Review of The Best Worst Christmas Ever

[Janine Ramirez-Lacy]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Best Worst Christmas Ever" by Thomas J. Thorson.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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"The Best Worst Christmas Ever" by Thomas J. Thorson is an entertaining young adult fantasy book about the Natale family (Dad, Parker, Candace, and Lily) creating an adventure on Christmas Eve. Due to a winter storm, they are without power so while huddling around the fireplace, they imagine a grand adventure. The family tells an imaginative tale where each person takes a portion of the story. Santa Claus has requested the children's help to find an item stolen from Santa Claus's private workshop at the North Pole. With each person telling part of the story, one after the other, many adventures occur including tales of fairies, gnomes, snowmen, and even a moose.

I recommend this young adult fantasy to teens and anyone who enjoys the holiday season with stories of Christmas. This book is a great example of a story told from different points of view and shows various ways to use imagination. Because everyone told the story sequentially, it initially felt a little disjointed until I realized the author's intent for every character to imagine a portion of the story.

The author, Thomas J. Thorson, has written several books, including non-fiction and mysteries. This is his first holiday fantasy. His hobbies include baking chocolate chip cookies and churning over seventy flavors of artisanal ice cream.

I rate this book a 5 out of 5. "The Best Worst Christmas Ever" is a humorous, addictive fantasy read with a very imaginative Christmas tale. The whimsical illustrations by Stephanie Rocha are creative and capture the essence of this story. This book appears professionally edited. The one thing I found disappointing is that this book was not available (written) when my children were young. My favorite parts were the dad's section of the story, the ending, and the many illustrations especially those of the gnomes.

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The Best Worst Christmas Ever
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[Sue Ebert]

This book sounds so fun and I love the title! I admit to never imagining a Holiday fantasy genre, but your thorough review makes me want to give this story a try! It also has me wishing I had tried something similar when my children were young. Thanks for the lovely review!