Customer Reviews

Santa's Last Present

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To please his parents, Julian pretends to believe in Santa Claus for just one more year. So, he sends a letter to the North Pole requesting what his heart desires, a video game system. And, on Christmas morning, Julian awakes to find the video game system tucked snuggly under the tree. However, there is also another present accompanying it. A simple toy train. Julian's parents know nothing about the train, for they haven't bought it, the way they bought him the video game system. Julian's Father explains that it must have fallen out of Santa's sack, and that if no one claims the toy train within a year and a day, it is rightfully his. Throughout the entire year Julian spends every waking moment with the toy train. He even brings it on vacation with him. But as Christmas draws nearer, Julian begins to worry about the possibility of Santa Claus reclaiming the toy, and giving it to someone else.

In this wonderful new children's book by Marie-Aude Murail and Elvire Murail, we are exposed to an unconventional holiday book, that poses a unique question, "Can Santa Claus really take back toys if they aren't intended for us?" Children will find the prose engaging, and the illustrations by Quentin Blake (best known for his illustrations of Roald Dahl children's books) enchanting. This is a wonderful new holiday book that is sure to please all this Christmas season.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

"Since his parents couldn't stop talking about Santa Claus, Julian had decided to pretend to believe in him for another year. He wrote him a letter to ask for a present." -- From Santa's Last Present

Written by Marie-Aude and Elvire Murail and illustrated by Quentin Blake (who also translated the original text from French to English), Santa's Last Present offers the rare holiday tale where you just don't know what will happen next.

Julian asks for a video game system, and he gets it. But he also gets a mysterious gift that no one can account for. Who brought it? Why does it enthrall Julian more than the game system? What will happen NEXT year?

This heartwarming tale of a boy growing up, but still tethered to the magic of Christmas, was an unexpected and touching read. My 12-year-old enjoyed it, too (in fact, he read it twice in one day!)

-- Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot