Book excerpt: The death of their mother pits two homeless children against the world just as the Christmas Season gets into full swing for everyone else. Sent to a foster home, young Jamie Kimball soon learns his little sister is missing after a fiery car crash. But magic is in the air and seems to revolve around a Christmas story he made up for her the year before. The appearance of a large, white Poodle adds to the mystery of her survival as the children find new hope in the season of miracles.