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Kringle
Just in time for Christmas comes a fantasy epic from one of today's most popular writers for children. It is the story of a young orphan realizing his destiny -- to become the legendary Kris Kringle.
Unlike the traditional Santa Claus myth, KRINGLE is a coming-of-age story about an orphan who becomes a force for good in a dark and violent time. It is a tale of fantasy, of goblins, elves, and flying reindeer -- and of a boy from the humblest beginnings who fulfills his destiny.
Our tale begins in 500 A.D., when goblins kidnapped human children and set them to work in underground mines. Kringle is one such child.... until he discovers his mission - to free children from enslavement. His legend lives on today, as he travels the earth every Christmas Eve to quell the goblins once more.
Unlike the traditional Santa Claus myth, KRINGLE is a coming-of-age story about an orphan who becomes a force for good in a dark and violent time. It is a tale of fantasy, of goblins, elves, and flying reindeer -- and of a boy from the humblest beginnings who fulfills his destiny.
Our tale begins in 500 A.D., when goblins kidnapped human children and set them to work in underground mines. Kringle is one such child.... until he discovers his mission - to free children from enslavement. His legend lives on today, as he travels the earth every Christmas Eve to quell the goblins once more.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2005
54 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
About the author
Tony Abbott
210 books403 followersTony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
December 24, 2007
I bought this book intended to give to my daughter, Maranda (9) to read. She loves to read. The synopsis of it caught my eye. It's a book about the beging of Santa Claus. It includes Elves (good), magic (good), goblins (what?), and pirates (PIRATES?!). That caught my eye, so I ordered it.
It's over 300 pages and I decided to read it out of nothing but curiosity due to the characters listed.
I'm having trouble with my short term memory, so reading is difficult. This book, though, was so well written, caught my attention immediately, had me hooked, that I actually REMEMBERED everything I was reading!
I could not put this down. I moaned when I had to. It was THAT good.
It is a children's book, bought through Scholastic at school, but my gosh. It's a beautiful, beautiful book. If you believe in Santa (I still do and always will), then you need to read this.
It's full of magic, wonder, wars, saddness, fright, happiness, love, everything. It's so well written, so well told, I fell in love with this book.
Since I just finished it and it's now Christmas Eve, I have decided to put it in a special place and I will start to read it to my children next year before Christmas. Being 300+ pages I will probably start early December. It's THAT good I'm willing to read a book that long to my children.
I haven't read anything this beautiful in a long time. I am so grateful I bought it. So grateful curiosity got to me and I decided to read it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who believes in Santa.
**It does have a Lord of the Rings feel, though I've never read nor watched it, only what I know and describing it to my husband he said that's what it sounds like. I do not like that type of book/movie, yet this pulled me in. He's even going to read it now.**
Merry Christmas to you all!
It's over 300 pages and I decided to read it out of nothing but curiosity due to the characters listed.
I'm having trouble with my short term memory, so reading is difficult. This book, though, was so well written, caught my attention immediately, had me hooked, that I actually REMEMBERED everything I was reading!
I could not put this down. I moaned when I had to. It was THAT good.
It is a children's book, bought through Scholastic at school, but my gosh. It's a beautiful, beautiful book. If you believe in Santa (I still do and always will), then you need to read this.
It's full of magic, wonder, wars, saddness, fright, happiness, love, everything. It's so well written, so well told, I fell in love with this book.
Since I just finished it and it's now Christmas Eve, I have decided to put it in a special place and I will start to read it to my children next year before Christmas. Being 300+ pages I will probably start early December. It's THAT good I'm willing to read a book that long to my children.
I haven't read anything this beautiful in a long time. I am so grateful I bought it. So grateful curiosity got to me and I decided to read it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who believes in Santa.
**It does have a Lord of the Rings feel, though I've never read nor watched it, only what I know and describing it to my husband he said that's what it sounds like. I do not like that type of book/movie, yet this pulled me in. He's even going to read it now.**
Merry Christmas to you all!
December 16, 2022
’About mystery of the boy, his early years, and how he came to be what he became, I suppose everyone everywhere has heard nearly every kind of story.
Such mistruths and making-up! Such fantasies!
Only a few remain who were with him at the start, and fewer still who could tell you the tale properly.
So many lies! And for so many years!
Finally , there was nothing left to do but take up the pen myself, which I had little expected to do at my age, and set down the facts from the beginning.
That the boy had a beginning, and that I was there for most of it is all you need to know right now.’
’DEEP IN THE LAND of ghosts and frost, back in the days of long ago, in the time before and a little to the left of the time we know now, when goblins roamed the land and rough tribes of men battled for this or that frozen inch of frozen earth, we might, if we turned our heads just so, peek through the eaves of a low roofed hut, farther north than you or I would care to go, and see inside it a small boy crouched before a cold hearth.
“Tell me again,” he said, his breath forming and fading the frosty air.
Merwen bent over the hearth — yes, Merwen: that was the old woman’s name. She would never let me forget her part in this story. She came from a place called Weary-All. That seems fitting. Merwen of Weary-All. She cracked some twigs and tossed them into the hearth.
Set during the time when elves and goblins roamed the earth, this is the story of a boy named Kringle. He lives a relatively normal life until the winter of the year he is twelve, and then his life changes, and he is on his own.
A story which includes not only pirates and magic, there are goblins, elves and pirates, as well as some lovely black & white illustrations throughout which add a fairytale-esque aura to the story.
June 1, 2016
Kringle is an epic story, or really a series of epic stories woven together. We have Kringle and the Goblins, Kringle and the pirates, Kringle and the magic sled, Kringle and the elves, and Kringle and Saint Alban. But what we have most of all is story and story at its finest. Madeline L'Engle says about the power of story: "We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is. We glimpse it sometimes in our dreams, or as we turn a corner, and suddenly there is a strange, sweet familiarity that vanishes almost as soon as it comes. In literature the longing for home is found in the many stories of paradise, of the forgotten place where we once belonged." This longing is filled through story, and as such, story encourages and challenges all aspects of spirituality, and if we allow it all aspects of life. This story has that power.
Over the last six years I have read 22 books by Tony Abbott, spanning from young readers to some very good fiction. I have enjoyed many, reread a number with my children and loved a number of them. Yet even with saying all of that, his one is by far the best I have read yet. C.S. Lewis stated "It is very rarely that a middle-aged man finds an author who gives him, what he knew so often in his teens and twenties, the sense of having opened a new door." in On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature, and this book achieves that feat.
