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| Categories | Growing Up & Facts of Life |
| Author | Matt Haig |
| Publisher | Canongate Books; Reprint edition (November 5, 2019) |
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 304 pages |
| Item Weight | 2.31 pounds |
| Dimensions |
5 x 1 x 8 inches |
I. Book introduction
Father Christmas and Me is another charming story and the perfect conclusion to this wonderful trilogy.
Let the battle for Christmas begin . . .
It isn’t always easy, growing up as a human in Elfhelm, even if your adoptive parents are the newly married Father Christmas and Mary Christmas.
For one thing, Elf School can be annoying when you have to sing Christmas songs everyday – even in July – and when you fail all your toy-making tests. Also it can get very, very cold.
But when the jealous Easter Bunny and his rabbit army launch an attack to stop Christmas, it’s up to Amelia, her new family and the elves to keep Christmas alive. Before it’s too late . . .
Editorial Reviews
- “Filled with lots of humour . . . this is an excellent read for young and old.” — Metroland
- “Award-winning British author Matt Haig (To Be a Cat) writes with warmth, wit and irreverence.” ― ―Shelf Awareness, Starred review
- “If somewhere in the afterlife Roald Dahl met Charles Dickens and they cooked up a new Christmas tale, it couldn’t have much on this fleet, verbally rambunctious,heart-stealing follow-up to A Boy Called Christmas.” ― ―New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice
- “With a little bit of naughty and a lot of nice, this Christmastime yarn is a veritable sugarplum.” ― ―Kirkus Reviews
About the Author (Matt Haig)
Matt Haig is an author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit and is translated in over 40 languages. It is being made into a film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and The Guardian called it an ‘instant classic’. His novels for adults include the award-winning How To Stop Time, The Radleys, The Humans and the number one bestseller The Midnight Library.
Matt Haig was born on 3 July 1975 in Sheffield. He grew up in the Nottinghamshire town of Newark and later went on to study English and History at the University of Hull.
As of 2015, Haig is married to Andrea Semple, and they live in Brighton, Sussex, with their two children and a dog. The children were homeschooled.
Haig identifies as an atheist. He has said that books are his one true faith, and the library is his church.
Some of Haig’s work — especially part of the non-fiction books — is inspired by the mental breakdown he suffered from when he was 24-years-old. He still occasionally suffers from anxiety. He has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.
II. Reviewer: Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig
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1. PAROMJIT reviews Father Christmas and Me
The brave and courageous Amelia Wishart returns for another festive children’s adventure, the final part of Matt Haig’s imaginative trilogy with the wonderful illustrations of Chris Mould. Amelia is now living in Elfhelm, adopted by her new parents, Father Christmas and Mary Christmas who have got married, although trouble reared its ugly head at the wedding. Amelia is struggling to adjust and fit into her new life where the weather is blisteringly cold and icy. She has to attend Elf school where she is significantly taller than everyone else and as for the curriculum, lets just say it is rather unexpected and weird. She finds that singing Christmas songs throughout the year does not feel right and is downright irritating.
Matt Haig inserts a touch of our real world realism with his creation of the bad mad Father Vogol, an elf determined to disrupt and spoil Christmas for everyone. Vogol wants to have Father Christmas, Mary and Amelia expelled from Elfhelm, and to this end tells lies and fake news which spread like wildfire. Then there is the resentful Easter Bunny and the evil rabbits. Amelia has had a traumatic life, and once again life is upside down and turbulent. She and her cohorts rise to the challenge in their exciting battle to save Christmas from the forces of evil. This is an emotionally engaging, captivating festive read for children with everything required to entertain. It is action packed, with quirky characters, good and evil rabbits and the stupendous Amelia. A magical, warmhearted, fun, witty and humorous book! Many thanks to Jamie Norman at Canongate for an ARC.
2. MADDIE reviews Father Christmas and Me
“An impossibility is just a possibility you don’t understand yet.”
Matt Haig did it again! Another fabulous Christmas story from him! I absolutely loved Father Christmas And Me!
Amelia Wishart lives now in Elfhelm with Father Christmas and Mary, also known as Mother Christmas. You’d think life should be perfect for Amelia but it so not. Problem is Amelia is just too… human. Fitting in in the elves world is harder than you’d think. And being human she’s also full of self doubt and constantly questions her place in that magical place. She just can’t believe that she belongs.
It’s not just Amelia who’s troubled. Father Vodol is not a happy elf and he really really doesn’t like Father Christmas and humans in general. He enlists help of Easter Bunny and his rabbit army to try and overthrow Father Christmas and take charge of Elfhelm again.
Father Christmas And Me is a gorgeous story conveying the true meaning of Christmas. It’s not about the presents; its true magic lies in kindness of heart and generosity of spirit.
Beautifully written, fast paced with great plot and stunning illustrations Father Christmas And Me is not to be missed. And if you haven’t read previous Christmas stories from Matt Haig please do. They’re just brilliant. Magical, heartfelt, truly Christmassy.
