The Nutcracker: And the Mouse King's Christmas Shenanigans

by Alex T. Smith

From Alex T. Smith, bestselling author of festive favourites How Winston Delivered Christmas , How Winston Came Home for Christmas and The Grumpus, comes a gorgeous retelling of children's Christmas classic The Nutcracker.

The Mouse King is up to some very sneaky shenanigans.

The night before Christmas, he steals the key to the Kingdom of Sweets and sets out to cause as much festive mayhem as he can!

Clara and Fritz Strudel, and their new friend the Nutcracker, are the only ones who can stop him. But when a magical curse is put on Fritz, it's a race against time to make it to the Kingdom of Sweets and find the Sugar Plum Fairy – the only one who can break the spell!

Can the adventurers stop the Mouse King's naughty plan and save Fritz, before it's too late?

With irresistible colour illustrations, a festively foiled cover and a chapter to enjoy each day in December, this gorgeous hardback is the perfect gift for any child at Christmas.

Genres: Christmas, Audiobook, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Animals

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2023

About the author

Alex T. Smith is the creator of the much-loved and bestselling Claude fiction series for early readers. He was the official World Book Day illustrator in 2014, and other recent accolades include the UKLA Picture Book Award for Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion and the Children’s Book of the World Illustration Award for illustrating Dodie Smith’s The Hundred and One Dalmatians. When not working, Alex enjoys doodling in his sketchbook, reading, people-watching, and eavesdropping. He lives under the watchful eye of his small canine companions, who are a constant source of inspiration to him.

Reviews

[Izabela Górska · Rating 3 out of 5]

gdyby nie audio, które jest idealnie klimatyczne nie podobałoby mi się tak bardzo :/

[Mewa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Świąteczny Zrzędus (na motywach Grincha) był super, ale Świąteczny Dziadek do orzechów jest do bólu przeciętny.

[Magdalena (madeleinebooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo przyjemna książka. Słuchałam tego tytułu w audiobooku i muszę przyznać, że jest niesamowity. Te efekt dźwiękowe robią super robotę.

Natomiast bardziej podobała mi się pierwsza książka od tego autora, która wyszła w Polsce. ✨️

[Marta · Rating 2 out of 5]

było oki.
pan Zadura pozamiatał.

[Kamila · Rating 3 out of 5]

#maratonzliteraturądziecięcą
Janusz Zadura świetny, ale dużo zbrakło tej historii żeby mnie zachwyciła
Końcówka podnosi ocenę do 3 gwiazdek

[tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

to było takie słodkie i urocze !!!!

[Agata Wojtylewska | ksiazkowy.czas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Misja: ocalić Święta!

W odległej krainie pełnej łakoci (i trochę śmierdzącego sera) nagle zaczęły znikać świąteczne słodycze, w tym rakietowe karmelki 🚀 Cukrowy Wieszczek podejrzewa, że to knucia Gorgonzoli Wielkiego, czyli Mysiego Króla 🐭 Tylko nikt nie spodziewa się, aż takich Machlojek...

"Dziadek do Orzechów i świąteczne machlojki Mysiego Króla" jest napisany w formie kalendarza adwentowego, czyli składa się z 24 rozdziałów. Książka wypełniona jest wyjątkowymi ilustracjami, wigilijną magią oraz nocą pełną niespodzianek i przygód ✨

A dodatkowe pokazuje ważne wartości na temat gry zespołowej, strachu, odwagi, serdeczności, przyjaźni i współpracy ❄️

PS Mnie dużo bardziej zauroczyła książka Autora z poprzedniego roku, czyli "Jak Zrzędus chciał zepsuć Święta". Tutaj wydaje mi się, że jest skierowana do dużo młodszego Czytelnika, przez co aż tak nie trafia do dorosłego (a przynajmniej do mnie) 🤷

[❃ Julka ❃ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟

Podobało mi się dużo bardziej nie poprzednia książka autora. Było zabawnie, momentami nawet bardzo, zdarzały się też bardziej pompatyczne chwilę, jednak wszystkiemu smaku dodawał audiobook w wykonaniu pana Zadury. To był istny fenomen, jego interpretacja bardzo umiliła tę książkę, która sama w sobie była bardzo swobodna i lekka, idealna przed świętami i dla zabieganych!

[emkart_andbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Przyjemny klimat, ale odnoszę wrażenie, że najwiecej roboty zrobił tu Janusz Zadura jako lektor, i ogólnie całe słuchowisko.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

Magiczna!

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Other_than_all · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wersja w audio totalnie mnie kupiła ❤️

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I really love Alex's books (even if they are generally aimed at people much younger than me). They feel like modern classics and the perfect addition to any child's bookshelves this Christmas.

It is obviously very influences by the famous Nutcracker, which is one of the best Christmassy stories ever, and so by adapting it for this book, he's brought the tale to a new generation.

His illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Whilst any illustrator is good to have, by illustrating you own work, you can really get into them, and that's what he's done here. He can really link the images to his words and help bring it to life. Whilst I would never desecrate a book, I am so tempted to take the pages with illustrations out and frame them as they're just so unbelievably beautiful and make my heart sing.

