110. A Christmas Sonata. Gary Paulsen. Illustrated by Leslie Bowman. 1992. 80 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars][Christmas, historical, family drama]
First sentence: It comes on everybody at a certain time in their life not to believe in Santa Claus.
Premise/plot: This is a short novella for children presumably though probably not best appreciated by children. A boy and his mother travel to spend Christmas with relatives in Minnesota. His cousin is dying and this will be his last Christmas. His father is away fighting in the Second World War. He's decided that Santa is NOT real. And his cousin is also unsure if Santa is real. Both are skeptical but a tiny bit hopeful. Will he believe in Santa or not?
My thoughts: This was a strange read. On the bright side it was a very short read. I think it might work better as a Christmas special or movie. This is a bittersweet story though perhaps kids may not pick up on that as much as adults? Or maybe they would. I'm glad I read it, but, I can't imagine rereading it.
© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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