keep the dogs in their town safe?