I received an early digital version and whilst it was very pretty indeed, I can't wait to see the finished physical version, it's going to be beautiful.

It has 24 1/2 chapters, made so you read one chapter a day in December, like an advent calendar, finishing with the half chapter on Christmas Day night. Which is a fabulous way of writing it to appeal to a child's excitement. I must admit, I read it in one go, as I couldn't make myself wait after each chapter. I don't have that willpower. But you can read it either way and it's still as magical.

I admit, I haven't read The Nutcracker for many years, but this definitely put me on the mood to revisit it. But because of this, I cannot remember if everything is the same in this book, such as the characters' names. But I am going to assume that they aren't, because I want to praise Alex for creating the likes of Mr and Professor Strudel, the Sachertortes, Monsieur and Madame Chocolat-Chaud, Signora Panettone, Queen Victoria Sponge, Princess Ricotta, Humphrey Walnut, Anastasia Stroopwafel - to name a few. So simple but marvellously effective. I'm not sure if young children would get the humour, but they should appreciate the wonderful names all the same.

Within a handful of pages I could feel myself smiling. It was just so lovely and cosy, warming, beautiful, and nostalgic.

I read it in one sitting. It was so magical to lose myself in. Quick and easy for a child - or an adult. It really offers a childhood look at Christmas and about the importance of magic, friendship, family and kindness at Christmas.

[Alicja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mega słodka i bardzo przyjemna. Czułam się jakbym była w " Barbie w dziadku do orzechów" :)

[Sue Gerhardt Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful!



Listened to the audiobook on BorrowBox
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books
Read by Laila Zaidi
Duration: 3 hrs, 31 min. 1.25x Speed

[blanka_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo przyjemna historia i świetnie wykonany audiobook.

[companion_book · Rating 2 out of 5]

[ 2,5 ]

Zrzędus przebija dla mnie znacznie ten tytuł. Ale wciąż pozostaje oczarowana interpretacją Pana Janusza Zadury, który czyta te świąteczne opowieści w sposób fenomenalny ❤️. Nie idzie się oderwać od nagrania i tym razem.

[Literacka Wiedźma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[BookBairn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It wouldn’t be Christmas without an Alex T Smith book to share as a family and we all thoroughly enjoyed this adventure through the Kingdom of Sweets. The cast of characters in this was truly fabulous and as a family we all loved different characters, even forgiving the baddies for their Shenanigans in the end. The Kingdom was also brilliantly brought to life - so much so that we wanted to taste it! And the illustrations made this all the more true.
My children particularly loved that this was a story about siblings and reading it together was a festive treat indeed! It also got that marvellous stamp of approval - “one more chapter pleeeeassse?!” at the end of every chapter!

[Alicja Mars · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 była przyjemna ale nudna i piękne obrazki

[Verena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review für die deutsche Edition

Walter, der (nervöse) Nussknacker, muss das Süßigkeitenland vor dem Schabernack des Mäusekönigs retten. Aber wie bekannt geht am Heiligen Abend alles schief - der Mäusekönig gewinnt die Schlacht am Weihnachtsbaum und die Kinder des Hauses Strudel, Clara und Fritz, verbünden sich mit ihm, denn jetzt steht Weihnachten auf dem Spiel. Weihnachten und Fritz' Leben - denn er wurde vom Mäusekönig gebissen und verwandelt sich Stück für Stück in eine Maus!

"Nussknacker und Mäusekönig" ist ein wundervolles Adventsbuch für junge Leser. In 24 (1/2) Kapiteln wird die magische Reise durch das Süßigkeitenland erzählt. Die Geschichte ist wirklich nur an das bekannte Ballettstück angelehnt und so für alle Leser interessant, spannend und humorvoll - mit einigen Wortspiele, die besonders Erwachsenen ein Lächeln auf den Mund zaubern. Auf ihrer Reise treffen Clara und Co. viele liebenswerte Helfer - vom Huhn bis zum Weihnachtsmann. Die zauberhaften illustrationen machen die Leseerfahrung nur noch schöner.

Dies ist das dritte Adventsbuch von Alex T. Smith, dass ich gelesen habe und es hat mich genauso verzaubert wie "Maximilian" es getan hat. Der Autor hat einfach ein Talent, Geschichten leicht und magisch zu schreiben, sodass man sich nach dem Lesen einfach fröhlich fühlen muss. Ich werde es im Dezember meiner ersten Klasse vorlesen und gehe davon aus, dass die Geschichte genauso gut ankommen wird wie "Maximilian" bei der letzten Klasse.

"Nussknacker und Mäusekönig" ist eine klare Empfehlung für alle Familie mit Kindern (insbesondere Zwischen 5 und 8 Jahren), Freunde klassischer Musik und Liebhabern von "Maximilian".
5 Sterne

Danke an Netgalley und den Ars Edition für das Rezensionsexemplar!

[Joey Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

A whimsical retelling of the classic Nutcracker Christmas story, in this one we meet some very strange characters as Clara, Walter and Fritz try to get to the sugar plum fairy and save him from the mouse king.

