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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I fancied a slightly seasonal read for December, and love Funke's Inkheart series. This is one for children of around 6-10, and I think listening to the audiobook (as I did) is a god optinon as it's a straightforward story and nicely narrated.
Niklas falls from the skies one night, with angels and elves after a reindeer disappears... A friendly and earnest neighbourhood boy, Ben, discovers that Niklas is in fact, one of the REAL Santas, and vows to find Twinklestar (the missing reindeer). But all is not well anyway - the real Santas are being stopped from performing their toy-making and distributing jobs - someone is trying to change things.
I preferred the first half of this to the second, with the discovery of a real Santa, the search for the reindeer, and the history and organisation of the Santas, more so than the action of the second half. It is quite short though (three discs), with some memorable characters and ideas, and is a lovely read for the months leading up to Christmas.
Niklas falls from the skies one night, with angels and elves after a reindeer disappears... A friendly and earnest neighbourhood boy, Ben, discovers that Niklas is in fact, one of the REAL Santas, and vows to find Twinklestar (the missing reindeer). But all is not well anyway - the real Santas are being stopped from performing their toy-making and distributing jobs - someone is trying to change things.
I preferred the first half of this to the second, with the discovery of a real Santa, the search for the reindeer, and the history and organisation of the Santas, more so than the action of the second half. It is quite short though (three discs), with some memorable characters and ideas, and is a lovely read for the months leading up to Christmas.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Twinklestar, the last reindeer, panics in a thunderstorm and sends Santa's caravan plunging toward the ground. After making sure everyone is okay, Niklaus Goodfellow, the last real Santa, realizes that he has come to earth in a territory controlled by the evil new head Santa, Gerold Goblynch. Niklaus is on the run from Goblynch and his cronies, trying to maintain the real meaning of Christmas despite Goblynch's greedy schemes. The caravan is broken and it will take Niklaus's elves a while to fix it. Not to mention that no one can find Twinklestar because he's invisible.
Niklaus befriends two of the neighborhood children, Ben and Charlotte. They try to help Santa and protect him from Goblynch and his henchmen. They also try to spread the Christmas spirit.
I listened to this on audio, read by the author. I had a little bit of a hard time understanding her German accent. I had to pay very close attention. Also, her voicing for Matilda, Niklaus's angel assistant, was way irritating--very high-pitched and bossy. Admittedly, Matilda was a bossy little soul, which would have irritated me enough without the ear-piercing pitch.
There is a good message about the true meaning of Christmas here. Ben and Charlotte learn about friendship and standing up for what you believe in. There's even a little message for parents about maintaining a sense of Christmas wonder.
I am definitely not the target audience for this book. Children will probably like it more than I did. It would probably be nice for them to think about children helping Santa. The little adventures, like searching for Twinklestar and making snow, will be more exciting for them. I can't really recommend the audio, but the print version will be fun for the younger crowd.
Niklaus befriends two of the neighborhood children, Ben and Charlotte. They try to help Santa and protect him from Goblynch and his henchmen. They also try to spread the Christmas spirit.
I listened to this on audio, read by the author. I had a little bit of a hard time understanding her German accent. I had to pay very close attention. Also, her voicing for Matilda, Niklaus's angel assistant, was way irritating--very high-pitched and bossy. Admittedly, Matilda was a bossy little soul, which would have irritated me enough without the ear-piercing pitch.
There is a good message about the true meaning of Christmas here. Ben and Charlotte learn about friendship and standing up for what you believe in. There's even a little message for parents about maintaining a sense of Christmas wonder.
I am definitely not the target audience for this book. Children will probably like it more than I did. It would probably be nice for them to think about children helping Santa. The little adventures, like searching for Twinklestar and making snow, will be more exciting for them. I can't really recommend the audio, but the print version will be fun for the younger crowd.
24marsha's review against another edition
4.0
A fun Christmas story with some new and fun perspectives on traditions. If I was a grade 4-6 teacher I would love to read this to my class.
ahpotts's review against another edition
a cute addition to our Christmas book rotation. Quick and imaginative. I love how it differentiates between real Santa presents and commercial gifts.
cozy_reading_times's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
Ein nettes Hörbuch beim Geschenke einpacken.
Ein nettes Hörbuch beim Geschenke einpacken.
beforemyway's review against another edition
3.0
This book was cute. I found some of the dialogue to be a little slow, and occasionally the characters did not stay consistent to their characters and were not consistent with their age.
Overall, it was really cute story however.
Overall, it was really cute story however.
bookslucyking's review against another edition
5.0
4.5*
This was a delightful read. Amazing cozy Christmas story with Santas, kids, reindeers, angels, elfs, snow, magic, everything I want from a christmas story.
This was a delightful read. Amazing cozy Christmas story with Santas, kids, reindeers, angels, elfs, snow, magic, everything I want from a christmas story.
cauchemarlena's review against another edition
3.0
Detsember on jõulukuu ja mida siis ikka lugeda, kui raamatuid jõuludest. Just niimoodi ma mõtlesin, kui ma novembris lugemist juurde tellisin ning see raamat sattus ka valiku hulka.
Jõulumaal toimuvad suured muutused ning viimane päris jõuluvana põgeneb koos oma abilistega. Kuid saan kukub taevast alla maale. Õnneks satub see sõbralikku naabruskonda ning jõuluvana Niklas saab sõpradeks Beni ja Charlotte'iga, kellest üks unistab valgetest jõuludest kodus ja teine soovib endale väga üht sõpra. Beni vanemate arust on jõulud ideaalne aeg sõita kuhugile soojale maale puhkama. Ben ja Charlotte ühendavad jõuluvanaga jõud, et jõulud saaks päästetud ning õiglus jalule.
See oli väga armas raamat võluvate illustratsioonidega. Mulle meeldis, kuigi ilmselt lemmikjõululugude hulka see ikkagi ei kuulu. Selle lühikesed peatükid sobisid aga imeliselt mu praeguse elutempoga, nii et lõppkokkuvõttes jäin rahule.
Jõulumaal toimuvad suured muutused ning viimane päris jõuluvana põgeneb koos oma abilistega. Kuid saan kukub taevast alla maale. Õnneks satub see sõbralikku naabruskonda ning jõuluvana Niklas saab sõpradeks Beni ja Charlotte'iga, kellest üks unistab valgetest jõuludest kodus ja teine soovib endale väga üht sõpra. Beni vanemate arust on jõulud ideaalne aeg sõita kuhugile soojale maale puhkama. Ben ja Charlotte ühendavad jõuluvanaga jõud, et jõulud saaks päästetud ning õiglus jalule.
See oli väga armas raamat võluvate illustratsioonidega. Mulle meeldis, kuigi ilmselt lemmikjõululugude hulka see ikkagi ei kuulu. Selle lühikesed peatükid sobisid aga imeliselt mu praeguse elutempoga, nii et lõppkokkuvõttes jäin rahule.