Rating: 4/5
Review:
A good Christmas read
Father Christmas And Me is a little slow to get going, but once it
does it’s a lovely, exciting Christmas story, full of Matt Haig’s
usual humanity and wisdom.
In this instalment,
Amelia (a human girl from a cruel workhouse now living with Father
Christmas) goes to elf school and generally settles into life at
Elfhelm. This opening section seemed a little slow to me, even
though it is very imaginative and has important things to say about
inclusivity. The pace picks up as the wicked Father Vogol begins to
publish lies to try to whip up hatred of humans, and we enter another
perilous race to save Christmas.
It’s a good read
and has some very well-delivered messages about truth and how lies
can be used to manipulate people. Perhaps one of Matt Haig’s true
targets is revealed just once as Father Vogol says “I will make
Elfhelm great again,” and adults will see all sorts of echoes of
current political developments. However, it’s not so much a
political as a deeply human and ultimately heart-warming story.
For me, this isn’t
a true Matt Haig classic like How To Stop Time, but it’s a smashing
book for children at Christmas and I can recommend it.
(My thanks to
Canongate for an ARC via NetGalley.)
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