Sprouts

From the author of the Witch War series, and more recently the equally festive Tinsel : The Girl Who Invented Christmas, comes the absolute treat that is Sprouts. I would have loved this book when I was an avid reader in my childhood, so much so I would have read and reread it so I can live within the magical world that awaits readers inside.

As children we have all asked why it cannot be Christmas every day and the idea of waking up with all that Christmas spirit in the air after an excitable Christmas eve every day sounds idyllic, and that is one part of Sprouts. Santa Claus is in charge of the world and he has made every day Christmas day, except for where Witches are concerned, they have been banished to an island because they believe in Christmas day occuring once a year. Tall stories have been told about the Witches but we come to learn of them and know them not to be true. It isn’t the Witches that should be feared, it is the Grampus Alliance – those guys look and sound horrific! They are so nasty and for the most ridiculous of reasons too.

They are who Merrilee Claus, daughter of Santa, is looking to get rid of for good, and shes been informed she needs to team up with a young Witch, and so she flies her sleigh over to the island the Witches are banished on and pretty much kidnaps Gryla. This young witch is the first character we come to learn about in the book, and though she has been born as a Witch she doesn’t want to be one and doesn’t share the same strong beliefs all those around her on the island do. She is curious about what else lays out there in the world, and longs to experience this amazing Christmas day every day routine that occurs everywhere else in the world. Never could she have imagined she would thrust into the middle of an incredible adventure amongst all the festivities, let alone walking the halls of Santa’s palace, and being befriended by his daughter too!

Gryla is rather haphazard in her movements, a daydreamer a heart, and a thoroughly curious young girl, but even she didn’t want to become the latest guardian of the all important book that ensures Witches’ existences. When she awakes to find the book has been bestowed to her in her stocking she is less then impressed, and adamant she would rather destroy it then continue the monotonous existence she perceives she has got. So when Gryla and the all important book find themselves at the mercy of Merrilee Claus it is up to Gryla to grab the unfolding adventure she has tumbled in to with both hands and embrace it, and see whether two young girls that society around them has deemed unworthy of any importance can prove them wrong by working together and unleashing everything they are capable of.

What an incredible Christmas time adventure this book offers! I was mere sentences in, learning the rules about candy cane consumption, sprout flavoured no less (yuk!) and i knew then that I was going to love this book, and I really appreciated the narrative the way it is because it made it so easy to fall straight into a world controlled by Santa Claus, and that isn’t something I ever imagined myself doing! I love the female protagonists in this book, who doesn’t love some girl power, and the sense of good versus bad came across with you getting to make your mind up as you learn more about characters and the plot develops as to who is on which side of that dynamic, another detail about this book I really enjoyed. The over commercialisation of toys now is cleverly referenced in subtle ways throughout the book, and I love that this was highlighted because children are now pandered to in a constant sense by the toy industry and it does mean the magic of waiting until Christmas for new toys they have been really wanting has lost more and more of its sparkle over the years. Parents will have noticed like I have, and it is a worthwhile topic to raise in a book intended for children as they do not know how lucky they are to get things so frequently now compared to only a few decades ago.

Sprouts is brim full of festive references, there is even a cat made of tinsel – and now I find myself wishing I could manifest an opportunity to meet one!) – and yes, there are PLENTY of sprout related references whether it be via sensory language or in the physical sense. I don’t mind sprouts but I just know young readers will be scrunching up their noses each time they read of them, and I love that this book generates so much physical reaction from you as the reader. I read some of this book on the bus and I was smiling away, at other times I would be laughing out loud, and then there were times when I held my breath in anticipation of the outcome of a scene, it is such a brilliant plot for a festive title that has been so cleverly written, and I would love to hear that Sibeal plans to return to the wonderland of a world she has created in Sprouts with a sequel, and time will tell if readers will get to continue to indulge in the nostalgia of Christmas via her splendiferous storytelling.

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