The Great Santa Stakeout
Kids are always trying to outsmart Santa, but young Freddy Melcher hopes to finally succeed in The Great Santa Stakeout. After all, he’s obsessed with St. Nick, dressing in a Santa suit for every holiday — even Talk Like a Pirate Day!
As Santa’s #1 Fan, Freddy has Santa posters, Santa action figures, and even Santa underwear. But there is one prize Freddy desperately wants: A photograph taken with Santa, fresh out of the chimney.
Oh, is it risky! It’s awfully hard to sneak anything by someone who can see you when you are sleeping and knows when you’re awake. That’s why Freddy has been extra good this year… at hiding his plans.
Will Freddy get away with his delightfully devious scheme to outwit Santa Claus himself and capture the ultimate selfie?
He is sure he’s got a failsafe plan for capturing a selfie with his idol, and his plan seems thorough, complete with meticulous preparation and blueprints.
Betsy Bird’s snappy text enlivens this rollicking, action-packed tale, while Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat’s illustrations dramatically capture Freddy’s wide-eyed excitement. This modern Santa caper will keep the magic alive for young readers counting the days until the big guy shimmies down their chimneys.
ABOUT
As a kid, Betsy Bird was incredibly shy, she wasn’t good at sports, and she wasn’t exactly the best artist in the world, but there was one thing she could do really well: read. She read comic strips and novels and comic books and picture books and magazines and pretty much anything she could get her hands on. When she grew up she became a children’s librarian so she could work with books all day every day. She is also the author of Giant Dance Party, with illustrations by Goosebumps artist Brandon Dorman. Betsy was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now resides in Evanston, Illinois with her husband and offspring.
Dan Santat is the Caldecott Medal-winning and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. He is also the creator of acclaimed graphic novels The Aquanaut and A First Time for Everything, and his art is featured in numerous children’s books, including Dav Pilkey’s Ricky Ricotta series and picture books by Henry Winkler and Jake Gyllenhaal. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and pets. Visit him online at DanSantatBooks.com
Scenes from the short video Q&A with Betsy and Dan.
THE GREAT SANTA STAKEOUT
by Betsy Bird, illustrated by Dan Santat
PRAISE
“Never mind a happy ending, this is a downright jolly one — merry, even. Santa’s multimedia art elevates Bird’s joyful, playful text to holiday picture-book excellence, his use of chiaroscuro especially masterful in the nighttime scenes. Sure to be caught under many a tree.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A delightfully lighthearted holiday addition for fans of The Santa Clause and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
—School Library Journal
ISBN: 9781338566345 / 40 pages
Ages: 4–8
Publisher: Scholastic
Author’s agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management
Behind The Scenes with Betsy!
When I was a kid, I wanted to see someone very particular. No, not the tooth fairy. No, not even Santa. The Easter Bunny. I was determined to catch a glimpse of that bunny.
We always spent Easter at my grandmother’s house, so I’d stake out the window next to my bed which had a clear view of the front lawn. Surely, if something magical, bearing chocolate, appeared I’d be the first to see it.
Fun Fact: I never did. But that stakeout stayed with me. Years later I wanted to bring a similar story to life. A tale about a kid determined to not only see the impossible, but get an image of it as well.
Reader Stories
Pepper jack cheesy feet cheese triangles. Jarlsberg macaroni cheese edam cow danish fontina manchego manchego edam. Who moved my cheese blue castello jarlsberg cut the cheese stinking bishop pepper jack the big cheese cheese and biscuits. Smelly cheese bavarian bergkase feta lancashire mozzarella brie queso cut the cheese. Cheddar cheese triangles.
Awards & Accolades
Doggo ipsum
Adorable doggo pupperino
Waggy wags doggorino
Educator Resources
Cheese and wine say cheese brie. Stinking bishop emmental goat caerphilly say cheese hard cheese bocconcini emmental. Fromage frais melted cheese cheesy grin cheddar fromage brie rubber cheese airedale. Cow jarlsberg.
Pepper jack cheesy feet cheese triangles. Jarlsberg macaroni cheese edam cow danish fontina manchego manchego edam. Who moved my cheese blue castello jarlsberg cut the cheese stinking bishop pepper jack the big cheese cheese and biscuits. Smelly cheese bavarian bergkase feta lancashire mozzarella brie queso cut the cheese. Cheddar cheese triangles.