Roald Dahl meets Elf in this warmhearted Christmas caper about the boy who would one day be Santa Claus, from the New York Times best-selling author of The Midnight Library.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Kristen Wiig, Maggie Smith and Henry Lawfull!

Eleven-year-old Nikolas - nicknamed "Christmas" - has received only one toy in his life: a doll carved out of a turnip. But he's happy with his turnip doll, because it came from his parents who love him. Then one day his father goes missing, and Nikolas must travel to the North Pole to save him.

Along the way, Nikolas befriends a surly reindeer, bests a troublesome troll, and discovers a hidden world of enchantment in the frozen village of Elfhelm. But the elves of Elfhelm have troubles of their own: Christmas spirit and goodwill are at an all-time low, and Nikolas may be the only person who can fix things - if only he can reach his father before it's too late....

Sparkling with wit and warmth, A Boy Called Christmas is a Christmas classic-in-the-making from acclaimed author Matt Haig.

"Irresistibly readable.Destined to become a Christmas and anytime-before-or-after-Christmas classic!" (Chris Grabenstein, New York Times best-selling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library)

“The definitive (and funny) history of ho, ho, ho! My children loved it.” (Yann Martel, best-selling author of Life of Pi)

“The most evergreen, immortal Christmas story to be published for decades.” (Stephen Fry)

"Humorous and heartfelt, A Boy Called Christmas will grow your heart three sizes and make you believe in magic." (Liesl Shurtliff, New York Times best-selling author of Rump)

"Matt Haig has an empathy for the human condition, the light and the dark of it, and he uses the full palette to build his excellent stories.” (Neil Gaiman, Newbery-winning author of The Graveyard Book)

Listening Length

4 hours and 25 minutes
Author

Matt Haig
Narrator

Stephen Fry
Audible release date

November 1, 2016
Language

English
Publisher

Listening Library
ASIN

B01LZNGVLB
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	4 hours and 25 minutes
Author	Matt Haig
Narrator	Stephen Fry
Audible.com Release Date	November 01, 2016
Publisher	Listening Library
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B01LZNGVLB
Best Sellers Rank	#100,864 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #26 in Audiobooks on Christmas for Children #803 in Children's Christmas Books (Books) #805 in Humorous Fiction for Children

Customer reviews

5 star		79%
4 star		13%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

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BBS

Christmas Carnage

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019

Verified Purchase

Every year, we get a new Christmas book to read together and this was the first year we got a chapter book for me to read to my kids throughout the month of December leading up to Christmas.

I wish I had read the negative reviews before purchasing, as this book is just completely full of negativity. When we started out, I liked the idea of Santa Claus overcoming hardships, but it soon became more than mere hardship; it was truly depressing.

I continued reading hoping it would take an upturn, but it didn’t.

SPOILERS: His horrible (for no apparent reason) aunt destroyed the one item in the world he cherished in a rather sickening manner, there was a sociopathic pixie who talked about how much she loved making heads explode (there is an actual head explosion in the book, described in gory detail), Blizten enjoyed peeing on people (unnecessary and childish humor, which I found confusing as the author clearly wanted to deal some incredibly mature and horrible blows of reality throughout), his father (his hero and a man whom he had always admired) kidnapped an elf for money, a troll nearly strangled him to death, his father committed suicide right before his eyes, etc.

Ultimately, the only reason I kept reading was so we could finally get to the good stuff where he becomes Santa Claus. We felt the payoff at the very end was not nearly as cheery as it needed to be in order to make the rest of the book worth it.

We DO NOT recommend this book.

123 people found this helpful

Helpful

Barb W

Don't be dissuaded by negative reviews. This book is a gem.

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Clearly BBS believes children's books should be all sugar and spice. This is a delightful book, and BBS has not understood it. For instance, Christmas's father does something in a crisis that insures that his son will survive and succeed. Do you really want to label that "suicide?" If you really want to get analytical, this could be a story about a young boy who rises above all the hardship and sorrow of his youth to become a compassionate and loving icon. Or, you could just read with your children and chuckle at silly incidents and cheer for a boy with moxie.

34 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jan

This book is DEPRESSING.

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book is just downright depressing. This isn't a feel-good book made for kids. In my humble opinion, this is something I wouldn't have been able to handle as a kid. In fact, I was barely able to handle it as an adult. From all the pain Nikolas goes through...I won't spoil the book. But there is a load of abuse in this book and I can't get down with it.

The book is well-written, don't get me wrong. But you don't feel good after you put it down. Maybe that's what the author wanted? Maybe they wanted something "deeper" therefore they chose the most depressing way to go about it.

21 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bibble Boo

A wonderful, weird, magical book

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

What a relief it was to find this author. A Boy Called Christmas was so good that bedtime story time kept on going and going. We had finished reading every Roald Dahl book there is for kids (except for Witches, too scary or so I’m told) and other books were just a let down. Not this book! The description that it’s equal parts Dickens and Roald Dahl is spot on. I bought the two sequel books before we were even halfway through this one so that we could continue to binge read. Next up? The Truth Pixie and A Mouse Called Miika!

