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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a lovely fairytale
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s The Legend of the Christmas Witch About?
We open with a couple of twin children, Kristoffer and Kristtörn, both of them have some magic which they mostly use in the games they play with each other. They have no parents when we meet them, and don’t appear to remember them.
They’re separated at one point, and Kristoffer is taken in by a couple from a nearby village and grows up among people—eventually delivering baked goods from his adoptive mother’s bakery. Kristtörn is heartbroken by their separation, and a witch from the woods comes along to raise her.
Time passes and Kristoffer becomes Santa Claus. Kristtörn tries to make contact with him but is unable to. So she starts visiting places just before Christmas Eve, hoping their paths cross. A legend around her (mostly misunderstanding her) grows at the same pace as her brother’s does.
This all leads somewhere, but I’m not going to go further than that.
The Artwork
Iredale’s work struck me like a classic storybook, the kind of art that was in the books I read as a kid—especially the books that were old by the time I read them. It was fitting for the kind of story. It wasn’t knock-out gorgeous, and I think it would’ve hurt the book overall had it been. There’s some sharpness to the art—almost the kind of thing that would’ve been carved into wood.
It’s vibrant and I can’t imagine a kid who won’t want to pour over the pictures as much as the story.
So, what did I think about The Legend of the Christmas Witch?
The best way to describe this book is—imagine that the Grimm Brothers wrote a story about where Santa came from as well as telling us about his sister. Now imagine that someone took that Grimm’s Fairy Tale and sanitized it for contemporary kids. That result would be a lot like this. A little dark, a little light…
Because of that tone, I do think that parents/caregivers/etc. should exercise some judgment in who gets to read this one—some of it is going to go over the heads of young ones of a certain age, and some of it could be considered too dark for some little ones. But for the right reader, this take on Santa’s origin is going to be a lot of fun.
I’m glad that I indulged my curiosity, I’m not going to suggest that this filled me with the Christmas spirit or anything, I’m not off to buy the biggest goose for anyone and my heart is the same size as it was before. But when it comes to a reworking of the Santa Myth, this was a very satisfying one.
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
First of all, Iredale knocked it out of the park with that artwork. Each page is gorgeous and I loved all the details woven into each spread. She really captured the magic of the settings, especially their natural elements.
However, the book itself is a bit odd. I'm hesitant to call it a picture book. It's more of an illustrated short story. The text is quite lengthy, at times taking up the entire page. The story itself is long and roundabout. The suggested age range is 5-8, but it really depends on the individual child and their interests. Would probably work best for older children who can sit through a long story or read in chunks.
In general, I don't know much about Christmas lore. From what I can tell, Kristtörn is a Befana-style character although we don't get much information on her contact with the human world. She leaves a few presents here and there but otherwise just wanders the night. It was fun to see a positive spin on Lutzelfrau, the Yule Witch. I'd loved to have seen more of her. The story blends various storylines pulled from Pagan and more mainstream ideas of Christmas.
The ending comes rather abruptly. The story is left very open-ended and fairly confusing. It definitely sets up a sequel, but I found the background legend a bit lackluster.
While I don't necessarily think all books need to have lessons, this one has some confusing messages. Kristtörn is told not to engage with the world because she's too different and no one understands her. I'm hoping this is developed more in the sequel but the lack of resolution in this book makes that message pretty cringey ().
The messages regarding Kristtörn's anger were similarly unclear. Whenever she gets angry, she loses control and something bad happens. Again, this is probably developed in the sequel, but it leaves the reader with the idea that anger is always bad. Not necessarily the healthiest view. The story needs resolution to clear up some of this odd messaging.
This book lays out the background of Kristtörn as the Christmas Witch, but its lack of resolution is unsatisfying and confusing. Murphy and Plaza set some groundwork but it doesn't lead anywhere. Perhaps if it had been more fleshed out into a children's novel, I may have connected with it more. Despite the length, many areas didn't feel developed enough. Great illustrations though.
Overall, an okay read that had some wonderful elements. They just didn't come together for me.
First of all, Iredale knocked it out of the park with that artwork. Each page is gorgeous and I loved all the details woven into each spread. She really captured the magic of the settings, especially their natural elements.
However, the book itself is a bit odd. I'm hesitant to call it a picture book. It's more of an illustrated short story. The text is quite lengthy, at times taking up the entire page. The story itself is long and roundabout. The suggested age range is 5-8, but it really depends on the individual child and their interests. Would probably work best for older children who can sit through a long story or read in chunks.
In general, I don't know much about Christmas lore. From what I can tell, Kristtörn is a Befana-style character although we don't get much information on her contact with the human world. She leaves a few presents here and there but otherwise just wanders the night. It was fun to see a positive spin on Lutzelfrau, the Yule Witch. I'd loved to have seen more of her. The story blends various storylines pulled from Pagan and more mainstream ideas of Christmas.
The ending comes rather abruptly. The story is left very open-ended and fairly confusing. It definitely sets up a sequel, but I found the background legend a bit lackluster.
While I don't necessarily think all books need to have lessons, this one has some confusing messages. Kristtörn is told not to engage with the world because she's too different and no one understands her. I'm hoping this is developed more in the sequel but the lack of resolution in this book makes that message pretty cringey (
Spoiler
especially because that advice comes from Santa Claus himself!The messages regarding Kristtörn's anger were similarly unclear. Whenever she gets angry, she loses control and something bad happens. Again, this is probably developed in the sequel, but it leaves the reader with the idea that anger is always bad. Not necessarily the healthiest view. The story needs resolution to clear up some of this odd messaging.
This book lays out the background of Kristtörn as the Christmas Witch, but its lack of resolution is unsatisfying and confusing. Murphy and Plaza set some groundwork but it doesn't lead anywhere. Perhaps if it had been more fleshed out into a children's novel, I may have connected with it more. Despite the length, many areas didn't feel developed enough. Great illustrations though.
Overall, an okay read that had some wonderful elements. They just didn't come together for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes