Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that an evil warlock kills a beloved character and threatens to kill not only the main character but all loved ones associated. There's also young love between main character and a young man that is harmlessly illustrated through fluttering eyelashes and breathy dialogue. Holly and friends meet a Jewish family who share Hanukkah as another holiday observed during this time. From the Julie Andrews collection, this book appeals to readers drawn to stories of heroines in period pieces or strong female characters in fantasy; this novel has both.
Families who read this novel can discuss the main character and how the book says she possesses the "purest heart." Though dutiful and highly moral, she is also impatient and strong-willed. How does she show these limitations? And do these qualities make her more likable as a character? Obviously it is a story of fantasy, but how is she relatable in her lonely isolation or wanting to find her path in life? Who are characters that stand out and why? Also being a book about Christmas, families can talk about holidays and how they are observed through different traditions.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Pam Gelman
A new take on the jolly, pink-cheeked, white bearded man living in the North Pole, the father of Holly Claus, has a temper, can be impetuous, flirtatious with his wife, and struggles like any other parent to settle his over-achieving adolescent daughter. THE LEGEND OF HOLLY CLAUS is a good read for kids who like fantasy, strong female characters, and just a bit of innocent romance.
Like Claudia in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Laura Ingalls in the Little House on the Prairie series or even Hermione in the Harry Potter series, Holly is spirited and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. This time, it's freedom, away from the safety of the castle to explore Victorian New York and help others, thus earning her right to be immortal.
This book in the Julie Andrews Collection is filled with flowery descriptions and accompanied by delicate illustrations. Certainly easy-to-read, the bulk of the drama is in the beginning and end, which may cause some readers to put down and forget to pick back up. However this is a great holiday selection for kids who favor books on fantasy, romantic heroism, and plucky females.
From The Book
Holly stared at her. "You know what's going to happen."
Sofya shook her head. "No, I don't, for which I thank the elders of the universe every day of my life. I can see a number of possible futures, and any one of them could happen. There is not one certain future, that much I know. Each of our lives creates what is to come. The universe is not a clock that has been set to run in one direction. It is a maze, a giant puzzle that changes and grows each time a player takes one path over another. Every time you make a choice, you make the future. I don't know how your story will end; I have to wait and see like everybody else." She smiled.
Plot Summary:
In 1878, a 10-year-old boy sends a letter to Santa Claus inquiring what Santa himself wishes as a gift. This act of generosity is the catalyst for Santa and wife to receive a baby. Holly is born of the purest heart and becomes the means for escape by an imprisoned-by-curse warlock named Herrikhan. He manages to set her infant heart in ice and threatens to return one day to collect it, and thus set himself free.
The Land of the Immortals is closed then to the outer world, and Holly is forced to live in a castle constantly glistening with snowflakes to avoid melting her heart; and in isolation except for loving family and set of animal friends. Obsessed with the life in New York City as seen through her telescope, she discovers a way to escape. In Victorian New York, she brings happiness to all she meets by helping people, young and old, acknowledge their dreams. Herrikhan follows masquerading as a wealthy young man and potential suitor. Holly, however, has her eye on another lonely soul.
Related Books:
Other female characters or books of fantasy that may appeal include:
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
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Sexual ContentTrue love expressed between main character and young man; kissing on hand as greeting. |
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ViolenceBeloved wolf character is killed by warlock and eaten by birds, causing grief to other characters. Threats to kill all. Infant heart set in ice. |
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Social BehaviorHolly is a model of a strong heroine that thinks on her feet, makes wise decisions, and wants happiness for all. She also puts others before herself and respects her parents and elders. |
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