A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

I suggested this book last year as our #OneRuleOfBookClub whereby we must read a Christmas book in December. I was outvoted that time for The Santa Klaus Murder but suggested it again this year and was thrilled when it met with little resistance.

It intrigued me having heard about Matt Haig via his book about depression and then his very commercially successful How to Stop Time (not that Reasons to Stay Alive wasn't successful) why then would an author at the beginning of his career (or at least at the beginning of his career in the public eye) dip into children's books and not just any old children's books but Christmas children's books. Very risky.

The book is very much a children's book, I actually read it straight through in no time at all. Yet where children's books have sometimes floundered when put in front of the group in the past this one didn't. Was this because it was a Christmas children's book as opposed to just a children's book? I'm not sure. All the way through I was thinking my daughter would love this, I need to read this to my daughter, she should read this. It was also brilliantly illustrated by Chris Mould's and harked back to the Dahl/Blake combo. The illustrations were also included on the Kindle version which I think was an excellent move.

There were some very sad parts, (the soup, the escape from the axeman) and some very worrying moments (was his dad really a bad person?) but there were equal dosings of humour and festive goodwill. I thought it explained Christmas brilliantly right down to the chocolate coins in your stocking. I never thought I would have a favourite reindeer other than Ruldolph, but move over, I am now officially Team Blitzen all the way!

If I were to criticise it at all I thought it took slightly too long to get to Christmas actually realising his calling in life and then acting upon it, but it's Christmas and it's short reading regardless of a few extra pages.

The group also (mostly) loved the book which I'm pleasantly surprised about as in the past reading a children's book has put some people off right from the word go. Its got everything a festive book needs (including glitter, on the front cover). My daughter as it happens is now on page 105 and is loving it. So much so I'm wondering if Haig's second helping The Girl Who Saved Christmas could be squeezed in before 1st January when no-one wants Christmas to still be hanging round.

Bravo Matt Haig the notorious Christmas children's book genre conquered you have.

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