Step Father Christmas

It’s always been just Harper, Will and Mum. So when Mum announces that her new boyfriend Nick is staying for the Christmas holidays, it’s a bit of a shock. Nick seems nice, and he loves the reindeer he works with at the petting zoo. But why do Christmassy things happen when he’s around? Like snow falling only in their garden? And a reindeer appearing on their roof?! Harper is convinced Nick is hiding a secret, and she only has a few days before Christmas to prove it. 

This is a charming, Christmassy story with a sprinkling of magic from the author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency series. This book could be read by slightly younger children, though. Readers will enjoy adding together the Santa clues alongside Harper. The issue of suddenly gaining a stepfather is sensitively handled, and Nick is thoughtful and doesn’t try to be ‘Dad’. Overall, this is a fun, festive read – all told in 25 chapters so that one can be read every day of December, in the style of an advent calendar.