When Santa Claus is missing from the Thanksgiving Day parade, nobody seems to notice. People are too busy playing the latest video game and shopping for the best bargains at Eastern Industries stores. In fact, Eastern Industries claims that Christmas is no more! Now the holiday is Winterval, charitable giving is measured on a public tally machine, and it's offensive to say "Merry Christmas".
Yes, there is a real war on Christmas in Thomas Conway's novel The Naughty List.
Who should be tasked with rescuing Santa and saving Christmas? A group of kids previously listed on the Naughty List. Each one has talents that get them into trouble in the real world but are perfectly suited for a rescue mission. Along the way, they learn about historical Christmas traditions and how the holidays are celebrated all around the world. I liked how Conway tied in these other celebrations, helping to reinforce the book's theme that the spirit of Christmas is for everyone, no matter how you celebrate.
This is a young adult novel, but I think that today's teens might find the children's dialogue inauthentic. You can tell an adult wrote this. I also couldn't figure out how old the kids in the book were supposed to be. High school? Middle school?
But I found The Naughty List to be highly imaginative, a new holiday story stemming from one Conway told his own kids as they were growing up. It makes me wonder what Conway's background is - there is no "about the author" - and if there is any truth to some of the elements of the book, such as how the kids make the boats. You'll just have to read it for yourself to understand what I'm saying.
The Naughty List is published by Skylands Publishing House and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free review copy.
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