Torontonians Find Joy in a Depression-Era Christmas in Booky and the Secret Santa

This week, while browsing Netflix, I came upon the Booky series of TV movies based upon the books by Bernice Thurman Hunter. I watched the last one first, then proceeded to Booky and the Secret Santa, which came out in 2007. The children in this G-rated slice of historical fiction directed by Peter Moss are noticeably a bit younger, but they look mostly the same, and whatever characters are in both movies are portrayed by the same actors. This movie is set in December, and I presume it’s supposed to be about nine months before Booky’s Crush.

While times are lean in Booky’s Crush, the sense of monetary crisis is even more acute in Booky and the Secret Santa. Toronto is teetering on the brink of Depression, and Thomas Thomson (Stuart Hughes), a hardworking harness maker, is out of a job as the company employing him switches over to using motorized vehicles. That’s bad news for the whole family, especially his daughter Booky (Rachel Marcus), whose best friend Laura Westover (Emilia McCarthy) is the daughter of a woman one character describes as a “social-climbing nobody.” Uppity Mrs. Westover (Nahanni Johnstone) doesn’t want her daughter hanging around with a girl whose family is practically impoverished. All Booky wants is the freedom to enjoy her friend’s company and enough money to make a nice Christmas like those to which she is accustomed.

I found the class dynamics at play in this movie interesting, and I love the Christmassy setting. It often seems to be the case that remarkable things occur around Christmas, and that’s what Booky is hoping will happen here. Unlike her practical teenage sister Willa (Sarah White) and angsty older brother Arthur (Dylan Everett), Booky has not yet entirely let go of the possibility that Santa Claus could exist. She doesn’t believe in him with the fervor displayed by her little brother Jakey (Noah Ryan Scott), who is desperate for a red trike, but she still thinks he might be out there somewhere. In fact, he might be living among her friends and neighbors, and they don’t even know it.

The most dynamic side character this time around is Mrs. Westover, who comes across as incredibly shallow and persnickety. One of the chief questions of the movie is whether she is capable of genuine friendship or whether every friendly gesture she makes is merely a means to an end. Silent sparks fly when she and Booky’s mother Francie, a spunky woman played by Megan Follows of Anne of Green Gables fame, are in the same room. Through the adults, we see the struggles that typified the late 1920s and early 1930s, while the children, particularly Booky and Laura, demonstrate the joy and hope that the season can bring even in the darkest times.

Johnstone is exquisitely annoying in her role, but the best addition to the cast this time around is Kenneth Welsh as Mr. Eaton, the kindly owner of one of Canada’s most prominent retailers. He and Booky, whom he affectionately calls “Little Bluebird” because of her vibrant winter coat, forge a friendship after she gets a job distributing nut samples outside her aunt’s store. He is a regular customer, and he finds her cheerful and inquisitive nature a delight. Booky, inspired in part by a comic book about a detective with a dual identity, begins to wonder if her elderly friend with the twinkle in his eye could actually be Santa. And if he is, might he be able to help the Thomsons have a merry Christmas after all? Walsh is wonderful in the role, especially whenever he lets loose with a rumbly laugh that sounds suspiciously like a “Ho ho ho,” and he and Marcus have quite a sweet rapport.

While the time period matters in Booky’s Crush, I would say that it’s even more significant in this movie, which shows more broadly the effects of the economic downturn as well as the creative ways that people dealt with it. Some of the Christmassy aspects of the film are most endearing. My favorite seasonal moment comes when a neighbor girl comes by, pulled on a makeshift sleigh hitched up to several children tied together and sporting twig-antlers on their heads. It just goes to show that you don’t need a lot of money or fancy gadgets to have a good time.

While I loved Booky’s Crush, I think I enjoyed Booky and the Secret Santa even more. Although one would be most inclined to watch it near Christmas, this story of friendship and optimism makes for great viewing any time of year.

Puppy Love Abounds in Booky's Crush

As someone who grew up with the exquisite Kevin Sullivan Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea miniseries, I was excited to happen upon a series of Canadian period movies featuring a spunky young main character and starring Megan Follows, who made such an impeccable Anne. In the Booky movies, based on the novels by Bernice Thurman Hunter, Follows plays Francie, the mother of intelligent, tomboyish Booky Thomson (Rachel Marcus), a middle schooler in Depression-era Toronto. She has two close friends in tall, blond Laura (Emilia McCarthy) and short, brown-haired Rosie (Ariel Waller), but in Booky’s Crush, she is fixated on a new classmate, cute but mildly troublesome Georgie (Connor Price). Her teacher selects her to tutor Georgie in spelling, but who will tutor her in the complex art of getting him to ask her to the upcoming school dance?

Booky isn’t the only one with a crush in this family-friendly made-for-TV movie. Shy Rosie carries a torch for Booky’s older brother Arthur (Dylan Everett), a quiet, artistic lad concerned by his father’s implication that he may need to give up his passion to take on more practical work. The oldest Thomson, sweet librarian Willa (Sarah White), has a fiscally unfeasible passion as well; she wants to go to medical school, as does the young man she fancies, a frequent visitor to the library. To quote the precocious 8-year-old author of How to Talk to Girls, “A crush is like a love disease,” and half the people in this movie seem to be infected. It’s all very innocent; the movie remains firmly within G-rated territory at all times. It’s also very true to life, and anyone who’s ever endured a powerful crush will likely find it easy to sympathize with Booky and giggle a bit over the heightened drama such emotions bring, especially in one so young.

Thomas Thomson (Stuart Hughes) is the character through whom we see the pinch of the Depression most acutely. He has a job – at a chocolate factory – but he fears he could lose it any day, and this makes him testy around others. His concerns about the unstable job market produce tension with the rest of his family, especially Arthur. Hughes and Follows, who are romantically involved in real life, make a realistic couple, fraught with material worries but still able to indulge in simple joys. While Thomas comes across as rather distant and cantankerous throughout much of the movie, Francie has a consistent warmth and sparkle, even when she is laying down the law.

Other indications of the era include the Thomsons’ ancient hand-me-downs, the discussion of how nice it would be if girls could wear pants and Francie’s recollection of hearing the news that the Titanic had sunk. In many ways, the movie reminds me of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, the recent movie based on the Depression-era doll and her accompanying books. Both movies balance serious issues with light-hearted childhood fun set against a bleak but still vibrant historical backdrop.

Several engaging threads run through this movie, and since almost equal time is devoted to the adult and child characters, it really is an ideal film for the family to watch together, with different storylines resonating more with different people. Everyone in the cast does a great job, with Marcus nailing the dizzy confusion of realizing you’ve fallen for someone and Everett conveying the anguish of having one’s dreams squashed. This wasn’t the first movie in the series, but I don’t get the sense that order is particularly important. I plan to watch the rest of the movies, which currently are available through Netflix Instant Streaming. Old-fashioned family entertainment of this kind that is both well-crafted and educational isn’t that easy to come by, so I look forward to getting to know Booky and the rest of the Thomsons better as I explore the other installments.