Reviews

One Christmas Wish by Katherine Rundell

mbrandmaier's review against another edition

3.0

Theo is lonely and makes a wish on Christmas Eve. This leads to an adventure with some Christmas ornaments.

heathssm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

motherbooker's review

3.5

I really like the writing of Katherine Rundell, so I was really excited to read her Christmas book. Especially as it was illustrated by Emily Sutton who is a magnificent artist. The book is intended for a young audience and is pretty short. It's a sweet story about a boy who's feeling lonely on Christmas Eve. As he decorates the tree on his own, his parents' old Christmas decorations come to life. The boy then heads off on several adventures with the horse, robin, soldier and angel. Each of the ornaments has something they want to do, and the boy has to find ways to help them. Suffice it to say, much Christmas spirit and magic is encountered along the way.

This is a charming story but it's not what I expected. It has the feel of those classic Christmas stories that are a bit weird and you don't know where they're going. It certainly wasn't quite what I expected but I did enjoy it. Especially when you get used to the same old stories about Santa Claus and making sure all of the presents are delivered. This had a great message about family and feeling alone during the holidays. It's nice to have a festive book acknowledging that not everything is jolly and bright. Although, it does have the traditional happy ending to ensure Christmas remains a magical time.

What really makes this book worth reading is the illustrations. Emily Sutton is amazingly talented and she really brings this story to life. There is so much to take in on every illustration and you could spend ages pouring over it. This would be a great book to read in the run-up to Christmas with younger kids. There's still plenty of magic and Christmas fun to be had here. It's not one of my favourite books by Rundell but, to be fair, it's a different kind of book from the ones I've read before. 

g96's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

impreader's review against another edition

5.0

This story was fantastic. Whimsical, and grounded, lit by the natural light of its fully credible characters, and in the tradition of Christmas stories without falling into the past of re-treads and maudlin sentimentalism, One Christmas Wish is one Christmas tale worth a read whether you're an adult or child.

katiecatbooks's review against another edition

4.0

Christmas. Ornaments. Magic.

Story: Theo, a young boy, is alone on Christmas Eve. His parents are always away working and his babysitter is asleep. He opens a box to find four Christmas ornaments. He sees a shooting star out the window and the ornaments come to life and take him on a Christmas Eve adventure.

Language: Full and half page color illustrations fill this picture book. At over 60 pages, it's long and can therefore be enjoyed by many ages.

Characters: Theo is young and alone and believes in magic. He helps the ornaments and his neighbor and in the end his family is brought together by the Christmas magic.

Cute. Nice story. A bit fluffy and there's a random princess sub-plot. I enjoyed the length and Christmas theme.

meggyreads1's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Absolutely amazing book so glad my mum bought me it, when i read it i was in such a good festive mood 

ianb's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

laidbackbibliophile's review against another edition

3.0

This was a poignant and warm story, if not a little odd at times with the frequent mentions of bodily functions. The story is also quite weak and although it is a children’s book, I felt the plot could have been a bit more thought out. The illustrations are beautiful though so I would recommend for those alone. I was expecting an exceptionally magical story but it didn’t ignite my imagination as much as I’d hoped. I also don’t get why the parents left their young child alone on Christmas Eve with a babysitter with no heating…

athomeinmylibrary's review against another edition

2.0

Firstly, the book itself is absolutely beautiful and the illustrations by Emily Sutton are so stunning, I thoroughly enjoyed looking through the pictures. The story is about a boy called Theo who on Christmas Eve has been left alone with a babysitter while his parents are at work late. After decorating the tree he spots a shooting star and wishes not to be lonely anymore, then to his great surprise the tin solder, robin, wooden rocking horse and christmas angel decorations come to life and the new friends go on a magical adventure.

Unfortunately, the story fell a bit flat for me, although it contains a magical element, it had a strange almost disjointed plot and an odd, unconvincing ending. I think I expected a story which was just as wonderous as the illustrations and in my opinion the two just didn't marry up, which is a real shame.