Father Christmas and Me

October 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-This third entry in the trilogy picks up right where The Girl Who Saved Christmas left off. Amelia is now living in Elfhelm with Father Christmas and Mary, who will soon marry Father Christmas. Amelia loves them and is very grateful that they chose to adopt her, but feels like she doesn't fit in. She wants to, and she tries; but all her attempts end in disaster, most notably the crash of a brand-new sleigh. This does not endear her to the elves, many of whom are distrustful of humans. The banished Father Vodol takes advantage of this and sets a plot in motion to rid Elfhelm of Father Christmas forever. Amelia's first-person narration fills readers in on highlights from the previous books, allowing this entry to stand alone. She's an endearing girl wanting to find a place in the world and be useful. The fast pace, vivid world-building, clever wordplay, and humor will keep readers guessing and turning pages to the riotous conclusion. The plentiful pen-and-ink illustrations assist readers in envisioning this wintry world. The many sight-gags are good for added chuckles. VERDICT A must-purchase for libraries that already own the first two books. Libraries that do not should consider adding this unique series of Christmas tales.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

It turns out that living with Father Christmas isn't all cloudberry pie and jolly elves.After escaping from the workhouse in The Girl Who Saved Christmas (2017), Amelia has joined Father and Mother Christmas in Elfhelm, the land powered by hope. Trouble is, she doesn't quite fit in. As a human, she's too large for the elf furniture, and she is terrible at school. For example, she just can't fathom that "in elf mathematics the best answer isn't the right one, it's the most interesting" one. In this trilogy closer, trouble really starts when Amelia accidentally crashes a favored sleigh. The traitorous Father Vodol leaps at the opportunity to sabotage Amelia and the entirety of Christmas by setting up a newspaper called the Daily Truth in order to spread lies. At Vodol's side are the Easter Bunny and his army of soldier rabbits. The Easter Bunny holds a festering grudge, his slogan being, "It's time to make Easter great again." When most of the elf population believes the fake news, Father Christmas, Amelia, and Mother Christmas must make manifest that amazing things can happen in an instant. This adventure is accompanied by cozily wonky illustrations, but militarized rabbits and the obvious political mirroring seem counterintuitive to the very heart of holiday mythology. All the human and humanlike characters are white.Agenda wends its way throughout, but this Yuletide yarn often rises into the sparkling snowdrifts of fantasy. (Fantasy. 7-12)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)