3. CHERI reviews Father Christmas and Me
4.5 Stars
A little over a year ago, I read “A Boy Called Christmas,” and earlier this month I read the second book in this series, “The Girl Who Saved Christmas” which was equally as charming, as fun, and as magical as his first. I knew I would love the third, and so I began “Father Christmas and Me” and it was no surprise to me that it was as charming as the first two.
This begins where the second book leaves off, and Amelia Wishart is now living with her new adoptive parents, Father Christmas and Mary Christmas in Elfhelm.
”But Elfhelm is an ordinary town in lots of ways. A small town. An oversized village, really. And there are normal things there, like shops and houses and a town hall. There are streets and trees and even a bank.
“But the people who live there are very different to me. And very different to you too.
“They aren’t even people. Not human people anyway.
“They are special. They are magic.
“They are, well…
“They are elves. But the thing is, if you are surrounded by elves, it isn’t the elves that are the weird, unusual creatures.
“No.
“It’s you.”
I loved the artwork in this book, all of the books in this series, I loved the story, the frequent nod to the magical elements that had a quirky twist on those normal completely non-magical things in life.
”There was a reindeer clock in the living room, which was like a cuckoo clock but instead of a cuckoo popping out it was a reindeer. Oh, and it didn’t tell ordinary human time with boring things like ‘six o’clock’ and ‘twenty past nine’. It told elf time, and elf hours were called things like Very Early Indeed and Way Past Bedtime.”
I loved that this was written for children, to be read to a child would make it even more magical all the way around, and it is silly enough, more than charming enough and yet entertain even those old enough to have children of their own. Magical!
The artist responsible for the wonderful illustrations is Chris Mould, and they really are beautifully matched to this wonderful holiday story.
4. BAM reviews Father Christmas and Me
The third book in the Father Christmas trilogy by Matt Haig is told by eleven-year-old Amelia Wishart. She and Mary Winter have come to live in Elfhelm after Amelia helped saved Christmas last year.
But not all the elves are happy about having more humans in their midst and Father Vodol is up to his old tricks once again. He is publishing his own newspaper, The Daily Truth, which he is using to spread lies. He wants to about build a wall from sea to sea to keep humans out and plans to LOCK HER UP! (No, not Hilary–Amelia Wishart!!) Who will he enlist to help him in his mad plot?? You are in for a surprise!!
Lots of adventure and fun in this last installment of the trilogy which geared to middle-school-aged children button for all, with super illustrations once again by Chris Mould. Amelia is brave and resourceful but drimwickery saves the day!
Best quote: “‘Books,’ said Father Christmas, ‘are the greatest gifts of all. Nothing else comes close.'”
5. BRITTNEY reviews Father Christmas and Me
My favorite of the Father Christmas Series
Matt Haig is one of my favorite authors, (he also writes adult fiction and non fiction), and I own several of his books. I first purchased A Boy Called Christmas last holiday season to read with my two children each night before bed, (Ages 6 & 8). We all loved that book, so we had to get the other two as well as The Truth Pixie books. That being said, this was actually my favorite of the three books about Father Christmas, and I particularly loved the message about hope, perseverance, and kindness. These are all things I am trying to teach my children, and I love how Matt Haig weaves these ideas throughout his books. My children particularly love the character of the Truth Pixie, (A Pixie who literally must always tell the truth) as she has some very comical moments throughout the books. This month Netflix just released the film adaptation of “A Boy Called Christmas,” and my children were so excited to see it, my son was begging to put it on first thing in the morning. We all enjoyed that as well (although they made some changes from the books, but it was still good). 🙂 If you are looking for a funny and magical series to read with your children during the holidays this is it.
6. DANDELION IN THE WIND reviews Father Christmas and Me
Great book!
This book starts off where the second book left off. Amelia is now living with her adoptive parents Father Christmas and Mary/Mother Christmas in Elfhelm.
Amelia is finding it hard to adjust and fit in in Elfhelm and feels like she doesn’t belong.
As if that wasn’t enough, Father Vodol has plans of his own to make the other elves believe that humans are dangerous and shouldn’t be allowed in Elfhelm.
There’s also the jealous Easter Bunny and his rabbit army who are out to stop Christmas.
As with the first 2 books, ‘A Boy Called Christmas‘ and ‘The Girl Who Saved Christmas‘, I enjoyed this book just as much. I love the stories and characters Matt Haig has created and brought to life. I love the illustrations by Chris Mould. These books give a magical feeling as well as life lessons.
Definitely a must read for all ages!
7. KATHIE reviews Father Christmas and Me
Highly recommended Christmas chapter book
This is another fabulous seasonal chapter book by Matt Haig. There is a shortage of quality Christmas fiction for this age group, and I’m thrilled with the creative, imaginative and entertaining stories that Haig keeps writing. I highly recommend any of his seasonal books.
8. TINA G reviews Father Christmas and Me
A fun book for elf lovers of all ages…
As my niece says, “It’s never to early for Christmas.” This is a fun book that I would recommend for those who love Christmas, a good story, or elves.
The main character, Amelia Wishart, is an orphan from London who is adopted by Father Christmas and Mary Christmas. They live Elfhelm, which is part of The Magic Lands, along with her cat, Captain Soot. Father Vodol is the bad guy, who influences the elves and their nemesis, The Easter Bunny.
