Sammie's dysfunctional family is at it again. It is only the After School Club that is the 'chocolate spread' between the dull bread that is school and the duller bread that is home that makes life bearable. When dad comes home for Christmas, Sammie is convinced that it is magic that has brought him and that now all will be well. But it isn't. And on Christmas morning, when seriously shopaholic mum is finally 'outed' and is made to realise that her need to buy, buy, buy has seriously compromised the family finances, Sammie must begin to accept that dad will never come home permanently, magic or not. Mum (perhaps rather too quickly) accepts what she has done, takes back all the unwanted gifts, and cuts up her credit cards. It is some time before Sammie can go back to her beloved After School Club because the payments are so far in arrears, but it is dad who finds the answer, and one can hope that both parents have taken on more responsibility. This author has an authentic teen 'voice', and her books are highly readable and remarkably true-to-life.