Books:
A Boy Called Christmas (272 pages)
The Girl Who Saved Christmas (352 pages)
Father Christmas And Me (304 pages)
Accessibility: available in print, e-books and audio books
Lately, I have been in more of a Christmas mood, than I even knew I could be.
Partially because I practically inhaled all three books of this series in the matter of a week (And wishing I could make them last longer, while simultaneously spend every waking moment between those adorably magical pages), after discovering what now are by far my favourite and best children’s books I’ve ever read.
Yes, children’s books – and they certainly do feel like that reading them, but in this case, with all the magic and festive joy, this is a great thing!
If you’re looking for a deep, dark, dramatic story that hits like a brick and reads like an advanced linguistics experiment – these may not be the books for you!
But if you want to feel like a child, wrapped up in a blanket, lovingly being told a story about hope, magic and Christmas – they’re perfection!
What Is It About?
I don’t really want to say anything about these books, that could even hint at it’s story.
It’s just too precious to be spoiled! And I truly wish that – should you decide to read them yourself – you get to experience them with just as much pleasant surprise and joy as I did, reading them without having known anything more than the title and the back of the book.
So all I’ll say is:
Eleven year old Nikolas (lovingly called “Christmas”) has only ever gotten two things for Christmas: a wooden slay his father made for him, and a doll, made from a turnip.
He lives with his father (and a quite special friend) in the second smallest cottage of all of Finland.
Despite life being less than generous on him, he’s filled to the brim with hope and kindness.
One day, his father joins an expedition to the north pole, ordered by the king, trying to find proof that elves exist.
And young Nikolas… well, he’s about to get involved in a rather magical way…
For the second and third book (“The girl who saved Christmas” & “Father Christmas and me”) I can’t say anything without fully spoiling the first one.
All I’ll say is they’re just as wonderful as the first book and even more, unapologetically magical.
The plot of the 3rd book felt quite a lot less like Christmas-magic to me than the first two, but it makes up for it by heavily featuring my favourite character of the entire series, so I still can’t like it a lot less.
I think, could I read them all over again for the first time, I’d like to read the first and second book in the leadup to Christmas, then the third, right after Christmas – maybe during the week between Christmas and new year, though I can imagine it would feel seasonally appropriate, even through to the beginning of spring.
It Feels Like A Warm Hug
Reading these books, feels like being a child, warm and safe and loved, cuddled up with a cup of something warm, while someone tells you a story you want to believe is true.
The air smells of cinnamon and gingerbread, and you have this feeling that everything in the world is okay.
While I was reading them, my partner could tell if I’d just been reading right before interacting with him, because I’d be a bubbly ball of joy! (And because I’d constantly be sending him pictures of funny paragraphs.)
This book isn’t at all free of heavy topics – in fact, while I don’t think this book comes with any trigger warnings (Which I suppose is normal for books written for children), I do provide a list of content warnings down below, since I know sometimes, something merely being present as a concept can be enough to cause distress.
However, I don’t think there’s a way to write books with a story that has some actual depth to them and adress heavier topics in a less triggering way than these do.
I’m VERY squeamish and can’t handle descriptions of “icky” things happening well at all. The worst thing for me (apart from brutality and gore) is people throwing up. Even just those words make me feel nauseous!
This book actually managed to bring up this happening in a way that made me giggle out loud and feel absolutely fine.
And this is what I love so much about this writing style!
It feels so safe!
It’s silly and refreshing in a way I can only describe as magical.
These books aren’t a safe, cozy place because nothing bad ever happenes and everyone is happy at all times, or because they’re so bland nothing ever happenes at all.
These books are a safe, cozy place because they’re written in this wonderfully gentle, yet unapologetically blunt way that feels like being told the story – and oh boy does the narrator have a sense of humour!
The narration practically smashes in the fourth wall with a sledgehammer and establishes this feeling that’s like you’re not actually sitting by yourself, but that the narrator is present and talking (/writing) to you directly.
If you’re someone who needs to be really careful about what kind of stories and themes you engage with, here are all the things that I noticed as potential triggers throughout the books.
(Please note that it’s possible I overlooked some potentially triggering topics)
- Child abuse and neglect (On page in book 1)
- Loss of a parent (On page in book 1&2, mentioned in all)
- Death of a parent (On page in book 1&2, mentioned in all)
- Death (On page in book 1&2, mentioned in all)
- Bullying (Book 3)
- Judgemental comments on people’s appearance (All books, mainly towards Father Christmas and the difference between pointy ears and human ones)
Some of these are triggers for me as well and I was perfectly fine with all of them, since the writing style does make them feel a lot lighter.
Still, you know your needs and limits best – please be mindful of them.
My Final Thoughts On the Books And Why You Should Read Them
Theses books (especially 1&2) are what would happen if you’d squeeze the very magic of Christmas as a child into an extra sweet juice, spilled it over a stack of paper and let it dry.
It’s unapologetically magical, silly, blunt, doesn’t take it self too seriously and still manages to have substance to it’s story.
(Though the main plot of book 3 is debatable… The setting and main character make it more than worth it! And I’m not just saying that because my favourite character is finally getting her moment to shine in it (And nearly ruin eveything… – She’s great!))
Magical? – Yes!
Christmas feelings? – Yes!
Historical accuracy? – Uhm… it’s a book series about Father Christmas….
Should you absolutely give them a try and allow your inner child (or just your adult self that did everything right and never grew out of silly fun) to have a blast? – Yes!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my rambling!
May your days be filled with good books and excitement
Merry Christmas!
Snowdrop