Revenge of the Angels.

Ziegler, Jennifer. Revenge of the Angels.
August 25th 2015 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

After all of the trauma and drama in Revenge of the Flower Girls, Darby, Dawn and Delaney are back. This time, they are irritated that they have to be angels in the Christmas pageant at their church when they think their try out for the Three Wise Men was brilliant. Nothing will change Ms. Higginbotham's mind, though, so they are stuck. There is plenty going on to take their minds off the play-- Lily, who was supposed to be home for Christmas break, is visiting Aunt Jane with their mother, while she is looking at library science schools. The triplets have to take their dog, Quincy, to stay in their father's bachelor apartment, which ends with Quincy eating their father's couch and the family going back to mom's house to stay. There, they find several mysteries-- someone has stolen a Christmas heirloom from the Neighbors' house, another neighbor has a cake that vanishes, and their own Christmas decorations on their porch have been trashed. At first, the girls suspect Lucas, but he helps with their investigation instead. When Lily and their mother are stuck in Boston because of snow, and their father has to go to Houston overnight for his job, the girls are left with Lily's friend Bree as a babysitter, and manage to solve the mystery, finish their Christmas shopping, and solve the casting problem with the play in a typical, take-charge fashion.
Strengths: I liked this MUCH more than the first book, since the girls were not so obnoxious! They meddled in things, like Christmas decorations and local mysteries, that 11-year-olds are supposed to meddle in. There were funny spots, fun interactions, and divorced parents who can communicate with each other in a positive fashion. The girls seemed older in this, which makes me wonder if I can buy this book without having the Revenge of the Flower Girls. Hmmm.
Weaknesses: This is told in alternating chapters from the three girls' perspectives, but the voices were not at all distinctive. It would have been more successful if this were written in third person omniscient.
What I really think: The cover reminded me a bit of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which is probably why I read it. Do get some students who ask for Christmas themed books. Debating. Would definitely purchase both for an elementary school.