This is not your typical retelling of the story of Kringle, Pere Noel, Father Christmas, Father Frost, Father Christmas that has been taken over and obscured by popular culture. Nor is it the retelling of Nicholas of Myra or Bari depending on the legends you know. But is melds the legends, into story and the story into truth that will speak to our hearts.
This story is set in the early 400's as the Romans are pulling out of Britain , the pirates of Saxons were raiding aplenty, and hermits and holy men like Alban roamed the countryside. Into this time of darkness, the light of the elves is fading, and the darkness of the goblins rising. And into this battle is born one, an orphan from birth, named for the sound of a bell is Kringle. And the fate of all is wound with this young man, for by his faith and his determination he slowly figures out what is to be done and how to do it.
The goblins have been getting bolder as the Romans retreat; they have a plan to take over the whole realm. To do this they are kidnapping children, and forcing them into slavery first in mines and then working a great war beast. For there is a prophecy of a child who will defeat the Goblin king and as such he is trying to get all children. Kringle as has been said has many adventures, and with the aid of friends and creatures is working to stop the goblins and save the children.
This was an incredible read. Maybe the best fiction book I have read in a long, long time. The story is wonderful, the characters amazing and the attention to detail in the scenery and travels amazing. On a side note I tend not to read many physical books these days, and this has been in my to be read pile for a few years because it is only available in physical. But it is also a stunning book to hold and read. It has a full color hard back book, the pages are edged in golden gilding, there are a number of full page illustrations by Greg Call that would be amazing to have framed in my den. There are also numerous drawings throughout the book and Celtic knots across the top of each page.
This book is an incredible read and I highly recommend it!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Tony. As well as an author profile and interview with Tony Abbott.
Over the last six years I have read 22 books by Tony Abbott, spanning from young readers to some very good fiction. I have enjoyed many, reread a number with my children and loved a number of them. Yet even with saying all of that, his one is by far the best I have read yet. C.S. Lewis stated "It is very rarely that a middle-aged man finds an author who gives him, what he knew so often in his teens and twenties, the sense of having opened a new door." in On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature, and this book achieves that feat.
This is not your typical retelling of the story of Kringle, Pere Noel, Father Christmas, Father Frost, Father Christmas that has been taken over and obscured by popular culture. Nor is it the retelling of Nicholas of Myra or Bari depending on the legends you know. But is melds the legends, into story and the story into truth that will speak to our hearts.
This story is set in the early 400's as the Romans are pulling out of Britain , the pirates of Saxons were raiding aplenty, and hermits and holy men like Alban roamed the countryside. Into this time of darkness, the light of the elves is fading, and the darkness of the goblins rising. And into this battle is born one, an orphan from birth, named for the sound of a bell is Kringle. And the fate of all is wound with this young man, for by his faith and his determination he slowly figures out what is to be done and how to do it.
The goblins have been getting bolder as the Romans retreat; they have a plan to take over the whole realm. To do this they are kidnapping children, and forcing them into slavery first in mines and then working a great war beast. For there is a prophecy of a child who will defeat the Goblin king and as such he is trying to get all children. Kringle as has been said has many adventures, and with the aid of friends and creatures is working to stop the goblins and save the children.
This was an incredible read. Maybe the best fiction book I have read in a long, long time. The story is wonderful, the characters amazing and the attention to detail in the scenery and travels amazing. On a side note I tend not to read many physical books these days, and this has been in my to be read pile for a few years because it is only available in physical. But it is also a stunning book to hold and read. It has a full color hard back book, the pages are edged in golden gilding, there are a number of full page illustrations by Greg Call that would be amazing to have framed in my den. There are also numerous drawings throughout the book and Celtic knots across the top of each page.
This book is an incredible read and I highly recommend it!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Tony. As well as an author profile and interview with Tony Abbott.
October 24, 2018
Tony Abbott’s first foray into longer fiction, this fantasy follows the adventures of the eponymous Kringle, a young boy living in Britain at the time of the Roman withdrawal in 410 C.E. As order recedes with the departing Romans, danger and darkness grow, and Kringle finds himself adrift in a hostile world. Eventually involved in the struggle against the goblin hordes who threaten the land, he finds himself the unexpected leader of a crusade to free some enslaved children, and rid the land of darkness...
Abbott’s melding of the traditional religious aspects of Christmas with the more pagan folkloric elements of the Santa Claus legend is admirable as a model of tolerance, but not always successful as a narrative. The story sometimes seems like a jumbled hodge-podge, with various disparate elements thrown together almost at random. Kringle becomes years older in a matter of months, with no apparent explanation, other than the expedience of such a plot device.
Note: Other fantasy retellings of the St. Nick legend include: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, Nickolai of the North by Lucy Daniel Raby, and The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan.
Abbott’s melding of the traditional religious aspects of Christmas with the more pagan folkloric elements of the Santa Claus legend is admirable as a model of tolerance, but not always successful as a narrative. The story sometimes seems like a jumbled hodge-podge, with various disparate elements thrown together almost at random. Kringle becomes years older in a matter of months, with no apparent explanation, other than the expedience of such a plot device.
Note: Other fantasy retellings of the St. Nick legend include: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, Nickolai of the North by Lucy Daniel Raby, and The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan.
January 4, 2018
I love fantasy, childrens fiction and christmas so when I saw this for only $1.69 at the christmas tree shop i thought I hit big. This may be one of the worst books i've ever read. It's the authors first attempt at something like this, and really he should keep trying. there are a lot of badly done LOTR elements and a lot of things that just dont make sense. he tried way too hard to make things magical and adventurous and mystical and much of it is very rushed. I really wanted to like this and hoped it would be a good christmastime book, maybe even start a traditional reading of it in december, but no way.
December 27, 2020
3.5 stars
Santa Claus enters the Lord of the Rings in this creative Christmas tale. Tony Abbot weaves mythology, the history of the Roman occupation of Britain, and the Nativity story together in this new take on the beginnings of Santa Claus, or as the title indicates “Kringle”. The story makes a nice Christmas read aloud with funny parts and poignant parts and obvious tie-ins to our general cultural knowledge. Abbott has a habit of run-on sentences and an over abundance of words when trying for dramatic effect, but in all my kids and I enjoyed the book. I recommend it.
Santa Claus enters the Lord of the Rings in this creative Christmas tale. Tony Abbot weaves mythology, the history of the Roman occupation of Britain, and the Nativity story together in this new take on the beginnings of Santa Claus, or as the title indicates “Kringle”. The story makes a nice Christmas read aloud with funny parts and poignant parts and obvious tie-ins to our general cultural knowledge. Abbott has a habit of run-on sentences and an over abundance of words when trying for dramatic effect, but in all my kids and I enjoyed the book. I recommend it.
