Alex T Smith creates the most exquisite Christmas books that you want to read year after year (Read our reviews of How Winston Delivered Christmas, How Winston Came Home and The Twelve Days of Christmas). So this year, I was delighted that we could add to our collection this gorgeous 24 and half chapter 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?
As with lots of Alex’s book is is a Christmas Story in twenty-four-and-a-half chapters so that you can enjoy it all the way through advent. My eldest is just old enough to now begin reading Alex’s books independently, and it has been a joy to share this with her this Christmas and I can’t wait to find out the ending!
I would highly recommend all of Alex’s advent books. So, do make sure you buy them early, ready for next Christmas. You’ll be fighting over which book to read each year! Happy Christmas every one!
Published by Macmillan, 5 Oct. 2023
ISBN: 978-1035028177
I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This voluntary review contains my honest opinion.
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