A Boy Called Christmas, by Matt Haig
This was a sweet little story. I heard about the movie, but before I saw it, I wanted to read the book. It was a unique take on how Santa became Santa, and although I found the story a bit unusual at times, it really was an endearing book about love, magic, and believing.
It starts out with a history of Nikolas as a boy, and his poor upbringing, untimely death of his mother, and cruelty of an aunt who he is forced to live with while his dad goes off on an expedition in search of a better life for his family. Unable to take his conditions anymore, Nikolas runs away to find his father, not expecting to find the adventure of a lifetime.
His journey is one of courage, following his heart, doing what is right, and ultimately, believing in the impossible.
I loved the nuances of how he got to meet a reindeer and name him Blitzen, befriend a little mouse, Miika (perhaps later to become the mouse that didn’t stir?) and win over the elves, who were rightfully fearful of humans. I didn’t quite get the point of the sadistic-like fairies, or how Blitzen liked to pee on people when he flew, but it is a children’s book after all, and I suppose the playfulness is meant to break up the seriousness of what Nikolas has to go through in his life.
You’ll have sad moments and happy moments, but will end up feeling warm and fuzzy. I’m looking forward to catching the movie and seeing the characters come to life!
To learn more about this week’s author and his book, you can find him here: http://www.matthaig.com/
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