July 23, 2015
I feel like this book did not deliver what I was expecting. It's a Santa coming of age story with goblins and pirates and elves and reindeer and magic and basically anything you can possibly think of. This is a poorly seasoned gumbo of fantasy lore. The very first issue I have is with the main character's name. Obviously, his name is Kringle, as the title implies, but his name comes about based on the sound a bell makes. A special bell rang on the morning he was born and his mom, who was dying, said something like, "That sound will be his name...Kringle...". I feel like Kringle's name would have been more acceptable without that little back story. Kringle is an orphan who was raised by this woman named Merwen whose cabin Kringle's mom stumbled into during a storm and just in time to give birth to Kringle. In the first few chapters, Kringle and Merwen's home was attacked by goblins and Merwen shoved Kringle out into the snow and told him to save himself while she used her old limbs to fight off the evil creatures. I assumed Merwen was dead, but a few chapters later, Kringle was saying to himself (as he said so very many things to himself) that she was out there and his mission was to find her.
On his way, he's rescued from freezing by elves. The elves have assigned themselves the task of going around to the all the Roman strongholds and retrieving boots that need repair. So they start off as the shoemaker's elves, which is kind of cool, before they become the Christmas elves that we know today. Then Kringle goes out on a boot journey with the elves and he saves a pirate's child from goblins. The pirate father saves both Kringle and his son and pulls them both aboard his ship. The pirates in this book are not very pirate-y. The captain is quite a nice man who has no hesitation at all in taking orders from Kringle.
The next issue I have is with the story of Christmas being woven into the greater narrative. It's very, very poorly done. The writer claims that "Christ" means "the chosen one", which is doesn't, and then later calls Kringle "the chosen one". If I were a child, I would assume that this implies that Kringle IS the Christ child. Kringle is also called "the child of light" just like the Christ child is. This could be quite confusing for a child. I don't see why the story even needed to be told because it had no effect whatsoever on the narrative and each time it was brought up, I felt like it just got increasingly awkward.
Kringle as a character seems to lack depth and he just seems to magically be able to come up with a solution and the means of carrying it out whenever a problem presents itself. Basically the only redeeming quality of the book is that it gives an interesting theory for how "Santa" is able to accomplish his work every Christmas Eve. I won't say what that is here in case you feel like you need to read this book. On the whole I just felt like there was way too much trying to be accomplished within the short space of this book, which left little time to flesh out the characters suitably. And since we all know how this story would eventually turn out, I was hoping that the action in the book would make up for the fact that the reader knows the ending must be a happy one. Wrong again. I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone in the middle-grade audience for which it is intended, nor to any adult who is looking for a bit of Christmas fun. The Yuletide season is too short to waste on this book.
On his way, he's rescued from freezing by elves. The elves have assigned themselves the task of going around to the all the Roman strongholds and retrieving boots that need repair. So they start off as the shoemaker's elves, which is kind of cool, before they become the Christmas elves that we know today. Then Kringle goes out on a boot journey with the elves and he saves a pirate's child from goblins. The pirate father saves both Kringle and his son and pulls them both aboard his ship. The pirates in this book are not very pirate-y. The captain is quite a nice man who has no hesitation at all in taking orders from Kringle.
The next issue I have is with the story of Christmas being woven into the greater narrative. It's very, very poorly done. The writer claims that "Christ" means "the chosen one", which is doesn't, and then later calls Kringle "the chosen one". If I were a child, I would assume that this implies that Kringle IS the Christ child. Kringle is also called "the child of light" just like the Christ child is. This could be quite confusing for a child. I don't see why the story even needed to be told because it had no effect whatsoever on the narrative and each time it was brought up, I felt like it just got increasingly awkward.
Kringle as a character seems to lack depth and he just seems to magically be able to come up with a solution and the means of carrying it out whenever a problem presents itself. Basically the only redeeming quality of the book is that it gives an interesting theory for how "Santa" is able to accomplish his work every Christmas Eve. I won't say what that is here in case you feel like you need to read this book. On the whole I just felt like there was way too much trying to be accomplished within the short space of this book, which left little time to flesh out the characters suitably. And since we all know how this story would eventually turn out, I was hoping that the action in the book would make up for the fact that the reader knows the ending must be a happy one. Wrong again. I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone in the middle-grade audience for which it is intended, nor to any adult who is looking for a bit of Christmas fun. The Yuletide season is too short to waste on this book.
June 6, 2022
Well, this was rather disappointing. Though, I do need to say that the edition is done up beautifully; it has lovely illustrations throughout and I love the gilded pages. But unfortunately, the story did not work for me and as a result, I won't be holding on to my copy, regardless of how pretty I find it.
I was very keen to read a Christmas story this December, and my choice fell on Kringle. Reviews for it have been mixed, but all in all, I had a good impression and was really anticipating it, especially after some have gone and compared it to The Lord of the Rings. I can see where people draw some parallels from, but Middle-Earth only seems but a small part of this overloaded book.
My first issue is with the writing. I found it neither engaging nor nice to read. Yes, this book is for younger readers, but that doesn't mean it needs to be written in a dumbed-down way. There are plenty of nice children's' books that are written in a simple but nice way without giving the impression that the author expects his readers to be dimwitted.
I also didn't like Kringle as a character, though this may just be a result of the writing style. I found his personality very odd - the author made a big point of that Kringle always talked and mumbled to himself. Was this supposed to be a character trait to give him some character depth? I don't know - it was never really explained and I found it awkward for most of the book. Half of the time, I kept expecting some kind of conclusion about him having something or someone inside of him who he keeps talking to - I just did not get this part of his personality at all!
Sometimes, mixing different elements together can be unique and interesting, sometimes - as is the case with Kringle - it just seems like a mess that goes all over the place. Goblins, elves, pirates, Romans, priests, mechanical dragons, rune magic, a sprinkle of Jesus' birth, weird Reindeer that seem to absorb the deceased... I would much rather this story had skipped half of that list and actually gone into more detail about what remained. It was all just half-baked.
At the end of the day, I was also terribly bored. I just did not care for Kringle or the other characters and had to force myself to finish this - in fact, it's the first time I skim read a book for the last few chapters. I can't say it's a horrible book, but I definitely didn't enjoy reading it. I've asked myself whether or not a child might like this and it's hard to answer - after all, tastes differ, who knows? But I just feel that there are a lot better alternatives out there. If you want your child to read something akin to The Lord of the Rings, give them The Chronicles of Prydain or, you know, there's always The Hobbit. If you want a nice winter tale with magic and a hint of Christmas, go for The Chronicles of Narnia. Kringle didn't live up to any of these books and I hope I'll have more luck with next year's Christmas read.
