The detective advent book
Catch the Christmas Thief! Advent Calendar Book for Kids
24 Days of Detective Cases to Solve Before Christmas: A Mystery Puzzle Book for Ages 8 to 12
One book with 24 doors: a new case every day from December 1, and on Christmas Eve your child's clues catch the thief.
- Ages 8 to 12
- 24 cases, one a day
- Finale on Christmas Eve
Paperback, 130 pages, 6 x 9 in.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
As shared in the TikTok videos
Is this the Christmas thief book from TikTok?
Yes. The snowy cover with the big red THIEF letters, the cork board with 24 numbered doors, Juno with his magnifier and Pixel in the deerstalker, the wreath that walked away: this is that book. Catch the Christmas Thief! by Cork & Pin Press is a real, printed 130-page paperback with one case for every day up to Christmas Eve, sold on Amazon.
Look inside the detective advent book
Pages from the front of the book and from the first cases, printed in clean black and white so a pencil and an eraser are all a detective needs. We never show a solution page here, so nothing gets spoiled.
- Black and white interior
- 6 x 9 in paperback
- No solutions shown
Ten places in the book, from the title page to Door 7.
- Page 1
Meet Juno and Pixel, the sharpest noses in school.
- Page 3
The case letter: something goes missing at school every day before the holidays.
Juno and PixelRead every case twice. The second time you see more.
- Pages 4 and 5
All 24 doors to color in, and the five steps of Detective School.
Tip from JunoWork in pencil. Detectives are allowed to correct themselves, that is part of the job.
- Pages 6 and 7
A Detective ID to fill in, and the Clue Wall where the trap is built.
- Page 12
The Winter Files: 48 kids at school, eight facts each.
- Door 1Pages 20 and 21
Week One begins, and Door 1: The Wreath That Walked Away.
- Door 1Page 22
Seven suspects, two clues. Cross your way through.
- Door 7Page 47
Door 7, The Carved Wooden Fox: the cases grow with December.
- Door 7Page 49
From Door 7 on: four statements, and one of them wobbles.
- Page 10
The detective oath, with the hardest promise of all: one door a day.
Tip from PixelThe one-door-a-day part is the hardest one for me.
How the book advent calendar works
A book advent calendar, in one book: instead of 24 little parcels to unwrap, there are 24 doors inside. Your child opens one a day, like a chapter a day, and every small case adds a piece to the big one.
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December 1
1. Open Door 1.
The case file says what went missing, where it was last seen and how many kids are in the running. Door 1 is The Wreath That Walked Away: an empty hook above the stage, one red ribbon on the floor and a trail of pine needles.
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Every day
2. Cross out, catch.
Your child checks the suspects in the Winter Files against the clues and crosses out everyone who does not fit, right in the clue table. Exactly one kid is left. The answer goes on paper first, then the solution waits on the next page.
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Doors 1 to 23
3. Pin the secret clue.
Every solution ends with one secret clue about the Winter Thief. On its own it proves nothing, so it goes up on the Clue Wall and waits.
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Christmas Eve
4. Door 24 brings them all back.
The finale puts all 48 suspects on the table. Only the 23 clues from the Clue Wall narrow them down to one name, and your detective is the one who says it.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24Christmas Eve
Clues on the wall: 23 of 23
The first six doors are training, with two clues and a handful of suspects. From Door 7 on, an Alibi Check joins in. Recaps after Doors 6, 12 and 18 help your detective keep track.
Clue 1 from Door 1, word for word from page 21: “The custodian is sure about one thing: the kid carrying the wreath was not wearing glasses.” Seven kids are in the running. Who could it be? Clue 2 waits on the next page, and the solution only comes after your detective writes a name down.
Most fun mystery books are finished in one evening. This one keeps a small mystery waiting every morning until Christmas.
Everything is in the book
Good mystery children's books hand the reader the clues and trust them to think. This one does it 24 times. Inside:
- 24 cases over four pages each: case file, clue table, your answer, solution
- The Winter Files: 48 suspects, each with eight facts to check
- The Clue Wall for the 23 secret clues
- An Alibi Check on every door from Door 7
- Detective ID, detective oath and a five-step Detective School
- A countdown page to color in, three recaps and a certificate for the finale
Who this kids mystery book is for
- Kids from about 8 to 12, roughly grades 3 to 7, who would rather solve the case than hear it read aloud.
- Readers who love kids mystery books, logic puzzles and the feeling of crossing out the last wrong answer.
- Families who want a December routine that needs a pencil, not a screen.
- Kids who already caught the Halloween thief and are ready for the winter case.
Who it is not for
- Children who are not reading on their own yet. Younger readers can still solve along with a grown-up.
- Anyone expecting a filled calendar. There is no chocolate and nothing to tear open or hang up. It is a book.
