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Who's in Your Book?

There's an Elf in Your Book

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GOLLY GUMDROPS . . . A LITTLE ELF HAS FOUND THEIR WAY INTO YOUR BOOK!
What does Elf want?
Oh! Just to see if you've been naughty or nice this year!

Elf will ask you a few simple questions to find out. And surely there won't be any tricks to try and get you to be naughty . . . will there?

Hmmm, this could be quite a tricksy little elf. You'd better keep your wits about you if you want to make it on to Santa's Nice List!

A fantastically fun and uniquely interactive treat from the creators of There's a Monster in Your Book. Discover a wonderful new Christmas tradition in a book to read again and again.

Also available:
There's a Monster in Your Book
There's a Dragon in Your Book
There's an Alien in Your Book

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2019

6 people are currently reading
169 people want to read

About the author

Tom Fletcher

99 books286 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Tom Fletcher is one of the UK's most popular children's authors. Tom's books have been translated into 41 languages and to date he has sold over 6 million copies of his books in the UK alone, and 10 million globally.

The Christmasaurus was the biggest debut children's novel of 2016 and was shortlisted for a British Book Award. Since then, Tom has published several more chart-topping children's novels, including The Christmasaurus and the Naughty List, The Creakers and the instant number-one bestseller The Danger Gang.

For younger readers, Tom writes the incredibly successful Who's in Your Book? picture-book series and is one half of the author duo behind the Dinosaur that Pooped picture-book series with bandmate Dougie Poynter.

For older readers, Tom co-authors the Eve of Man series with his wife, Giovanna Fletcher.

As well as his career as an author, Tom is also a founding member of the Brit Award-winning band McFly, which has sold over 10 million records worldwide.

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5 stars
169 (33%)
4 stars
155 (30%)
3 stars
136 (26%)
2 stars
43 (8%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
1,321 reviews16 followers
December 21, 2020
A cute book with an elf testing you to see if you make it to the nice list. A fun way of looking at elves and their sense of fun.
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,938 reviews257 followers
May 15, 2021
Author Tom Fletcher and illustrator Greg Abbott, the British picture-book duo behind such interactive titles as There's a Monster in Your Book , There's a Dragon in Your Book and There's an Alien in Your Book , team up once again in this entertaining Christmas title, as the eponymous elf tests whether the reader belongs on Santa's "Nice List." A series of questions and challenges are issued to the reader, to make that determination, including a few tricks that might land the unwary child on the Naughty List! Fortunately, all ends well, and the young reader even gets a certificate to prove that they're on the Nice List...

Much like its three predecessors, I found There's an Elf in Your Book to be winsome little volume, one that pairs a fun, interactive text with bright, boldly colorful artwork. With the question/quiz format, this would make an excellent title to read at a Christmas story-time for younger children, as the storyteller will be able to involve the audience in the storytelling process. I can just imagine the children shouting their answers, and the storyteller questioning them, when it comes to the trick questions meant to elicit naughty responses. I see that some reviewers were bothered by the bits of potty humor here, but I found that aspect fairly tame, when compared to children's books like Walter the Farting Dog or The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business . Recommended to picture-book readers looking for fun, funny, interactive Christmas titles.
159 reviews2 followers
May 18, 2021
A fun Christmas book but would have been so much better without the toilet humour. Tom Fletcher is a great kids author and really doesn't have to rely on this for comedy.
I must admit that in all my imaginings of Elfs, I have never imagined them having green faces.
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15k reviews449 followers
January 6, 2021
Merry Christmas and oh look! There is an elf in your book! What is it doing there?


After finishing another of the There’s a/an insert critter in your book, I decided to see what else was left. And I found out there was one about an elf! Since it is almost Christmas I thought it would be perfect to read around that time. And here I am on 14 December, 11 days to go before Christmas, reading this book! Yes, by the time you are reading this it is second Christmasday in my country, but I am reading this to get even more in the mood for Christmas.

The Elf is here to see if you are nice or naughty! He has a list and he wants you to do all sorts of nice things! But, as the narrator also warns us, elves can be a bit mischievous and so be sure to not get tricked! Oh my! I was definitely curious what would be on the next page and I flipped to it eager to find out if I would be tricked or if I would do all the nice things! The tests are all very delightful and adorable and I loved doing the things the elf asked… well except from a few things because there are a few tricks and I knew right away NOT to do that. But I wonder how many kids would fall for those naughty tricks. 😛 I was doing well and looked forward to be on the nice list!

