Eleven-year-old Nikolas-nicknamed “Christmas”-has received only one toy in his life: a doll carved out of a turnip. But he’s happy with his turnip doll, because it came from his parents, who love him. Then one day his father goes missing, and Nikolas must travel to the North Pole to save him.

Along the way, Nikolas befriends a surly reindeer, bests a troublesome troll, and discovers a hidden world of enchantment in the frozen village of Elfhelm. But the elves of Elfhelm have troubles of their own: Christmas spirit and goodwill are at an all-time low, and Nikolas may be the only person who can fix things-if only he can reach his father before it’s too late. . . .

“Irresistibly readable. Destined to become a Christmas and anytime-before-or-after-Christmas classic!” — Chris Grabenstein, New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

“The definitive (and funny) history of ho, ho, ho! My children loved it.” — Yann Martel, bestselling author of Life of Pi

“Matt Haig has an empathy for the human condition, the light and the dark of it, and he uses the full palette to build his excellent stories.” — Neil Gaiman, Newbery-winning author of The Graveyard Book

Fans of A Boy Called Christmas will rejoice at this whimsical story of the first child to ever be gifted a Christmas present!

Amelia Wishart was the first child ever to receive a Christmas present. It was her Christmas spirit that gave Santa the extra boost of magic he needed to make his first trip around the world. But now Amelia is in trouble.

When her mother falls ill, she is sent to the workhouse to toil under cruel Mr. Creeper. For a whole year, Amelia scrubs the floors and eats watery gruel, without a whiff of kindness to keep her going. It’s not long before her hope begins to drain away.

Meanwhile, up at the North Pole, magic levels dip dangerously low as Christmas approaches, and Santa knows that something is gravely wrong. With the help of his trusty reindeer, a curious cat, and Charles Dickens, he sets out to find Amelia, the only girl who might be able to save Christmas. But first Amelia must learn to believe again. . . .

“Matt Haig has an empathy for the human condition, the light and the dark of it, and he uses the full palette to build his excellent stories.” –Neil Gaiman, Newbery-winning author of The Graveyard Book

“With a little bit of naughty and a lot of nice,this Christmastime yarn is a veritable sugarplum.” —Kirkus Reviews