wade albert white

Title: The Candy Cane Conspiracy
Age Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Adventure
Word Count: 85,000

Pitch: After aspiring journalist Angela sees too much on a school trip to the North Pole, she must bring down Santa’s global surveillance program before he wipes her memories. RISE OF THE GUARDIANS meets ARTEMIS FOWL.

First 250 Word of Manuscript:

CHAPTER ONE: JINGLE BELLS, SOMETHING SMELLS

There are three things you need to know.

One: Don’t trust Santa.

Maybe you’ve seen him on TV, smiling and talking with the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, or one of his other buddies about bringing joy to the children of the world and other press-conference baloney. Maybe you’ve been to the North Pole, or even met him in person, at some event or another.

It doesn’t matter. You don’t know the real Santa. You’ve never seen what goes on at the North Pole off the tour route.

Even if you had, you wouldn’t remember it.

But I do.

And who am I, you ask?

The name’s Xue. Angela Xue. Journalist extraordinaire, rebel leader, probably royally screwed—and, oh yeah, I’m the girl who’s going to take down Santa.

Which brings us to thing-to-know number two: this journal.

Don’t worry. It’s not a diary. Consider it more of a journalistic news report. Or a witness statement about what really happened last Christmas. Written down with ink and paper, just like they used to do forty-nine years ago, at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Because, as far as I know, Santa hasn’t found a way to hack into paper yet, which means this journal is as safe as I can get.

As *you* can get. Because I’m giving it to you.

Keep it safe. Read it. Pass it on. The world needs to know the truth.

Oh, and number three? Simple—

Be good, kids. Santa’s watching.