January 17, 2010
Huh. So. This is the story of . . . a kid named Kringle . . . who lived in England in the time when the Romans were leaving. Also, this boy's parents have been killed by goblins. And his guardian, Merwen, and all the children in England with the exception of Kringle have been kidnapped by goblins. Also, Kringle meets a Christian priest having doubts. And some vikings. And there are elves who repair shoes in the night. And Kringle wants to rescue Merwen, and the children, and help the elves find a better life, or something. . .
Yes, this book was totally baffling! There were fifty thousand subplots! It has nothing to do with Christmas until the last twenty pages! The reindeer are possessed by the spirits of the dead! I figured since this book was a) called Kringle and b) written by the author of the Secrets of Droon books, it would be a cute Christmas book to read aloud to the kids during December.
Well, aside from the last twenty pages, this was a sort of Christian fantasy novel for kids of probably ten and up, leaving my five-year-old totally mystified by most of it, and scared during others. I actually wanted to stop reading it to him, but he wanted to know what happened (to make sure Kringle didn't die). I would have enjoyed it much more if I'd just read it myself, rather than parceling it out a chapter at a time and having to skip some of the wordier passages and gloss over the scarier bits.
Yes, this book was totally baffling! There were fifty thousand subplots! It has nothing to do with Christmas until the last twenty pages! The reindeer are possessed by the spirits of the dead! I figured since this book was a) called Kringle and b) written by the author of the Secrets of Droon books, it would be a cute Christmas book to read aloud to the kids during December.
Well, aside from the last twenty pages, this was a sort of Christian fantasy novel for kids of probably ten and up, leaving my five-year-old totally mystified by most of it, and scared during others. I actually wanted to stop reading it to him, but he wanted to know what happened (to make sure Kringle didn't die). I would have enjoyed it much more if I'd just read it myself, rather than parceling it out a chapter at a time and having to skip some of the wordier passages and gloss over the scarier bits.
December 20, 2017
I'm now full of the magic of Christmas spirit! :D
This fantastic middle grade novel is an epic take on the origin story of Santa. A boy in this story named Kringle who encounters goblins, elves, Romans, pirates, priests, and reindeer in his quest to end goblin control of the long winter night and bring joy to push out the fear in children's hearts.
I absolutely loved this elements of fantasy, fairy tales, and religion all brought together in just such a fun book. I'm surprised that it isn't a children's modern classic Christmas book. I enjoyed it so much, and will definitely be rereading it during future Christmases.
This fantastic middle grade novel is an epic take on the origin story of Santa. A boy in this story named Kringle who encounters goblins, elves, Romans, pirates, priests, and reindeer in his quest to end goblin control of the long winter night and bring joy to push out the fear in children's hearts.
I absolutely loved this elements of fantasy, fairy tales, and religion all brought together in just such a fun book. I'm surprised that it isn't a children's modern classic Christmas book. I enjoyed it so much, and will definitely be rereading it during future Christmases.
February 10, 2009
I am reading this to my class of 3rd graders and they love every minute of it and beg me to read more whenever we have time. They remember every detail. I would definitely recommend this as a read-aloud because it is so action-packed and has lots of good cliff-hangers. The kids like to piece together what they know of Santa with the events of the story. Lots of good "a-ha" moments.
January 1, 2020
This is a Santa origin story and it was a cute. It was a little lengthy for the content and because I was reading it aloud to my son it just felt like it was dragging for me. It has magic, goblins, elves, flying reindeer, a priest and the story of the Christ child, which I very much loved that it was incorporated into this tale.
December 29, 2020
If you like Christmas and Lord of the Rings you may enjoy this as well. It’s an easy read and a different take on Santa’s origin story.
December 16, 2025
Santa’s origin story, but make it a fantasy. It doesn’t read as a Christmas story. It includes Pirates, goblins, & magical runes, yet it ties in the nativity story. Sounds insane, but it works.
My middle-grade reader kids 20 years ago would have loved this.
My middle-grade reader kids 20 years ago would have loved this.
November 25, 2017
DNF Read approx 20%
Many years ago, I found, by accident in a bookstore, a book called The Legend of Holly Claus. That book was wonderful!!! A cast of imaginative, fascinating characters that really made you care about them, even ones that were not onstage for very long. Spectacular settings, the world-building was phenomenal. Superb writing, it brought out emotion in you as a reader. Still, to this day, I cry, laugh and am delighted by this book when I reread it, even though I know every nuance of it by heart.
I was hoping this book would be like that, only instead, it would be the origin story of Santa Claus, not of his daughter. I think, though I did not finish it, that that is what this book would eventually become, the story of the boy who would grow up to be Santa's early life and adventures as he journeyed towards that destiny.
However, this book had no charm, no good writing and no interesting characters, in my opinion. Here is an example of a sentence:
"No one," he said to himself. "No one. Of course, no one. No one ever comes to the Bottoms!"
So many sentences were like that!! The same word appearing five or six times, it was so ridiculous and juvenile even for the intended audience. One character accented the last letter of every word he said, and it was drawn out on the page in italics. When you are someone who reads in their head that is extremely annoying.
So many of the characters were harsh, cruel and violent, and those that weren't just came off as people who did not care what was happening to them.
As I said, I did not finish this book, and these issues I had might not bother the intended Middle Grade audience. Also, the books plot and writing and characterization may have gotten better, but I could not hang in there long enough to find out.
Many years ago, I found, by accident in a bookstore, a book called The Legend of Holly Claus. That book was wonderful!!! A cast of imaginative, fascinating characters that really made you care about them, even ones that were not onstage for very long. Spectacular settings, the world-building was phenomenal. Superb writing, it brought out emotion in you as a reader. Still, to this day, I cry, laugh and am delighted by this book when I reread it, even though I know every nuance of it by heart.
I was hoping this book would be like that, only instead, it would be the origin story of Santa Claus, not of his daughter. I think, though I did not finish it, that that is what this book would eventually become, the story of the boy who would grow up to be Santa's early life and adventures as he journeyed towards that destiny.
However, this book had no charm, no good writing and no interesting characters, in my opinion. Here is an example of a sentence:
"No one," he said to himself. "No one. Of course, no one. No one ever comes to the Bottoms!"
