A Boy Called Christmas
Author: Matt Haig
ISBN13: 9781782117896
Author website: http://www.matthaig.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Synopsis: 
You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas.
It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible.
If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. It is most certainly not for you.
Because this book is FULL of impossible things.
Are you still reading?
Good.
Then let us begin . . .
A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow, and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas, who isn’t afraid to believe in magic.
Review:
Okay, let me just say I was expecting something completely different. I was ready to believe that nothing is impossible and be delighted by a new twist on Father Christmas. I do now believe that nothing is impossible. I never thought I would be reading a Father Christmas story that had me in equal parts, sad, miserable, offended and happy. I see this is a story for younger children. Not in my day, but everything has changed. The artwork is fun and really does help the story along. The writing style is entertaining and I quite liked it and would have liked it if it was about anything besides Father Christmas. You just cannot mess with MY Father Christmas.
There are horrible characters that made me cringe with their cruelty and evil ways. There are middling characters that made me feel nothing. The good characters could be bad, the bad characters were just bad. Usually. Poor Nikolas is a character you just want to grab tightly and never let go. And his poor turnip doll, no, no, no. Nikolas has so much heart and determination and is a really good kid. Along with his cheese obsessed mouse and a wonderful reindeer he has to take a long journey to find his father. This journey leads to adventures that are both terrifying and fun. I cannot say I didn’t enjoy reading this book, but it hurt me to read it at the same time. And yes I know that probably does not make sense, however the evil that lurked in the corners of this tale overwhelmed my sense of Christmas.
To me A Boy Called Christmas seems to better suited for adult reading or teens. I would not want my child to read this distorted version of how Father Christmas came to be. Author Matt Haig has a fun writing style that again in my opinion is more appropriate for an older reader. The illustrations are wonderful and fit well with the story. I went into reading this with my Christmas ideals full of tinsel and joy and was pushed into a world of sadness and trepidation that poor Nikolas faced with heart and goodness. Not sure I would recommend this to children readers, but if you are in the mood for a completely different twist on the happy tales woven around Christmas time, this is your book.