I loved the last test and how that ended! Hahah, that was fantastically done. And that ending was just the sweetest and shiniest! That is such a fun things for kids!

So I loved the story, but I can also tell you that the art was just as much fun! It really gave me Christmas vibes.

All in all, this is a perfect book to read for this hohoholiday! I would recommend it to all!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Profile Image for John Clark.
2,605 reviews49 followers
January 1, 2020
While somewhat interactive, this came across to me as clunky while reading it to my 5 1/2 year old granddaughter. It was the what do elves do in the toilet part that turned me off. Children today are exposed to far more potty talk and language than is necessary and, as we're trying to discourage such talk by our granddaughter, this wasn't what I wanted to read to her.
Profile Image for Emily.
1,252 reviews
May 11, 2024
Fletcher does it again with the Christmas rendition of his popular books. Great read and so much fun for kiddos

5/2024- updating to taking a star off. It's a cute book but idk that I love a Christmas book that threatens to put a child on the naughty list for any reason...
Profile Image for Melissa.
749 reviews
October 19, 2019
I love these Tom Fletcher books and so do the kids at story time.
Profile Image for Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*.
6,002 reviews220 followers
February 23, 2020
There’s an Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott. PICTURE BOOK. Random House, 2019. $18. 9781984893444

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

One of Santa’s elves has arrived to give all the children a test to see if they belong on the nice list. Will you pass? Be careful, however, because elvescan be a bit mischievous - don’t get caught by a trick!

Full of silly holiday fun. This would be an awesome board book.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
Profile Image for SKP.
1,160 reviews
March 24, 2023
This series came out at the tail-end of my 35-year career as a children’s librarian. By the time I discovered them, we were into the pandemic and doing Facebook Live storytimes only—no in-person ones. We used the dragon and the monster ones in our Facebook Live storytimes, which meant no instant feedback from children, but we did get a lot of positive feedback in the threads under the posted videos. I retired before the in-person storytimes resumed, so I unfortunately never got to use any of these directly with children. For that I am sorry.

When they wrote so many of this type of book, I wondered how they could keep each one original and unique, but they obviously were successful. This book was a Christmas themed one, and I didn’t like it as much. I personally wouldn’t have felt completely comfortable telling the toilet joke with a group. There would have been some parents who were fine with it, but likely others who wouldn’t have liked it very much. It was a little gross, and not as funny as it could have been.

I would think this one might work better as a one-on-one book between caregivers/parents and children (especially if you told the parent to read it before reading it to the kids). I know there would be some families who would think it was hilarious.
Profile Image for Sandy.
2,786 reviews71 followers
December 2, 2020
This is an interactive book so get ready! Do you want to be on Santa’s Nice List and get presents? Of course, most individuals would say yes! If you’re one of them, whatever you do, don’t be tricked by Elf and do something naughty. If you pass the test and end up on Santa’s Nice List, at the end of the book, you get an Official Nice List Certificate.

Inside this book, Elf will be asking you complete a few tasks. Some of these activities will be cute and some will be “naughty.” From blowing a Christmas Kiss (nice), to repeating a comment that Elf says that includes the word butt (naughty), Elf will give you a handful of instructions that he’d like you to follow.

I think kids would enjoy this book and I think that reading it to a group of kids, the reaction would be even better. I don’t know how well the rereading of this book would be overtime as I feel the novelty of it would wear off. Perhaps if you only read it during the holiday season, it would continue to be a great read.

Profile Image for Rose Rosetree.
Author 15 books465 followers
September 8, 2023
What are the odds? On the same day, I'm reading-and-reviewing two different books about tricky elves, and enterprising children who are trying to game them... in order to get tons of presents, whether those kids were naughty or nice, whether kids deserve good presents from Santa or not.

I do like that this picture book is less ethically questionable than "How to Trick a Christmas Elf" by Sue Fliess,

On the other hand, Tom Fletcher has written one of those highly aggressive "interactive" picture books. For example:

Blow a Christmas kiss.

[Picture of a strange little elf making a face at the reader.]

Do you think you passed?


Compared to that other elf-interactive book, I'd call this one less offensive but more obnoxious.

Gaaa! Whatever happened to cute little picture book for tender preschoolers?