The author does a fantastic job at incorporating parts of Christmas (that we sometimes forget as we age) into the story. Some examples of what to expect: chocolate coins as elf currency, stores such as the Figgy Pudding café, classes at Elf school Amelia takes (Laughing Even When Times Are Tough, Christmas Studies, Spickle Dancing), elf magic (drimwickery), the sled name is The Blizzard 360, the Truth Pixie and the Lie Pixie, life lessons (how you should and shouldn’t treat people), the naughty guy lives on quiet street, and so much more I won’t want to say as I do not want to spoil the book. Just read it, you won’t be disappointed.
The book reads like a chapter book but instead of “Chapter 1”, there are titles like “A Lesson on How to Love Life” and “The Cat and the Reindeer”. Illustrations are found throughout the book. They have a vintage feel to them and fit perfectly with the story. The ending is heartwarming and will bring a smile (or more) to you.
Parental warning: there are brief mentions of Amelia’s mother being sick and her death, death of a Flying Story Pixie who fell in love with a troll (died in his ear wax), kidnapping talk by an elf (he was kidnapped when he was younger), one threat by Father Vodol towards Amelia that if she doesn’t lie her pixie friend will end up dead, locking of the humans in a cage and they must escape death by chocolate (drowning). All of these serve a purpose to the bigger story (acceptance, all are welcome in Elfhelm, help others, do right, do not lie, Christmas must go on so Father Christmas can deliver presents to the kids in the world, and other valuable life lessons).
9. SUZY reviews Father Christmas and Me
Oh, how I have loved the three books in this series, culminating in this one. In the first we learn of Father Christmas’s origin story, in the second we learn of a girl who helps fight trolls and saves Christmas along with Mother Christmas’s origin story. This story focuses on the girl, Amelia Wishart and her awkward relationship with the elves (she’s so big! her ears are so round!) and worse. Again we have an attack on Elfhelm, the place at the top of the world where they all live, this time by rabbits and an evil elf trying to turn everyone against Father Christmas. And again, Amelia to the rescue who restores the hope that enables Father Christmas to deliver the goods all over the world on Christmas Eve.
I’ve listened to all three of these books, all good, but Natasha McEnhone’s narration in this book was smashing!
Why I’m reading this: Part of my annual Christmas reading, I really enjoyed books one and two A Boy Called Christmas and The Girl Who Saved Christmas.
10. SID NUNCIUS reviews Father Christmas and Me
Father Christmas And Me is a little slow to get going, but once it does it’s a lovely, exciting Christmas story, full of Matt Haig’s usual humanity and wisdom.
In this instalment, Amelia (a human girl from a cruel workhouse now living with Father Christmas) goes to elf school and generally settles into life at Elfhelm. This opening section seemed a little slow to me, even though it is very imaginative and has important things to say about inclusivity. The pace picks up as the wicked Father Vogol begins to publish lies to try to whip up hatred of humans, and we enter another perilous race to save Christmas.
It’s a good read and has some very well-delivered messages about truth and how lies can be used to manipulate people. Perhaps one of Matt Haig’s true targets is revealed just once as Father Vogol says “I will make Elfhelm great again,” and adults will see all sorts of echoes of current political developments. However, it’s not so much a political as a deeply human and ultimately heart-warming story.
For me, this isn’t a true Matt Haig classic like How To Stop Time, but it’s a smashing book for children at Christmas and I can recommend it.
(My thanks to Canongate for an ARC via NetGalley.)
III. Father Christmas and Me Quotes by Matt Haig
The best book quotes from Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig
“A smile is the best kind of magic in the world”
“Bücher sind Bäume, die träumen.”
“Denn auch Wörter sind magisch. Sie können die ganze Welt enthalten.”
“O imposibilitate e doar o posibilitate pe care n-o înțelegi încă.”
“My aunt used to tell me that books are just trees that are having a dream.”
“I still keep that magic alive by trying to make people happy. By seeing the goodness in people. And letting that goodness shine back.”
“You see, Elfhelm is a magical place, and to see magical places you have to believe in magic.
As you know, hope is a kind of magic.
An impossibility is just a possibility you don’t understand yet.
It isn’t impossible. It’s just not the right thing to do. And that’s a very big difference.
Promises are for liars. If you tell the truth all the time, you don’t need promises.
‘Books,’ said Father Christmas, ‘are the greatest gifts of all. Nothing else comes close.’
But really reading and writing are the same thing. Writing is just reading a story that is in your mind and putting it on paper.
…words are magic too and they can contain everything.”“An impossibility is just a possibility you don’t understand yet. I have heard it a hundred times. But what about walking on the ceiling? That’s impossible. What about flying to the stars? That’s impossible.”
‘It isn’t, actually,’ muttered Father Christmas. ‘It isn’t impossible. It’s just not the right thing to do. And that’s a very big difference.’
“Books,” said Father Christmas, “are the greatest gifts of all. Nothing else comes close.”
“My aunt used to tell me that books are just trees that are having a dream.”
“Love is love is love.”
Excerpted from Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig
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