Like opening a chocolate calendar, but with words and emotions. This December, two advent books They accompany children and adults to the festivities, at the pace of one chapter a day. Just like the famous paper windows, increasingly more original, with larger and more viral gifts on TikTok, this format is also on the rise among Christmas books. In this case, both works try to turn leisurely reading into an act of enjoyment, with episodes designed to be read as the holidays approach. Although they are aimed at different audiences, A heart for Christmas, by Sophie Jomain, y How Winston Saved Christmas by Alex T. Smith, share the essence of storytelling across 24 chapters, designed to be discovered one by one.
In How Winston Saved Christmas (Edelvives), Smith tells the journey of a little mouse who undertakes a mission to deliver a lost letter to Santa Claus. The author explains that he found the format perfect because “reading a chapter a day increases the excitement in preparation for Christmas,” although he accepts that it should also be read in one sitting “if the enthusiasm gets the better of us.” Regarding his choice of a mouse as the protagonist, Smith assures that he was looking for a hero whose size would make the mission even more gigantic: “There is something very dramatic and adventurous in the image of a small mouse fighting the snow with a large letter under his arm. ” In addition to the story, the book includes activity proposals in each chapter. Of all of them, “the absolutely essential one” for him is writing the letter to Santa Claus, but the book also proposes baking cookies, creating crafts, having gestures of solidarity with others, as well as many more. The author conceived his book so that it can be enjoyed as a family.
Alex T. Smith
Edelvives, 2024
Jomain’s novel also starts from a home: his own. The story was born from a personal experience, and is inspired by his daughter. As she says, “she is a sick teenager” who faces the same issues as the protagonist of her novel and who is between the dilemma of “fully enjoying life or doing everything possible to maintain health.” A heart for Christmas (TBR) addresses the internal world of Avril, a teenager who falls in love and faces various family and personal dilemmas. In this case, each chapter is sealed and must be opened with a letter opener. For Jomain, “opening a chapter a day is a little piece of magic that we don’t want to give up, whether we are children, teenagers or adults.” The truth is that the spell has already caught thousands of readers: the work was a publishing phenomenon in France, where it debuted. And, in Spain, it climbed the best-seller lists in the week of its launch, in mid-November, and is in its fourth edition, according to a TBR statement.
In its pages, like any teenager, Avril deals with the meaning of family relationships, as well as friendship and love. But he is also going through recovery after a heart transplant. According to the author, Christmas, in her novel, is an opportunity for the protagonist to find the warmth of family relationships and the strength to reconcile with herself: “I wanted to show that Avril, even if she feels alone, can rediscover the value of living. , with the help of those who care.”
Whether facing Avril’s personal dilemmas or accompanying Winston on his heroic adventure, both books present an experience that goes beyond reading. In the case of Smith’s book, the bond between parents and children takes on special importance. The author believes that any opportunity is a good one “for families to enjoy an activity together, especially this time of year.” For his part, Jomain explores self-improvement and reconciliation. For her, “a family relationship that works is one in which people dare to talk to each other.” He also believes “that it is very important to communicate, because it is the basis for building stronger bonds.”
That is to say, for both authors, Christmas is not only a setting that serves to enrich their stories, but a key element that transcends them in order for this spirit to also reach real life. While Smith intends for this time to highlight the importance of small gestures, Jomain tries to appeal to the values of solidarity and rediscovery.