- A puzzle book for one rainy afternoon. The finale only works when the doors are solved in order, one a day.
A unique advent calendar that is a book
Plenty of cool advent calendars are empty after the first week. This one lasts all month, fits in a stocking and has no printed dates, so it works any December and keeps going after Christmas with the bonus case. A thoughtful pick for grandparents, godparents and the friend whose kid has read everything.
This page is written for parents and gift-givers. It never asks a child for anything.
A free winter pack comes with it
Every copy comes with a free winter pack to print at home: a Detective ID in real badge size, a big blank Clue Wall to hang up, the Rescuer of the Countdown certificate, and Case Number 25, a complete bonus case for when school starts again after the break.
No sign-up and nothing to pay. A grown-up scans the code in the back of the book and prints the pack.
The code is printed in the book only, so the pack stays a gift for readers.
Reviews from families, on Amazon
We do not copy ratings or reviews onto this page. You can read what parents and young detectives said, in their own words, on Amazon.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
A note from the studio: every case is built to be solved from the clues on the page. If one ever feels unfair, write to us at kontakt@kalderno.com and we will look at it.
Cork & Pin Press
About Cork & Pin Press
Cork & Pin Press is a small studio of puzzle makers and mystery writers. The name comes from the detective's wall: cork, string and pinned evidence. The rule for the kids' cases is the same as for the grown-up ALIBI-X files: everything needed to solve a case is printed on the page, and the solution only comes after the answer is written down. Juno and Pixel star in the studio's children's detective books, and they solve a Halloween case too.
Cork & Pin Press is an imprint. Its books are published by Kalderno (Quicktale Limited).
Questions parents ask about Catch the Christmas Thief
Is this the Christmas thief book from TikTok?
Yes. Catch the Christmas Thief! Advent Calendar Book for Kids by Cork & Pin Press is the book from the TikTok videos with Juno, Pixel and the cork board of 24 doors. It is a 130-page paperback with one detective case for every day from December 1 to Christmas Eve.
Is Catch the Christmas Thief a real book, and where can I buy it?
Yes. Catch the Christmas Thief! Advent Calendar Book for Kids by Cork & Pin Press is a real 130-page paperback, 6 x 9 inches, published on September 12, 2026. It is sold on Amazon, and the buttons on this page go straight to it.
See the paperback on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Is there a Kindle edition?
No. It is a paperback only, because every case is solved with a pencil right on the page.
Is it a real advent calendar?
It is a book advent calendar: one book with 24 doors inside, one for each day of December up to Christmas Eve. There are no boxes to open, no chocolate and nothing to hang up. Each morning your child opens the next door in the book and solves that day's case.
What age is Catch the Christmas Thief for?
It is made for ages 8 to 12, roughly grades 3 to 7. Confident readers of 8 can solve it on their own, and a typical reader is a 10 year old or a 5th grader who likes mystery books that make them think, while the later doors still challenge 12 year olds. Younger children can join in with a grown-up reading along.
How does a case work, and how long does one take?
Each case fills four pages: the case file, a clue table, a space for your child's answer, and the solution on the following page. Your child checks the suspects in the Winter Files against the clues and crosses out everyone who does not fit until one kid is left. Each case is sized for one sitting, and the training cases in the first week are the quickest.
Can my child solve it alone, or do they need a grown-up?
It is built to be solved alone. Detective School at the front teaches the same five steps for every door, and the first six doors are training cases with fewer suspects. It also works as a family ritual at breakfast or after school, and a grown-up never has to prepare anything, because every solution is printed in the book.
What if we miss a day or start late?
Nothing is lost. Each door is a complete case on its own, and the secret clues your child collects wait on the Clue Wall until the finale on Door 24. If you start late, solve two doors on one day to catch up. The book has no printed dates, so it works in any December.
Is there more after Christmas?
Yes. The free winter pack includes Case Number 25, a complete bonus case for the days after the holidays, plus a Detective ID, a Clue Wall to hang up and a certificate to print. For October, Juno and Pixel also have a Halloween case: Catch the Halloween Thief! from Cork & Pin Press.
the Halloween caseWill this page spoil the ending?
No. This page never shows a solution or the finale, and it never says who the Winter Thief is. That moment belongs to your detective on Christmas Eve.
Is the inside in color?
The cover is in full color and the inside is printed in black and white, which keeps every page easy to read and easy to write on with a pencil.
Door 1 opens on December 1.
One paperback, 24 cases, 23 secret clues and a finale on Christmas Eve. Have it ready for the first morning of December.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Also from Juno and Pixel: the Halloween case
Cork & Pin Press is an imprint. Published by Kalderno, Quicktale Limited.
Amazon links on this site are affiliate links, and the price for you stays the same.
