The clever story is powdered with puckish illustrations and reminds humans and elves alike that goodness and kindness are a kind of magic. With remarkable descriptions (“His eyebrows were sliding apart like caterpillars falling out of love”) and a bit of mischief (Blitzen likes to wee on the heads of humans as he flies over), this hits both ends of the audience’s sophistication range and has great promise as a read-aloud. It’s there that Nikolas discovers, with the help of a drimwick, or hope spell, that he’s become more than just the simple boy he used to be. Unfortunately, once located, the elves do not offer a warm welcome but instead lock Nikolas in the tower. Nikolas helps him and names him Blitzen, and they continue their journey to the elf village together. Then he comes across a reindeer with an arrow stuck in his leg. Nikolas runs away to find his father, but trudging months through the woods, he faces starvation, freezing, and hopelessness. Desperate for money, Joel joins a group of men on a quest to prove the existence of elves, leaving Nikolas with his ill-tempered aunt, Carlotta. His mother has died, and his father, Joel is an impoverished woodcutter. Nikolas is a sweet, 12-year-old white boy who leads a hard-knock life in the woods of Finland. Young Nikolas has a grand adventure while discovering his magical destiny as Father Christmas.
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