The Lost Kids Spy Christmas

An old crook by the name of Ananiah gives a bunch of street kids a secret hide-out home in some reasonable shacks high on the roof of a skyscraper. In exchange the kids run his "collection agency" as pick-pockets and shoplifters (thank you, Charles Dickens). They are very good at it. The cop on their beat has been after them for years without solving the case. But, now she has a rooky for a partner who is eager to make a good impression and things begin to pop. On the rooftop Ananiah keeps his work force busy during the holidays by keeping the whole idea of Christmas under wraps, or, at least "re-interpereting" all the holiday sights and songs the kids bring up from the streets. But, his three Swappers, charged with turning stolen goods to cash for his "money baby", are looking for a chance to make a little on the side for themselves. Their chance comes when the kids are given an infant to care for and are forced to entrust it to the Swappers while dodging the cops. The Swappers know just how to work the baby market and start making calls. The kids desperately beg Ananiah to help them save the baby and he is faced with the choice between his kids and his cash. Adapted from Mark's stage play, this story makes an excellent holiday activity read as a group and Mark has given some instructions for it at the back of the book.