Kringle

KRINGLE
By Tony Abbott
Scholastic Press, 2006

Category: Middle grade fiction

Epic fantasy is not really my thing. My boys, however, cannot live without it. Okay, perhaps I am being overly dramatic. The boys could live without epic fantasy. They just wouldn’t read as much. And they would spend a lot of time sighing and wondering what to do with themselves. Anyway, we came home from the library in early December with KRINGLE, the story of Santa Claus as told by Tony Abbott … in all its epic and fantastical glory.

In Tony Abbott’s version of the story, Santa is known as Kringle. He grows up parentless in a world inhabited by elves and goblins. It was fascinating, really, to watch the author weave the traditional myths of our modern Santa Claus into his story. And while I am still not a fan of epic fantasy, I have nothing but respect for the care and imagination with which Mr. Abbott created this one.