I’m not meant to be blogging this month, but I couldn’t resist taking part in the blog tour for the children’s book Santa Steals Christmas! by Eve Nairn-Magnante and would like to thank Kelly of Love Books Tours for inviting me to participate. It’s my pleasure to share my review today.
Santa Steals Christmas! is available for purchase here.
Santa Steals Christmas!
Santa Steals Christmas! has been showcased by The People’s Book Prize, a book award which is decided exclusively by the public!
You can vote for it here.
A witty and surprising Christmas mystery!
It’s Christmas Eve and a mysterious-looking Santa is stealing all the presents that Santa has just delivered! How could this be?! Santa, Rudolph and the other reindeer must beat the ticking clock to unmask the naughty imposter. Will Rudolph and the elves be able to save Christmas before all the girls and boys wake up?
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Originally by six-year-old Eve, this is a magical Christmas story written by a child for children everywhere!
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A fun-filled mystery that will hook in young readers in the hunt for Santa clues
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An action-packed adventure, this is the perfect holiday storytime read-aloud
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Set in a typeface designed by a dyslexic for people with dyslexia
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Delightful, detailed, colourful illustrations capture the humour and magic of Santa’s world
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Highlights the meaning of presents and the true spirit of Christmas – a time for friends and family to gather together
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5% of sales donated to Dyslexia Scotland
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5% of sales donated to Scottish Autism
My Review of Santa Steals Christmas!
There’s an imposter Santa stealing all the gifts!
Santa Steals Christmas is quite wonderful. Firstly, it is a smashing Christmas story that young children will love with a little bit of peril as an imposter Santa is stealing all the gifts the real Santa has just delivered. It ends happily with a lovely message about the real meaning of Christmas and is fresh and modern with reference to technology. All these aspects make it perfect for reading with young children.
However, there’s so much more here. Santa Steals Christmas is perfect for developing independent reading. There’s a dyslexia friendly font with plenty of white space around text so that children who find reading tricky have greater accessibility. There’s excellent use of punctuation that allows natural pauses so that children (or their parents and teachers) can read aloud more easily and there’s sufficiently challenging vocabulary so that the story doesn’t feel patronising but children can extend their own lexicon. I could easily see this book being used in schools and children’s groups to promote independent writing and drama too. It would be lovely to see it acted out – or to include Mrs Claus’s yoga activities in PE!
The illustrations are perfect accompaniments to the text. They are childlike in style, appealing to the target audience, but they hold so much to explore. The fact the elves have a variety of skin tone makes the book feel inclusive. When the outcome of the story is known, head back and look at the conveyor belt of elf activity to find hidden clues… Or take a look at the word play and puns on Rudolf’s and Santa’s cushions. There’s fun and humour here that young children will thoroughly enjoy. Indeed, the more I looked at Santa Steals Christmas, the more I found so that I think this could become an annual favourite to return to time and again.
Santa Steals Christmas is a brilliant book and I highly recommend it.
About Eve Nairn-Magnante
Eve, at just 13, has shown an incredible knack for storytelling. A believer in inclusivity, her works reflect her ethos, ensuring no child is left behind in the world of literature. Recognised by Young Writers for her contributions, Eve continues to inspire and innovate.
You can find out more on Twitter/X @SantaStealsXms, on Instagram or by visiting the website.
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English (US) · 