'Aglow: A Christmas Fable' by Bruce Ashkenas tells an interfaith story of faith and friendships.

The statue of Mary at St. Dominic's Cathedral in the Bronx is dirty. Friends Adam and Rafe decide to sneak up on the roof of the building and clean it. When the cleaning is seen as a miracle, Adam, who is Jewish, doesn't understand what the big deal is. Rafe is excited by the changes he sees in his crime-ridden neighborhood. Rafe's brother is in a gang and has a miracle of his own happen along the way.

It's a sweet story and parts of it feel like it's from another time. There is gang violence, but it feels like a gang from the 1950s. There is a video game the guys play, but it feels like an old-school console game. Still I liked this story of Christmas miracles and friendship.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Acorn Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

A curious, unique story about the power of a miracle - whether it's real or not.
I loved the characters and the pacing but the ending left me wanting a little more by way of the explanation - it was a little out there!

In the heart of Bronx, there is a struggling Catholic community with a dilapidated church. On top of the church there is the dirty, grimy statue of the Madonna with the baby Jesus. They share the fate of the church: apart from a few devout believers - like 12-year-old Rafe and his mother- no one seems to notice or care about them.

Close to the Church is a Jewish grocery run by Adam's grandfather.

Rafe and Adam are friends and on one night before Christmas they decide to clean the statue which sets up a chain of events -overnight- that is beyond their wildest dreams.

I liked the concept of the book and totally comprehend the intentions of the author, but unfortunately the execution lacked necessary emphasis and drive to make it really work.

The story is written in a dumbed down, oversimplified way which may work for middle grade readers (?), but it did not work too well for me.

Methinks more length and depth is needed to address a wider audience.

A warm tale that brings christmas to your heart. I would love to read more about the characters.

Aglow is a great story about devotion, faith but more than anything about the inherent goodness of man and how a 'miracle' brings out the best in people. Sent in a tough neighbourhood in the Bronx, the reformation of gang members that happens as a result of a Madonna statue starting to glow is touching and hopeful. I wouldn’t say I am a spiritual person really but this is a hopeful, warm story that made me smile.

Not bad. It's a nice enough holiday story about two boys of different faiths and their neighborhood. I am so used to being surrounded by diverse people, the two boys being buds wasn't all that special. But it was a sweet story with a miracle that drew a neighborhood together. I think ages 12 and up, even adults might enjoy this story.

There was a joke about shoes in England, which were very uncomfortable, and poorly made. It was said that they were made by someone who had heard about shoes, but had never seen or worn them.

I feel this way about this book. Despite the fact that there is supposed to be both a Jew and Catholic in this story, many Catholics in fact, I feel as though the author has heard about them, but ever actually seen them. In the acknowledgments, the author says he did a lot of research by talking to his wife who converted from being a Catholic to being a Jew.

This book feels as though it were written by a middle aged white guy. Perhaps it was. Perhaps it was not. The grandfather , who is supposed to be Jewish, sometimes uses Yiddish phrases, and sometimes does not. I know, I kn ow, I am probably being picky, but I feel as though this should be better conceived.

As for the story itself, it is the story of an Hispanic boy, and a Jewish boy who decide to clean a stature of the Mary and Jesus, that is every dirty. They dont' manage to finish the job, but the stature miraculously continues to clean itself. That is it. The whole rest of the book is how this stature changes people around them, including the local gang.

Very schmaltzy. Very trite. Are gang members actually called Grangbangers?

This would have been better as a short story, except that would have only made me spend less time reading it, It would not have made me enjoy it any more.

Not sure how this is meant for, but not me. Just because I am Pagon doesn't mean I don't enjoy Christmas stories from time to time. Just not this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I read the ARC given by NetGalley
It was an adorable story of two boys Adam who visits her grandfather on weekends and befriend with Rafe where they decided to clean the statue of Madonna at one night, which leads people to believe in miracles.