Helpful

Amy Buckingham

Lovely story! Matt Haig has quickly become one of my favorite authors!

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2022

Verified Purchase

Really truly wonderful and creative story of how Santa became who we know him as - not just another sappy story!

Helpful

A.A.

Good gift

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2022

Verified Purchase

Good for the holiday break from school

Helpful

Chuck Brooks

A Christmas Gem

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

A wonderfully charming story. Anxious to see the Netflix movie.

Helpful

April

Stocking Stuffer

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought as a stocking stuffer. It's the perfect size! Will update if soon enjoys the read.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Fifisoo

Love this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2016

Verified Purchase

Love this book. In the middle of reading it to my two youngest boys (9 and 7) and this evening just as we sat down to read a couple of chapters, my 9 year old looked up at me and said "Mum I have been looking forward to this all day". Speaks for itself really. I struggle reading them novels and if I am honest I still hanker for the picture book days, they are quick and I miss the pictures!! Well the illustrations in some of them are truly magical. Also was before I was working full-time. Am so bloomin' tired by the end of the day the bed-time story quite often gets neglected. I pop on a story CD and go off to fold the laundry feeling guilty and a bit pants. So, am delighted to report that this book is brilliant. I am as captivated as the boys and it is just so nice reading it during the build up to Christmas, especially as the little one still believes. This is what reading to your kids is all about. Hugs, giggles and making happy memories. The laundry can definitely wait!

98 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

The real story of father Christmas

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

Just finished reading this to my 6 year old, We've been reading it for the past few days and he's really enjoyed it. His brother who's 5 wasn't interested in it and fell asleep after a few pages every night but my oldest son loved it. There are quite sensitive subjects in it regarding death, loss, grief, trust, child abuse but told in a childlike way. There were a few times my son got upset and I was unsure about carrying on but I think it's important he knows that it's OK to cry if he finds something sad and that it's amazing to laugh hysterically when there's something funny. I loved the little illustrations they're mega cute. And the story itself is beautiful with a lovely ending. I'd be quite happy to read this myself even if I didn't have children, but then, I am a HUGE fan of Matt Haig. A must read at this time of year

16 people found this helpful

Zulu Warrior

A Boy Called Christmas

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

Nikolas 11yrs was called Christmas because he was born on Christmas day, he lived in a small cottage in Finland with his best friend Miika a mouse, his father Joel went off with a hunter to prove the existence of Elves, this was worth a lot of money and the family needed it, Aunt Carlotta was to look after Nikolas but she was cruel to him, Nikolas ran away with Miika, he met a reindeer on the way who had been shot with an arrow, Nikolas pulled it out and the reindeer became a friend and was called Blitzen

Nikolas met two Elves, Father Topo and Little Noosh who showed him the city of Elfhelm, on arriving the Elves were very unhappy Father Vodel had banned nearly everything and Nikolas was put in jail, he heard that an Elf Little Kip had been kidnapped by his father and other men, Sebastian a Troll tried to eat Nikolas but the Truth Pixie stopped it, the story continues with his escape from jail and all his many adventures with the Elves, can Nikolas bring back happiness to the Elves and what is the special job he would be needed for

My verdict, excellent childrens story, worth reading

15 people found this helpful

Read, Watch & Drink Coffee

A delightful and exciting festive read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

A Boy Called Christmas is a delightful and exciting festive read. Telling the origin story of how Santa Clause came to be the man we know him as today, the story follows a fun adventure filled with all the magic of family and Christmas, with a heartwarming message about hope and the joys of spreading kindness.

It’s the perfect book for adults to read their young ones at Christmas (or just if you want a bit of Christmas cheer at this time of year!), with an exciting world for children to imagine and experience, and plenty of added humour for parents to enjoy at the same time. I really enjoyed Haig’s Dad-humour, as well as the beautiful illustrations by Chris Mould.

My boys are possibly a little young for this book at the minute, but it’s definitely one that I look forward to them reading in a few years. The new film adaptation on Sky didn’t quite leave me with the same magical feeling that the book did, but it’s still an exciting adventure for the family to enjoy together.

2 people found this helpful

lucie Wheeler

A Boy Called Christmas: Matt Haig

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

An enjoyable read about the origins of Father Christmas. There was aspects of this story that were sad, but the author handles the theme's well and with sensitivity. And as with any children's book, there are plenty of funny moments to keep the reader engaged.

A good collection of very different characters to engage the reader and show diversity. The main character's 'goodness' shines through and makes for happy reading. Should I have read this with a child, I imagine there would be plenty to discuss and chat about.
There were times that I felt the story sagged a little and slowed down on pace, but this did not affect me finishing it and I would read another story by this author again.

5 people found this helpful

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