 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
When Santa Fell to Earth
- By Cornelia Funke
- Genre: Holiday
Common Sense Media says
Santa fights commercialization, kids help, ho hum.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the author has a very strange approach to Santa Claus, and younger children may find it disturbing to their belief system. Also, the book seems to condone cheating on school tests.
What's the story?
While flying through the sky in his gypsy caravan during a thunderstorm a couple of weeks before Christmas, Niklas Goodfellow finds himself crashing to earth when his reindeer, Twinklestar, bolts in fear. The caravan ends up on the side of a suburban street, where Niklas and his accompanying angels and elves meet Ben (and later Charlotte).
Niklas explains that the North Pole has been taken over by Gerold Geronimus Goblynch, who is only interested in money and who has brought in modern technology, outsourced the toymaking, turned the Santas into chocolate and the reindeer into salami, employed giant nutcrackers as enforcers, and driven out the elves. Niklas himself is the last real Santa. Now it is, of course, up to the children to help him take Christmas back.
Is it any good?
Christmas taken over by greedy corporate interests -- have we heard this before? The only thing new that bestselling German author Cornelia Funke brings to this hackneyed, trite tale is a complete lack of logic. Main character Ben is sort of bullied, of course -- but not really. His parents are rather unfeeling -- until they suddenly become warm and caring.
Bright children will have guessed the whole story by page 37, and the way it unfolds isn't particularly exciting. Funke's name has become a famous brand, and so this book will certainly sell. But it's a disappointment.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how this concept of Santa compares with the more traditional one. How is it similar? How does it differ? Which is more appealing or realistic?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
it was a really great book!
so... there's a santa who is running away from the santa police, (or whatever ya want to call it) and his reindeer got detached right in the middle of the part where people don't believe in santa(i wonder why that happened), and there all tryin' to fix it!!!!
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Author: | Cornelia Funke |
| Illustrator: | Paul Howard |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Holiday |
| Publisher: | Scholastic Inc. |
| Publication date: | November 12, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 176 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
| Read aloud: | 7 |
| Read alone: | 8 |
Review It
Register now to save reviews and advice articles to your personal lists!
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already read it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
