"The magic will be revealed."   When winter arrives in the Austrian Alps, eleven-year-old Nicole Kinders is ready for the taste of snow. Everything is beginning to show signs of holiday festivities, from the decorated shops in Innsbruck to the scent of cinnamon in the air. At the market stall on her way to school, Nicole gets a candy cane from Boznik, the shopkeeper. He tells her, "This, my dear girl, is a magic candy cane." From that day extraordinary things begin to happen. Some good. Some bad. Extraordinarily bad. Nicole finds herself losing the joy of holiday preparations, and realizes that the vexing secret she keeps is influencing every part of her life. Her hopes of having a magical Christmas take her on a journey beyond where any ordinary girl would choose to go.
Meet the real-life Nicole and Ashley, who inspired this story at their family's Christmas party.
	Kirkus Review ". . . The story’s setting, a small village in the Alpine region of Austria, lends itself fabulously to this story in terms of sensory atmosphere and culture. Masse deftly describes the winter chill and the sights and smells of the holiday, while also weaving inspiring tales that demonstrate a deep appreciation for the triumph of the human spirit in a region where people have suffered hardships in the past century." http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stephen-v-masse2/the-taste-of-snow/