So many sentences were like that!! The same word appearing five or six times, it was so ridiculous and juvenile even for the intended audience. One character accented the last letter of every word he said, and it was drawn out on the page in italics. When you are someone who reads in their head that is extremely annoying.
So many of the characters were harsh, cruel and violent, and those that weren't just came off as people who did not care what was happening to them.
As I said, I did not finish this book, and these issues I had might not bother the intended Middle Grade audience. Also, the books plot and writing and characterization may have gotten better, but I could not hang in there long enough to find out.
December 12, 2018
I got this book sometime in elementary school through the Scholastic book pamphlets. You know, the ones teachers distribute and you take home to your family like, "Hey, hi, I want this book and this book and that book," and if you're lucky you get *one* and THIS was the one I got and to this day, no regrets. Kringle is an orphaned young boy, raised by Merwen (family acquaintance) in around 500 AD. (Don't worry too much about the date, you basically just need "a long, long time ago.") At this time, goblins roam the lands snatching children for some devious unknown purpose and Kringle and Merwen are attacked and separated.
Kringle is only twelve years old (and this is a middle grade novel) but the world-building is so strong that young adult readers will more than comfortably dig into his quest to reunite with Merwen. Kringle's determination grows as his journey progresses, slowly making him into a completely believable "Santa Claus" (that name is never used in this book though) by its end. Also, I prefer his origin story and Kris Kringle-esque feel than the normal Santa Claus pitch -- and if you're a high fantasy fan, you will adore this as well.
A huuuge holiday favourite of mine and a perfect Christmas read. I would recommend to anyone looking for a book with a Christmas twist, fans of fantasy, or for parents with kids who are losing their taste for holiday magic. Kringle shows the light of the holidays through an unexpected fantasy flair sure to have Santa non-believers giving second guesses.
Kringle is only twelve years old (and this is a middle grade novel) but the world-building is so strong that young adult readers will more than comfortably dig into his quest to reunite with Merwen. Kringle's determination grows as his journey progresses, slowly making him into a completely believable "Santa Claus" (that name is never used in this book though) by its end. Also, I prefer his origin story and Kris Kringle-esque feel than the normal Santa Claus pitch -- and if you're a high fantasy fan, you will adore this as well.
A huuuge holiday favourite of mine and a perfect Christmas read. I would recommend to anyone looking for a book with a Christmas twist, fans of fantasy, or for parents with kids who are losing their taste for holiday magic. Kringle shows the light of the holidays through an unexpected fantasy flair sure to have Santa non-believers giving second guesses.
November 5, 2023
Although it took me a while to finish this one, it wasn't because I wasn't I love with the story. I got distracted by Halloween and spookiness 😂
I finally got back to Kringle and finished it quickly. This is one I will be handing off to my granddaughter. She will love this one, as did I.
I finally got back to Kringle and finished it quickly. This is one I will be handing off to my granddaughter. She will love this one, as did I.
May 25, 2011
At first, I worried that the beautiful book cover would turn out to be just so much eye candy, with nothing to back it up; I was wrong!
This story ties together much of the folklore of Christmas, and, most important to me, not only does not omit the Nativity, but accentuates its importance, without coming across as overly-pious or preachy. The eternal struggle between good and evil is well defined here. The crass commercialism of "Santa Claus" seems even more offensive after reading KRINGLE, and I consider that a Good Thing.
Another bonus about this book is, boys can enjoy it as well as girls. In my job as a children's librarian, one struggle is to find "boy books." With his Droon series, Mr. Abbott is practiced at bridging that gap, and he does it again with KRINGLE. I am delighted to see this hard-cover, beautifully illustrated book published in time for the holidays. I hope we see more like this from this author, though he does a pretty good job, at the end, in declaring it was something along the lines of "just one of those things." I hope there are more ideas like this lurking in his imagination!
This story ties together much of the folklore of Christmas, and, most important to me, not only does not omit the Nativity, but accentuates its importance, without coming across as overly-pious or preachy. The eternal struggle between good and evil is well defined here. The crass commercialism of "Santa Claus" seems even more offensive after reading KRINGLE, and I consider that a Good Thing.
Another bonus about this book is, boys can enjoy it as well as girls. In my job as a children's librarian, one struggle is to find "boy books." With his Droon series, Mr. Abbott is practiced at bridging that gap, and he does it again with KRINGLE. I am delighted to see this hard-cover, beautifully illustrated book published in time for the holidays. I hope we see more like this from this author, though he does a pretty good job, at the end, in declaring it was something along the lines of "just one of those things." I hope there are more ideas like this lurking in his imagination!
December 9, 2014
A unique story delving into the myths and legends surrounding Santa Claus. The book is set at a real time and in a real place. Kringle is a young boy listening to the story of his birth, in a cottage deep in the woods. His foster mother, Merwen, tells him the story for the umpteenth time, when the cottage is attacked by a horde of goblins and Merwen is taken away. So begins Kringle’s journey to find her, to solve the mystery surrounding his birth, and to find his destiny. The goblins are horrific, Kringle himself is a loquacious, appealing youngster, and Abbott’s writing is solid. Readers will enjoy the unfolding of the legend, particularly the magical elements that Abbott strives, successfully, to include and explain (how Santa Claus can go around the world in a single night, why he lives so far north, how the elves came to be his helpers, etc.); the Nativity is also included as a parallel issue that Abbott fits quite smoothly alongside Kringle’s story. Very well done. Middle grade readers and up.
November 8, 2010
This book is called Kringle and is written by Tony Abbott. This book is about Santa when he is young and growing up as Kringle. It tells the story of when the Romans left and the humans and the elvs were left to fight for themselves against each other and the goblins. It takes place in places like The Bottoms, Cragtop, and Elvenwald and many other places.
I liked the fight scenes and when he was traveling to all the different places and the characters that Kringle meets. There was really nothing that I disliked about this book.
I liked the fight scenes and when he was traveling to all the different places and the characters that Kringle meets. There was really nothing that I disliked about this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2012
I am not much of a "goblin" story lover but this is my second time through this one. :) I have read it with my boy when he was 10 and now just made it through it with my 10 year old daughter. Fun adventurous read that was perfect for Christmas time. It is full of adventure and action, yet is clean and not too graphic and I love how the author threw in the true meaning of Christmas. I will probably dig it out in 3yrs when my next one hits 10. ;)
September 24, 2015
This was by far the best story of how Santa Clause came to be that I have ever read. It combines elements of christianity, paganism, myth and folklore. And it works. It totally makes sense. A great read for the up coming holidays.
