Matt Haig

The fantastical story of the boy who saved Christmas.

A Boy Called Christmas

This is such a Super Cute Middle Grade Christmas story that is just perfect to read in a sitting sat in front of the Christmas Tree and get lost in the story of Christmas. Matt Haig has written an incredible story that is full of imagination! It's heart-breaking throughout the narration but it's so full of hope till the end.

This story tells the story of a poor boy, Nicholas, who lived with his father trying hard to make both ends meet every day. They had so little, yet they were satisfied living together. However, things changed when his father had to leave to a faraway land in a quest which promised to bring far more money if he succeeded. Things turned out in a way that neither expected. Nicholas' aunt neglected and harassed him until he couldn't bear any longer. He left home and thus begins the story of one of the most adventurous reads!

I love the Writing so much and it’s like everything you need to visually understand the writing is right there for you. I also need to give full shout out to the Artist Chris Mould who has done an amazing job with the illustrations throughout the book to help really bring it to life. 

This book brings the world of Humans and a fantastical world of elves and many other fantastical characters. I also love how the story deals with a range of emotions as well as the concepts of loyalty and hope with such zeal and sincerity.

I think this is such an amazing middle grade read that teaches you about good and bad, love and friendship, and the power of believing in yourself and believing in magic.

Ian Brakspear

This is such a Super Cute Middle Grade Christmas story that is just perfect to read in a sitting sat in front of the Christmas Tree and get lost in the story of Christmas. Matt Haig has written an incredible story that is full of imagination! It's heart-breaking throughout the narration but it's so full of hope till the end.

 

This story tells the story of a poor boy, Nicholas, who lived with his father trying hard to make both ends meet every day. They had so little, yet they were satisfied living together. However, things changed when his father had to leave to a faraway land in a quest which promised to bring far more money if he succeeded. Things turned out in a way that neither expected. Nicholas' aunt neglected and harassed him until he couldn't bear any longer. He left home and thus begins the story of one of the most adventurous reads!

 

I love the Writing so much and it’s like everything you need to visually understand the writing is right there for you. I also need to give full shout out to the Artist Chris Mould who has done an amazing job with the illustrations throughout the book to help really bring it to life. 

 

This book brings the world of Humans and a fantastical world of elves and many other fantastical characters. I also love how the story deals with a range of emotions as well as the concepts of loyalty and hope with such zeal and sincerity.

 

I think this is such an amazing middle grade read that teaches you about good and bad, love and friendship, and the power of believing in yourself and believing in magic.

Izza

4.25 stars | Such a cute, classic Christmas story! <3

riven

this was the SWEETEST story i have read in a while.

Sonja H

Viel gibt es zu diesem Buch eigentlich nicht zu sagen. Es ist eine nette, liebevolle und lustige Geschichte mit witzigen Illustrationen über den Nikolaus/Santa Claus/Father Christmas und der Erfindung von Weihnachten.

Kann man prima in der hektischen Adventszeit lesen und vorlesen.

Sarah Ryan

Read to the kids over a couple of weeks. Lovely story and they delighted in spotting parts of the story that were leading Nikolas to become Santa. They also loved Blitzen cheeky antics 🤣

Grace O'Callaghan

I think I have to just admit to myself that Matt Haig’s children’s books just aren’t my cup of tea. 

The Boy Called Christmas follows Nickolas, an eleven year old Finnish boy as he goes on adventure to find Elfhame and his father. It’s a story of adventure, magic and finding joy in the world.

Nickolas was a great protagonist. Of course it’s a children’s book so his journey is a relatively simple one but that doesn’t make it any less impactful.

As always, I love the themes that Matt Haig explores in his novels. He always explores universal topics in an easy and understanding way. He talks about being kind, finding hope and believing in magic, even if it’s the ordinary sort.

I think I’ve realised that it’s the actual execution of the plot that I don’t like as much. Even though I’m definitely not the target audience for this but I know that when I was I would’ve been so bored by this. 

Overall, while I love the concept of his children’s books, they don’t land in execution for me. Obviously I’m not the intended audience and can see the merit in this story so three stars it is.

Harriet Moar-Smith

Really wish I could say I read this to a child but I just listened to it being read to me by Stephen Fry on my commute and honestly what a great way to start the day.

Bit confusing though because Stephen's just read me 1984 so it did feel like a weird clash of genres

Jennifer

Hello December! Matt Haig's A Boy Called Christmas is my first Christmassy read of this holiday season. This is a heartwarming backstory of Father Christmas. In some ways Haig crafted a relatable and likeable main character who's to become the most well known figure of Christmastime, and I think that's a pretty big thing to pull off well!

I think a heartwarming story is heartwarming not because it only has lighthearted chapters, but because it gives readers hope and something to feel grateful for. Matt Haig avoided the usual traps of lighthearted reads here by exploring the human emotions and the notion of kindness through Nikolas' point of view. This book also has a healthy dose of adventures that keeps more plot focused readers engaged. But what I'm most surprised about is the way Haig crafted a broad range of personalities through his characters: from Nikolas' relatives, the reindeer, to the elves. 

While this is overall quite an enjoyable Christmas read to indulge amid a hectic month, I wasn't entirely sold into the pacing of the book. I thought the beginning was a bit sluggish and then all the things happening were jammed in the final 1/3 of the book, so it's hard to gauge the character arcs of the secondary characters.

Aside from the pacing issue, I nevertheless found A Boy Called Christmas a cute and uplifting read for the Christmas season - that it reminds me to treat others with kindness, spread positivity, and be grateful of what I already have.

N.B. This book contains following triggering content: vomiting, abandonment, cannibalism, and physical violence

(3.5 stars out of 5)

You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas. It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible. From the winner of the Smarties Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award comes the incredible story of the world’s most beloved hero. A gripping adventure set in eighteenth-century Finland, 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.

Beth Bartholomew

A super cute and wholesome story about the origin of Father Christmas - I really enjoyed the humour and creativity. Matt Haig did a fab job of bringing Father Christmas to life in this origin story for all ages. Can't wait to see what the film adaptation is like!

BELIEVE IN THE IMPOSSIBLE You are about to read THE TRUE STORY OF FATHER CHRISTMAS If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. (Because this book is FULL of impossible things.) Are you still reading? Good. Then let us begin...

Diana

Reread 01/02/2021: Still 5⭐️. This short book makes me both smile and tear up. Next year my daughter will be old enough for me to read it to her and I am so excited for it. 😊

Melea Mullican

Jolly good fun. This book was both sweet and funny while also having some tougher and heart wrenching moments. I highly recommend this during the Christmas season.

Shannon Jade

Read my full review on the Shannon A. Jade Books blog!

My A Boy Called Christmas Top 3:
- Great narrator
- A newly invented history for Father Christmas
- New take on festive characters (elves, reindeer, and Father Christmas himself)

Manon van Heumen

A lovely Christmas tale for young and old!

Lisa Beasley

This was a fun Christmas read. I really enjoyed the writing style and found it easy to read with fun characters and lots of laugh out loud moments. It's also, on another level, a satirical look at the society we live in. I enjoyed this and was glad I finally go round to reading it.

A Boy Called Christmas

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