I absolutely loved this, roared through it in double quick time. The consequences of decisions and ripples of changes are one of the best things about time travel stories that I love, and whilst this isn’t a time travel novel, it features those elements in the best possible way. It’s intriguing and heartwarming and leaves you feeling just a bit more positive about the world than before you read it. Which is perfect.

I read this because we watched the film, and it was exactly what I expected - a really good children’s book with some excellent illustrations. It reminded me very much of Roald Dahl in the best possible ways. The film stuck very closely to the book to start with, just a few tweaks here and there, but the ending was quite different. In the book, Nikolas well and truly becomes Father Christmas with the big beard and belly and laugh and older. In the film, he’s still a kid when he has his big idea. The book makes more sense on that front, but I say it’s worth enjoying both!