December 20, 2016
So Kringle is the story of Santa Claus when he was a boy. I so should have guessed that by the name of the book. It would have made it a little better if id known but it was still really fun to read. And I love the gold edges of the pages!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2024
What an incredibly weird book.
This is about how Santa Claus got his start as a young boy by running away from goblins, then fighting goblins, then finally . We are told only a few things about the goblins: they're green, they smell "putrid", they have invented some kind of wand that creates storms, they're kidnapping all the children they can, their leader became the leader by having such a large head that he's "hunched over and wobbling under the weight", and they are . This last point is completely unnecessary to the plot, is introduced in the last third of the novel (from a character with no reason to know about it), and is only mentioned three times in total.
Kringle is constantly talking to himself, which makes reading the book feel like hanging out with a gregarious child who won't stop talking. He's 12 when the book starts, but by the end (which is only about a year later) he's somehow several inches taller than all the adults he knows, I guess because he's Santa Claus now.
There's a very strange effort to reconcile the Christian part of the Christmas story with the actual plot of the novel. Contrary to my initial hopes and expectations, there is absolutely no consideration of the possibility of . Nevertheless, the primary Christian character, a "priest" (who acts much more like a monk) named Alban, beseeches Kringle not to "hate" the goblins. (I have no idea if Alban is in any way based on Saint Alban; the time-period and location are essentially correct, as confirmed by the author's note, but there are no other similarities I noticed, and the book certainly doesn't mention Alban's death as a martyr.)
Alban is also Kringle's only source of information about Christianity; from Alban, Kringle and the toy-making elves learn the story of the Nativity, but only a paltry few other facts about Jesus (who is generally referred to as "the child"): Jesus was a "king", Christ means "chosen one" (this is not quite accurate but not too far from the meaning of "Messiah"), he did not "hide who he was" (...but Alban doesn't say what that means), and he "spent his life on earth telling us how we must love one another, and be kind above all things, and if we do, there will be peace among all people." My impression from this is that the author was reluctant to write any explicitly theological concepts (such as Jesus being the son of God or dying for humanity's sins) into the book, but this makes Kringle's immediate embrace of "the child" as a holy figure worthy of following, and of the narrative's reliance on the miraculous and magical (with vague connections to holiness and spirituality), very strange and arbitrary. Somehow the book has the worst of both worlds: the preachiness and recurring references to Jesus typical of an explicitly Christian book or movie, and the vague but vacuous spirituality of a new-age self help book.
Moving on from the thematic issues, there are tonal and plotting issues that are not worth delving too far into (though consider this line of dialogue, with the emphasis in the original: "Boy! Now we fight, and now you don't live!"). But even on a very basic level, the descriptions, especially of key moments of action, often just don't make any sense. The most egregious example is unfortunately a bit of a spoiler, during a fight with a specific goblin:
I promise the only things I've elided are minor spoilers and dialogue, none of which affect the basic fact that .
This is about how Santa Claus got his start as a young boy by running away from goblins, then fighting goblins, then finally . We are told only a few things about the goblins: they're green, they smell "putrid", they have invented some kind of wand that creates storms, they're kidnapping all the children they can, their leader became the leader by having such a large head that he's "hunched over and wobbling under the weight", and they are . This last point is completely unnecessary to the plot, is introduced in the last third of the novel (from a character with no reason to know about it), and is only mentioned three times in total.
Kringle is constantly talking to himself, which makes reading the book feel like hanging out with a gregarious child who won't stop talking. He's 12 when the book starts, but by the end (which is only about a year later) he's somehow several inches taller than all the adults he knows, I guess because he's Santa Claus now.
There's a very strange effort to reconcile the Christian part of the Christmas story with the actual plot of the novel. Contrary to my initial hopes and expectations, there is absolutely no consideration of the possibility of . Nevertheless, the primary Christian character, a "priest" (who acts much more like a monk) named Alban, beseeches Kringle not to "hate" the goblins. (I have no idea if Alban is in any way based on Saint Alban; the time-period and location are essentially correct, as confirmed by the author's note, but there are no other similarities I noticed, and the book certainly doesn't mention Alban's death as a martyr.)
Alban is also Kringle's only source of information about Christianity; from Alban, Kringle and the toy-making elves learn the story of the Nativity, but only a paltry few other facts about Jesus (who is generally referred to as "the child"): Jesus was a "king", Christ means "chosen one" (this is not quite accurate but not too far from the meaning of "Messiah"), he did not "hide who he was" (...but Alban doesn't say what that means), and he "spent his life on earth telling us how we must love one another, and be kind above all things, and if we do, there will be peace among all people." My impression from this is that the author was reluctant to write any explicitly theological concepts (such as Jesus being the son of God or dying for humanity's sins) into the book, but this makes Kringle's immediate embrace of "the child" as a holy figure worthy of following, and of the narrative's reliance on the miraculous and magical (with vague connections to holiness and spirituality), very strange and arbitrary. Somehow the book has the worst of both worlds: the preachiness and recurring references to Jesus typical of an explicitly Christian book or movie, and the vague but vacuous spirituality of a new-age self help book.
Moving on from the thematic issues, there are tonal and plotting issues that are not worth delving too far into (though consider this line of dialogue, with the emphasis in the original: "Boy! Now we fight, and now you don't live!"). But even on a very basic level, the descriptions, especially of key moments of action, often just don't make any sense. The most egregious example is unfortunately a bit of a spoiler, during a fight with a specific goblin:
I promise the only things I've elided are minor spoilers and dialogue, none of which affect the basic fact that .
December 20, 2020
The premise of this book hooked me right away -- a fantasy retelling of the origins of Santa Claus. While not an entirely original premise (L. Frank Baum did it earlier with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, among others), it's one that is ripe with potential. And for the most part, "Kringle" is an enchanting retelling of the Santa Claus origin story, though not without some issues that make for a weirdly uneven read.
Kringle is a young orphan boy living in an ancient Europe just after the time of the Romans... an ancient Europe beset by the dread threat of the goblins. When his guardian is kidnapped by the guardians, Kringle sets off on a journey to find her, only to lose his way and be rescued by the kindly elves. Kringle learns the ways of the elves, and for a time is content among them... but his destiny lies elsewhere, and he embarks on a journey that will have him crossing paths with pirates, a holy man, talking reindeer, and the wicked leader of the goblins and the evil force he plans to unleash upon the world. And in the process, Kringle just might discover his destiny...
