Tuesday 27 December 2011

Quick Review: Santa's Twin - written by Dean Koontz & Illustrated by Phil Parks


Santa's Twin is the hilarious and heartwarming story of two little girls, Charlotte and Emily, who set out to save Santa from his mischievous twin - Bob Claus - who has not only stolen Santa's sleigh, but has stuffed his toy bag with mud pies, cat poop, and broccoli! Plus, he's threatening to turn Donner, Blitzen, and the rest into reindeer soup! And look at the mess he's leaving under the tree!

How the brave but foolhardy sisters fly to the North Pole and rescue Santa from his "deeply troubled" twin is an utterly charming and unforgettable story that will add sparkle to your holiday season.

Santa's Twin Series:
Santa's Twin
Robot Santa

Visit Dean Koontz's website for more information

Review:
This isn't the kind of book you'd expect from horror and suspense writer Dean Koontz, it's actually a children's picture book. It is the tale of Santa's evil twin who is determined to ruin Christmas, he has locked up Santa and has set off on Santa's sleigh to cause mischief instead of leaving presents. I've had this for years now and I bring it out most Christmases when I want a fun, festive read. The story is told in verses in much the same rhythm as The Night Before Christmas and just begs to be read out loud making it perfect bedtime story material. Here is a quick example:

"And look - reindeer far up in the sky!
Some silly goose has taught them to fly.
The driver giggles quite like a loon -
a madman, a goofball, a thug or a goon.

Something is wrong - any fool could tell.
If this is Santa, then Santa's not well.
His mean little eyes spin just like tops.
So somebody better quick call the cops!"

There are a couple of places where the rhythm doesn't quite fit together properly which can be a bit off putting but this is still a really fun read and one my brother used to love to have read to him when he was younger. I haven't even mentioned Phil Parks' beautiful illustrations yet, every page has a detailed full colour image that you could spend ages looking at. Then when you get to the end of the book you'll have no choice but to start again from the beginning just so you can look for the item that is included in every picture (there are a couple of pages where I still haven't found it!). This is a great story for reading with young children and one I would definitely recommend.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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