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A review by katykelly
Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig
5.0
Series-finisher that rounds off the saga with heart-warming adventure, mystery and 'finding your place' themes.
After listening to the first two with my son (now 7), we got the third from the library for Easter, knowing that the Easter Bunny featured as a character. Taking place just after the events of the previous book, Amelia is now living in Elfhelm with Father Christmas and Mary, now his wife. And finding that the idyllic setting isn't quite as idyllic when you stand out like a sore thumb, aren't able to do anything as well as an elf can, and can't find your own talent.
Amelia's story about trying to fit in and find her strengths meshes really well with a Harry Potter-like story about the lying media (slyly 'fake news' and similar Trump references are inserted through the book), as Father Vodol returns with a new newspaper, 'The Daily Truth' and elves are hard-pressed to decide what the truth really is.
So just where does the Easter Bunny fit in to this book? I'm not going to say, but I will say that chocolate (money, banks and rooms full of) all play a part in the plot (we liked this bit a lot!!) and the story construction brings tension and excitement as well as some tender and bittersweet scenes as well. Quite a feat to make my son hate a character one moment and then see his/her more vulnerable side and have him feel sorry for them just a few pages later.
The story finished with a natural conclusion, it feels like an ending. This story sees Amelia as centre of the story rather than Father Christmas, and she makes an appealing and entertaining narrator, bringing out the humour of her situation as well as being honest about her downcast feelings.
This took us nearly a month to get through, it's for us one of our longest readers together, but each night my boy would moan whenever I would have to stop. Some of the themes may be a little out of his reach, but I think upper primary pupils will love the setting and characters and immersing themselves in the world of chocolate banks and spickle dancing. I'd recommend ages 7-13 to read this series - though in order is best.
After listening to the first two with my son (now 7), we got the third from the library for Easter, knowing that the Easter Bunny featured as a character. Taking place just after the events of the previous book, Amelia is now living in Elfhelm with Father Christmas and Mary, now his wife. And finding that the idyllic setting isn't quite as idyllic when you stand out like a sore thumb, aren't able to do anything as well as an elf can, and can't find your own talent.
Amelia's story about trying to fit in and find her strengths meshes really well with a Harry Potter-like story about the lying media (slyly 'fake news' and similar Trump references are inserted through the book), as Father Vodol returns with a new newspaper, 'The Daily Truth' and elves are hard-pressed to decide what the truth really is.
So just where does the Easter Bunny fit in to this book? I'm not going to say, but I will say that chocolate (money, banks and rooms full of) all play a part in the plot (we liked this bit a lot!!) and the story construction brings tension and excitement as well as some tender and bittersweet scenes as well. Quite a feat to make my son hate a character one moment and then see his/her more vulnerable side and have him feel sorry for them just a few pages later.
The story finished with a natural conclusion, it feels like an ending. This story sees Amelia as centre of the story rather than Father Christmas, and she makes an appealing and entertaining narrator, bringing out the humour of her situation as well as being honest about her downcast feelings.
This took us nearly a month to get through, it's for us one of our longest readers together, but each night my boy would moan whenever I would have to stop. Some of the themes may be a little out of his reach, but I think upper primary pupils will love the setting and characters and immersing themselves in the world of chocolate banks and spickle dancing. I'd recommend ages 7-13 to read this series - though in order is best.