Tony Abbott gives his story the feel of a fairy tale or folktale, which is quite fitting. The plot moves along at a nice clip, though Kringle's adventures feel more like a random chain of events than a flowing narrative at times. And he incorporates a nice mix of fantasy, fact, and myth, even alluding to traditional fairy tales (such as "The Elves and the Shoemaker"). Don't expect any of this to adhere to the actual St. Nicholas story or other origin tales -- Abbott fully admits in the afterword that he ditched those origin stories for this retelling, so you'll probably go nuts if you try to make this story fit with the actual St. Nicholas tales.
Some elements of the story don't quite gel together cohesively, however. Incorporating the Nativity story and the Christ child into a story with explicit fantasy elements felt odd to me, and while I'm sure it's not impossible to write a fantasy novel that still incorporates religious elements, here it didn't feel like it quite fit. And Kringle is a curiously flat character, with his only notable character trait being that he tends to talk out loud to himself. Few other characters have much character to them other than the holy man he befriends along the way, who's a delightful source of some deadpan humor. And the villains are pretty much just "evil for evil's sake," which I suppose is par for the course for a lot of YA fantasy.
"Kringle" is an enjoyable read, and a festive book for young readers around the Christmas season. But if you're looking for a good fantasy retelling of Santa Claus' origin story, I recommend the aforementioned "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" instead.
Kringle is a young orphan boy living in an ancient Europe just after the time of the Romans... an ancient Europe beset by the dread threat of the goblins. When his guardian is kidnapped by the guardians, Kringle sets off on a journey to find her, only to lose his way and be rescued by the kindly elves. Kringle learns the ways of the elves, and for a time is content among them... but his destiny lies elsewhere, and he embarks on a journey that will have him crossing paths with pirates, a holy man, talking reindeer, and the wicked leader of the goblins and the evil force he plans to unleash upon the world. And in the process, Kringle just might discover his destiny...
Tony Abbott gives his story the feel of a fairy tale or folktale, which is quite fitting. The plot moves along at a nice clip, though Kringle's adventures feel more like a random chain of events than a flowing narrative at times. And he incorporates a nice mix of fantasy, fact, and myth, even alluding to traditional fairy tales (such as "The Elves and the Shoemaker"). Don't expect any of this to adhere to the actual St. Nicholas story or other origin tales -- Abbott fully admits in the afterword that he ditched those origin stories for this retelling, so you'll probably go nuts if you try to make this story fit with the actual St. Nicholas tales.
Some elements of the story don't quite gel together cohesively, however. Incorporating the Nativity story and the Christ child into a story with explicit fantasy elements felt odd to me, and while I'm sure it's not impossible to write a fantasy novel that still incorporates religious elements, here it didn't feel like it quite fit. And Kringle is a curiously flat character, with his only notable character trait being that he tends to talk out loud to himself. Few other characters have much character to them other than the holy man he befriends along the way, who's a delightful source of some deadpan humor. And the villains are pretty much just "evil for evil's sake," which I suppose is par for the course for a lot of YA fantasy.
"Kringle" is an enjoyable read, and a festive book for young readers around the Christmas season. But if you're looking for a good fantasy retelling of Santa Claus' origin story, I recommend the aforementioned "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" instead.
December 14, 2020
This was recommended to me by an 11-year-old and since I was looking for a fun new holiday read, I gave it a try. I'm not sorry!
It's intense, be warned. Not for adults as much, obviously, but if you're thinking of letting a kid read it, just know there is a bit of fighting and running and hiding and surviving due to goblins--who are gross and ugly and stinky and mean--so right up a kid's alley when talking about exciting books. ;)
One random note about the particular edition I read: The title character does not appear on the cover. I find this odd. (Disclaimer: It's possible he's intended to be the person at the top left of the artwork but that never really struck me as likely as I read through the book.)
I really enjoyed this fun version of the origins of Santa. If you've read Jeff Guinn's "The Autobiography of Santa Claus" you'll see a few connections--not due to plagiarism or copy-catting, but because these elements of Santa's backstory fit so well. (By the way, I do recommend reading Guinn's book, though don't dive into #2 unless you're really into history.)
Abbott has a simple, prosaic voice and he tells a story well. I found myself wishing there was a sequel to "Kringle" after I was done, not because it needed more telling, but because I really enjoyed the characters. Definitely a good choice for Christmas reading--for kids and adults!
It's intense, be warned. Not for adults as much, obviously, but if you're thinking of letting a kid read it, just know there is a bit of fighting and running and hiding and surviving due to goblins--who are gross and ugly and stinky and mean--so right up a kid's alley when talking about exciting books. ;)
One random note about the particular edition I read: The title character does not appear on the cover. I find this odd. (Disclaimer: It's possible he's intended to be the person at the top left of the artwork but that never really struck me as likely as I read through the book.)
I really enjoyed this fun version of the origins of Santa. If you've read Jeff Guinn's "The Autobiography of Santa Claus" you'll see a few connections--not due to plagiarism or copy-catting, but because these elements of Santa's backstory fit so well. (By the way, I do recommend reading Guinn's book, though don't dive into #2 unless you're really into history.)
Abbott has a simple, prosaic voice and he tells a story well. I found myself wishing there was a sequel to "Kringle" after I was done, not because it needed more telling, but because I really enjoyed the characters. Definitely a good choice for Christmas reading--for kids and adults!
July 30, 2020
Kringle... The title, cover art, and gold-rimmed pages of this book, paired with my sister's recommendation, earned this story a spot on my TBR list.
The origins of a legendary Christmas tale begins by introducing readers to a boy known simply as Kringle. Ripped from the only home he has ever known one night, Kringle embarks on a journey that uncovers the truth of his past while preparing him for his destiny.
What I liked:
Book Beauty-The cover art, illustrations, and gold-rimmed pages of my copy are beautiful and assisted in bringing Kringle's world to life.
Kringle's character-I am not a huge fan of stories with males as the lead character, but I enjoyed Kringle's optimism, imagination, and overall goodness.
Supporting Cast-I loved the pirate warriors being portrayed as positive characters instead of being given the role of villain. The little girl Mari was another of my favorites. I am not sure what her purpose was in the story other than to bring joy to everyone, including readers. Last, but furthest from the least, were the elves! I'm partial to elven characters at the moment, especially the jubilant, kind, brave magical creatures in this story.
His-story: Discovering the backstories of well-known holiday traditions was interesting. I also enjoyed the Christian references.
Finally, the identity of the narrator was a surprise. An unexpected twist is always nice.
What I didn't like:
Alban's character- I found his wining annoying.
