A Boy Called Christmas Movie Tie-In Edition

By: Matt Haig

Narrated by: Stephen Fry

Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

2018 Odyssey Honor

2018 ALSC Notable Children’s Recording

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)

©2016 Matt Haig (P)2016 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

"Like stockings hung by the fire, this spellbinding opus may well become a yuletide tradition." (Kirkus)

Wonderful magical story!

My 10 year old and I loved this story! We read or listened to multiple Christmas stories this year that we enjoyed —-such as when Santa fell to the earth. But this book “A boy called Christmas” was by far our favorite. It was truly magical!!!

JUST EXCELLENT!

I really cannot express how delightful and insightful this story is. Fun to listen to, subtle lessons taught. A MUST to listen to.

Phenomenal story

We absolutely loved A Boy Named Christmas! It was engaging and a beautifully written new take on an old story. My middle schooler and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Funny 😆 (BUT NOT FOR KIDS UNDER 10!)

At some points my daughter thought that it was really sad 😔 and other times in the book she thought it was really funny 😆. But overall it was a really good and sad book.


BUT my daughter said that it was very violent and very sad/funny! for kids who are at least 10 because it is violent, because people die, abuse, and people exploding a lot!!!!!! But great book!

From my daughter Sophia ☺️😉

Great!

OMG, what a cute story for anyone who loves Christmas! I enjoyed it alone, but it would be a great family listen as well. If I could give 6 stars to the narration, I would, Stephen Fry could not have been a better choice for this amazing piece of work. I will likely listen to it every year!

Fantastic!

I got this book on a recommendation from Sarah at Read Aloud Revival. My kids (ages 5, 7, & 9) and I listened to it on a road trip and didn't want to stop the car! Like another review said, it's reminiscent of Roald Dahl writing, and the narration is very entertaining. I laughed right along with the kids. I have a feeling we'll be listening to this again soon!

wonderful

We loved it! We listened to a few chapters a night and my kids (10-14) always asked for "just 10 more minutes!" The narrator is wonderful - easy to understand and does great character voices.

Adorable holiday story!

This story is fantastic! Great holiday read! Grab your hot cocoa and a candy cane, and get ready to giggle and laugh!

Enchanting story and superb narration

I listened to this with my 7-year-old son, and we both loved this magical Christmas story. It is beautifully written, and Stephen Fry’s narration is absolute perfection. He truly brought the characters to life and captured the spirit of the story. This will be a new Christmas classic we return to in future years! Can’t wait to read the next two.

Wonderful

What a lovely Christmas story, I really enjoyed it. You can't beat Stephen Fry's narration perfection.