Customer Reviews

The True Story of Christmas

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Ralph doesn't get along with his family. In fact, no one does ...

Meet Ralph in this dreadfully funny novel. Ralph is a normal kid. But every Christmas, Ralph is thrown into the torture of spending it with his family. Even though spending Christmas with your family may not sound that bad to you, it is to Ralph. You see, no one in Ralph's family gets along. From his unbelievably negative Great-Granny, Natasha (who says things like, "If I had my own teeth, I'd bite you"), to his perfect princess cousin, Titania (who puts on "cute acts" by singing songs of fairies and wearing frilly pink dresses), and finally to the terrible twins, Sylvester and Sylvia (who trash the house in every possible way), Ralph is bound to tell the worst Christmas story ever.

This funny book has become one of my favorite humor novels. I enjoyed reading the lines the characters said, and I also enjoyed the great number of problems that came up without a solution. The thing I like most is that the plot really draws you into the story. As I was reading, I got more and more involved with what the characters were thinking. Most of the time I felt like I was standing right next to the character who was talking. This book is great for readers who are looking for something nasty and funny.

The book cover may fool you into thinking that this story is probably only for kids in 3rd or 4th grade. This is not true. I read it one day out of complete bordem, and by the end of it, I was laughing till tears pratically came out of my eyes!! Not only does Anne Fine does an amazing job as the narrator for Ralph, she will keep you laughing page after page. With Uncle Tristam's "educational" short stories for poor Albert to Great-granny's way of training kids. Which, by the way; is not exactly pleasant.

Anne Fine uses humor to show us that even on the merriest of all holidays, disaster can happen right in our very own house. This is a book that I enjoyed TREMENDOUSLY and hope that others will too after reading my review.

I loved this book! It's not just for kids, but for any family plagued by obnoxious relatives during the holidays. If you've ever had to sit through a performance by a snotty brat in front of her adoring parents you will identify. Likewise if you've ever slaved over a meal, only to have your guests spew out their dietary restrictions and/or peculiarities at your table. Read it and put it on your next year's Christmas list.

This plot was interesting and entertaining. However, the incredible humor Fine creates in her characters and their situations makes this book one of the great ones. Ralph is retelling the adventures of his Christmas from the prison of his room. He was sent there after his cutesy cousin, devil cousin, evil great grandmother, dilusional great aunt, vengeful uncle, and uncountable other obnoxious relatives get into a huge fight. His poor parents are trying to survive the holiday, feelings are hurt all over the place, and Ralph is just trying to stay out of the whole thing. Seems like a lot of characters, but they're all developed well enough that you don't get them mixed up. I'm using this as my next read aloud for my class. My middle school students will love the witty writing of Anne Fine.