I was also not a fan of the magic of the runes and the author's use of repetition throughout the story.
Rating and Recommendation: Overall I give this story a 3/5, targeted for readers in the 13-15 year age range. If I had read this story when my sister first recommended it many years ago, my final review may have differed. A good single read.
The origins of a legendary Christmas tale begins by introducing readers to a boy known simply as Kringle. Ripped from the only home he has ever known one night, Kringle embarks on a journey that uncovers the truth of his past while preparing him for his destiny.
What I liked:
Book Beauty-The cover art, illustrations, and gold-rimmed pages of my copy are beautiful and assisted in bringing Kringle's world to life.
Kringle's character-I am not a huge fan of stories with males as the lead character, but I enjoyed Kringle's optimism, imagination, and overall goodness.
Supporting Cast-I loved the pirate warriors being portrayed as positive characters instead of being given the role of villain. The little girl Mari was another of my favorites. I am not sure what her purpose was in the story other than to bring joy to everyone, including readers. Last, but furthest from the least, were the elves! I'm partial to elven characters at the moment, especially the jubilant, kind, brave magical creatures in this story.
His-story: Discovering the backstories of well-known holiday traditions was interesting. I also enjoyed the Christian references.
Finally, the identity of the narrator was a surprise. An unexpected twist is always nice.
What I didn't like:
Alban's character- I found his wining annoying.
I was also not a fan of the magic of the runes and the author's use of repetition throughout the story.
Rating and Recommendation: Overall I give this story a 3/5, targeted for readers in the 13-15 year age range. If I had read this story when my sister first recommended it many years ago, my final review may have differed. A good single read.
January 4, 2018
The Story of Kringle starts out when he is a small boy living with Merren-his parent both had died at the hands of goblins. And so the goblins are out to get Kringle because of a prophecy stating he is "the one." Kringle escapes but Merren is taken by the goblins to care for the children they have stolen from the people.
Kringle vows to rescue Merren and heads into the Black Forest. There he meets the elves and stays with them until he finds out where Merren has gone. The elves share with Kringle, magical stones called runes which the goblins know have magic.
And the goblins have said that on Long Night, Grunding will rise and the goblins will take over the world. They know they need the stones to stop the prophecy so they also go after the elves as well.
Will Kringle save Merren...and the world as well from the goblins? What about the priest Kringle finds--what part does he play (the child that was born on Long Night). Will thee elves and men help destroy the goblins?
This is a real change of the normal story of how Santa Claus came to be. I enjoyed every page and liked how the story of Jesus was interwoven as well. And it also gives a good explanation how Santa delivers all those presents in one night. Read the story if you want to know....
Kringle vows to rescue Merren and heads into the Black Forest. There he meets the elves and stays with them until he finds out where Merren has gone. The elves share with Kringle, magical stones called runes which the goblins know have magic.
And the goblins have said that on Long Night, Grunding will rise and the goblins will take over the world. They know they need the stones to stop the prophecy so they also go after the elves as well.
Will Kringle save Merren...and the world as well from the goblins? What about the priest Kringle finds--what part does he play (the child that was born on Long Night). Will thee elves and men help destroy the goblins?
This is a real change of the normal story of how Santa Claus came to be. I enjoyed every page and liked how the story of Jesus was interwoven as well. And it also gives a good explanation how Santa delivers all those presents in one night. Read the story if you want to know....
October 14, 2018
Bleh.
Wasn't a very good adaptation of Santa Claus. I mean, Kringle?
Story starts so fast. In six pages, he and I are lost.
Merwen, the old lady who Kringle loves but appears for two chapters.
Fitting in of Jingle.
The Elves sound like Legolas, except much shorter.
Hrothgar is a hrotten name.
The pirates are good. Why?
Why was the Goblin King not mentioned in the beginning?
The backstory of Gods, all I can say is, Jesus Christ.
What's the dreaded monster's name, again?
Raindeers are possessed...? by Dead People's Souls?
Creepy dead talking in the midst of snow.
Hrothgar's dead. Wait, who was he again?
The stupid first person keeps butting in at intervals!
The gems of time, Hey, Lord Of the Rings, anyone?
First person REVELIO!
Kringle Bells
Goblin Smells
Elves Dance All the Way
Pirates Sway
Donkeys Bray
Priest's say
Kringle BELLS!
All I can say is the end; when does he get time to defeat the freaking goblins! He has to deliver gifts and fight goblins. One vey un necassary Santa Claus thing to do.
See if you can find a hidden easter egg to a previous review!
Next review
Infinity Ring
The Hunger Games Book One
Wasn't a very good adaptation of Santa Claus. I mean, Kringle?
Story starts so fast. In six pages, he and I are lost.
Merwen, the old lady who Kringle loves but appears for two chapters.
Fitting in of Jingle.
The Elves sound like Legolas, except much shorter.
Hrothgar is a hrotten name.
The pirates are good. Why?
Why was the Goblin King not mentioned in the beginning?
The backstory of Gods, all I can say is, Jesus Christ.
What's the dreaded monster's name, again?
Raindeers are possessed...? by Dead People's Souls?
Creepy dead talking in the midst of snow.
Hrothgar's dead. Wait, who was he again?
The stupid first person keeps butting in at intervals!
The gems of time, Hey, Lord Of the Rings, anyone?
First person REVELIO!
Kringle Bells
Goblin Smells
Elves Dance All the Way
Pirates Sway
Donkeys Bray
Priest's say
Kringle BELLS!
All I can say is the end; when does he get time to defeat the freaking goblins! He has to deliver gifts and fight goblins. One vey un necassary Santa Claus thing to do.
See if you can find a hidden easter egg to a previous review!
Next review
Infinity Ring
The Hunger Games Book One
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2020
Not your typical Santa Claus Christmas story, Kringle incorporates both historical and legendary folklore for this telling of the origins of the big man in red. You wouldn't necessarily expect to find goblins, pirates, or child abuse in the beginnings of Kringle's adventure, but there you have it. Familiarly, what you do find, are reindeer, elves, and a North Pole(ish) community of tireless workers making toys for children all over the world to distribute on the holiest of nights.
Getting your mind wrapped around the fact that this version will not be all hugs and love (and especially after reading the Afterword), the reader can get an appreciation of the research and history that is involved in making this legendary character come to life (sort-of). Well...you know what I mean.
Getting your mind wrapped around the fact that this version will not be all hugs and love (and especially after reading the Afterword), the reader can get an appreciation of the research and history that is involved in making this legendary character come to life (sort-of). Well...you know what I mean.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews