Father Christmas and Me

Matt Haig Illustrated by Chris Mould HarperCollins

This is the third instalment in a series that includes A Boy Called Christmas and The Girl Who Saved Christmas. With numerous black-and-white illustrations, this volume tells the story of Amelia Wishart who, at 11, is rescued from a London workhouse and adopted by Father Christmas and his wife, and goes to live in Elfhelm, in the Far North. As a tall, gangly human, she towers over the elves and often feels she doesn’t belong. When she is targeted by Father Vodol, a truly nasty elf, she rises to the challenge and, with the help of the Truth Pixie, shows the elves who is truly responsible for the problems in Elfhelm, saving Christmas in the process — again. Ages 7 to 11.