FIVE STARS is my rating, on behalf of adults who wish to experiment on their children in this way. I don't recommend it, but hey! It takes all kinds to make a world of Goodreaders.
Profile Image for NTE.
408 reviews52 followers
December 19, 2021
My youngest nephew & niece (almost 6 and 3.5, respectively) will be sharing a copy of Tom Fletcher’s There’s A Dragon in Your Book, as we’re currently reading There’s an Elf in Your Book as our Christmas Facetime read, and they love it. I love this series too, as they’re all participatory kind of stories: Don’t get tricked into being naughty by the Christmas Elf; Help the Dragon put out the fire in this book by blowing on it, or turning the pages as quickly as you can, that kind of thing. Always on the lookout for books that keep kids entertained & engaged with whatever it is we’re reading, especially since we’re reading long distance right now, and sometimes that’s extra tough. Plus, there’s one for all occasions, which is one of my favorite things when it comes to series for kids: All the littles in my life ask if there’s “a birthday/Valentine’s Day/Halloween/Etc book’ in whichever series we happen to be reading at the time.
Profile Image for Kendra.
1,212 reviews36 followers
December 15, 2023
This is one of the best books that are out there this Christmas season. All four of my kids were laughing in this book. Even us adults were cracking up with this book. We loved how it had kids follow directions even if they seem silly. Though my kids would have done it anyway. The illustrations in this book are so bright and festive. It really grabs the attention of kids to the page. I love how this book is interactive with the kids. I highly recommend checking this book out for Christmas.
Profile Image for Barbara.
14.9k reviews315 followers
December 21, 2019
This interactive picture book features a test to determine whether its reader can pass the Nice List test and land on Santa's list for presents. As an elf provides prompts and suggestions, readers are warned to be mindful of possible trickery since elves have a mischievous side. All goes well for readers, who can even turn the page to find out if they passed that part of the test, until the elf has one more trick up his sleeve. Still, even when someone does something naughty, maybe they can still pass the test. Youngsters will want a copy of the Nice List Certificate found at the back of the book so be ready to print some out. This isn't my cup of tea for reading, but the intended audience will enjoy the text and the holiday-themed illustrations with that elf who is all bedecked in red. Reading the book will keep youngsters entertained and out of mischief, perhaps resulting in no more naughty behavior. Well, we can always hope, right?
Profile Image for Anthony.
7,193 reviews31 followers
December 21, 2023
This book is all about how to get on Santa's nice list. It's a pretty simple test given by the elf in this book. But beware because sometimes elves can be naughty, and will try and trip you up and make you do naughty things. Hopefully once you read this book you will be able to pass the test to keep you on Santa's nice list.
Profile Image for Ryan.
5,676 reviews34 followers
January 1, 2021
If you want to do a new version of “Press Here” but make it feel fresh, this is the way to do it. The Elf in the book is going to give it’s readers a “Nice test” to make sure they get a visit from santa. This was a really fun book and would be a blast at story time.
Profile Image for Villain E.
3,953 reviews19 followers
January 23, 2021
An interactive book. An elf has tests to determine if your child(ren) are naughty or nice. Recommended only if your kids are old enough to understand when a book is trying to trick them. Mine aren't there yet.
Profile Image for Molly.
1,299 reviews19 followers
December 17, 2024
Holiday Storytime! This was always Stefanie's Christmas pick, so I'm stealing it this year. It's maybe not my favorite of the "Who's in your book" series, but it's still pretty cute. We do love an interactive Storytime book!
99 reviews
November 9, 2020
Very delightful interactive story featuring an elf checking to see if you are on the naughty or nice list. Very sweet and silly holiday picture book!
Profile Image for T.S. Arthur.
Author 11 books29 followers
November 29, 2020
A fun story for younger readers, although lacking in flow and feeling disjointed. My class found it entertaining though, as did my little boy, hut I don't think it's one they'll read over and over.
Profile Image for Alison N.
401 reviews2 followers
December 9, 2020
Pretty cute, but the humor's pretty juvenile, so probably just for younger kids. Adorable illustrations though and a little holiday test your kids can take, so a good interactive read.
Profile Image for Siân PJsAndBooks.
581 reviews14 followers
December 28, 2020
A nice Christmas Children's book. Look forward to reading it to my class next Christmas as it is would benefit from children response throughout.
131 reviews3 followers
October 29, 2021
love it! Great for pre Christmas reading with your little ones.
Profile Image for SB.
468 reviews
November 16, 2021
We loved this book! It is absolutely adorable! Love, love, love!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews

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