When Niklas Goodfellow's Christmas caravan falls to earth in the midst of a terrible storm, the Santa finds himself with no way of getting going again. Pursued by the evil Gerold Geronimus Goblynch, a bad Santa who leads the Great Christmas Council, Niklas knows that he is in danger. What is worse, the idea of Santa itself is threatened by Goblynch's changes to the way that the world's Santas deliver gifts. Gone are the days of listening to children's wishes - now orders are taken from parents, and for money! - and gone are the Christmas elves and angels. Only Niklas and his helpers hold out for the old ways. But when two young children - Ben and Charlotte - enter the picture, it sets in motion events that will lead to the downfall of the terrible Goblynch, and a return to the true Christmas magic...

Originally published in German as Als der Weihnachtsmann vom Himmel fiel, this Christmas fantasy novel from Cornelia Funke, author of such popular children's books as The Thief Lord and Inkheart, is an engaging story. It's entertaining, and a quick, fun read. I liked all of the characters, from Matilda the scolding angel to the cursing elves, patient Niklas to shy Ben. That said, I did wonder a bit at the main story idea, as this seems to point to the (quite legitimate) idea that Christmas has become too commercialized, the magic lost to more mundane gift shopping on the part of parents. Given that parents are in fact the ones who buy "Santa's" gifts in real life, I wonder whether reading this tale might make children who are aware of that fact (I was, myself) feel somehow less enchanted by the whole fantasy of Santa. With that caveat - that despite its message of Christmas wonder, it may in fact diminish that wonder for some children - I would recommend this to middle grade readers looking for fantasy fiction at the holidays. ( )

4.5 stars. 4 stars for the story, and 5 stars for Funke's enchanting narration with her hushed German accent.

This may not be Cornelia Funke's most well-known book, but it's one of my favorites.... The blend of whimsy and intrigue put me solidly in a holiday mood. ( )

Review to follow.... ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1767536.html

I may have just been in a bad mood, but this book just felt like total glurge to me. Little boy and little girl help an unfortunate Santa who has run into trouble, and as a reward the boy gets out of the tropical Christmas that his parents wanted. A very quick read at least. ( )