HATTIE WALES (aged 11)

 

A magical Christmas adventure based around advent. It has a warm, festive feel to it and I’m sure anyone would enjoy it at Christmas time.

The book is set in Norway towards the end of the 20th century. A young boy called Joachim finds a homemade advent calendar in a bookshop. When Joachim opens the first door a slip of paper falls out and he begins to realise how unusual this calendar is. As December passes, Joachim and his parents follow the story of Elisabet which is recorded on the slips of paper. She travels back through history to Bethlehem and the birth of Christ.

Meanwhile, the family discover that Elisabet is the name of a girl who disappeared during the 1940s under similar circumstances to the story in the advent calendar.

The book travels backwards and forwards between the stories until one day, Joachim actually finds Elisabet, and then realises what actually happened those 40 years ago. 

Each chapter represents a different day of advent, making the book itself an advent calendar. The story does become a little slow and repetitive in places, and I felt the story should have been varied a little more. However, the overall feel of the book is very different to your standard Christmas story, especially with the appearance of angels, shepherds and the three wise men.

 

This book was published by Phoenix and is available to buy for £7.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out.