This was a very funny version of the story, there were so many things to make you laugh. Each character had such silly names, each one was unique in personality and design. This is always a wonderfully magic story, that is enjoyable to read in any version and this was a great one. With the twist that the author added to it, to make this story their own, it made it fresher and newer.

The illustrations were so bright,beautiful and funny, they were great to look at on each of the pages we got them. I loved that on some of them you saw a tint hint, then a later page you’d see the whole thing and it wouldn’t be what you expected. It made these illustrations that much funnier and added to the story too.

This would be a great book during the holiday season for families to read, you could read a chapter a day or have a whole book read through. It’s got great characters, evil villains, storyline twists, magic and Christmas spirit. It’s also funny and very whimsical with illustrations you’ll adore looking at.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Nutcracker: and the Mouse King's Christmas Shenanigans' by Alex T Smith. The Nutcracker is one of my favourite ballets. I only found out recently that it was based on a book. I got quite excited when I found my local library has a copy and placed a reservation. It turned out that it wasn't the Nutcracker book I was expecting but as I had it I thought I may as well read it.
The actual Nutcracker I wanted to read (full title: 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King') is by Prussian author E T A Hoffmann and was published in 1816. The one I actually read is a re-telling of the story by Alex T Smith and was published in 2023. It's actually a really lovely book. The story is divided into 24½ chapters - one to be read as a bedtime story each night of December up until Christmas Eve (kind of a literary advent calendar) and a final short 'half' chapter to be read on Christmas Day night. It's beautifully illustrated and well-written. The modern re-telling seems a good way of getting young children to know and love the Nutcracker story. I may be a few years outside the recommended reading age of 5-9 years, but I still enjoyed it.
I do still want to read the original though.

[Anna Petryka · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Problem z dorosłymi polega na tym, że zapominają o magii. Rosną za duzi i uważają, że są za mądrzy, żeby wierzyć w takie rzeczy.”

Piękna, a jednocześnie zabawna opowieść świąteczna, po która napewno jeszcze nie raz sięgnę z moim synkiem w okresie świątecznym. Podzielona na 24 rozdziały, tak by móc odliczać dni do Wigilia, a dodatkowo jeszcze jeden, krótki rozdział na zakończenie. Taki czytelniczy kalendarz adwentowy - wspaniałe. Piękne ilustracje, które nie tylko zdobią książkę, ale pomagają małym czytelnikom. Historia inspirowana klasykiem - Dziadkiem do orzechów.

Mysi Król planuje swoje Machlojki na święta, a Walter - dziadek do orzechów musi temu zapobiec. Szkoda tylko, że Walter jest troszkę boidudkiem. Z pewnością nie sprostał by zadaniu bez pomocy odważnego rodzeństwa - Klary i Freda. I chociaż Klara nie wierzy w magię, to dzięki tej przygodzie jej spojrzenie na wszystko się zmieni. Cel jest jeden - przerwać Machlojki Mysiego króla i uratować Święta! A po drodze czeka nas wiele wspaniałych przygód…

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex T. Smith (2023) THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING'S CHRISTMAS SHENANIGANS (AUDIOBOOK)
BorrowBox - Macmillan Children's Books

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 out of 5 stars

BorrowBox writes, "The Mouse King is up to some very sneaky shenanigans. The night before Christmas, he steals the key to the Kingdom of Sweets and sets out to cause as much festive mayhem as he can! Clara and Fritz Strudel, and their new friend the Nutcracker, are the only ones who can stop him. But when a magical curse is put on Fritz, it's a race against time to make it to the Kingdom of Sweets and find the Sugar Plum Fairy – the only one who can break the spell! Can the adventurers stop the Mouse King's naughty plan and save Fritz, before it's too late?"
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Not long at all.
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[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written for the audience of children around six years old. Sentences are simple, words are chosen for the fun of saying them and there is a lot of repetition. The cover is misleading in that it may interest an older reading hoping for something more complex.
As a big fan of the ballet The Nutcracker, I had high hopes, unfortunately the writer focus on the importance of sweets at Christmas, lacked the ballet’s magic and may be a concern for some.
I like the little touches of such as the Mouse King’s name; but a male Sugar Plum Fairy felt unnecessary, as the majority of other characters were also male.
What I find the biggest flaw is the idea that a child doesn’t like cheese!!!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is just beautiful to hold.  The illustrations and pages are just stunning.


The book is a magical tale that will be so much fun for many children this Christmas.  The magical characters are so fun, and I enjoyed reminiscing about the original Nutcracker tale.


The plot is just what we would expect for a children's christmas tale, and I think I'll get a copy to read with my Primary 1 class this Christmas time.

[Joanne McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant! This is the first time I have read The Nutcracker and I’m glad I have chosen this version. It’s so so good I would re read it all over again straight away but I’m going to wait until this year December just before Christmas to read it again. Only 11 months to go!

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoffman would have loved this retelling as this an excellent and fascinating story.
Well written and compelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[julass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo przyjemny audiobook/słuchowisko, dzieci powinny być zachwycone 😁