North Pole Reform School by Jaimie Admans

What They Say:

Mistletoe Bell hates Christmas. So would you if you had a name like hers. Her Christmas-mad parents make the festive season last all year, and with another Christmas looming, Mis doesn’t think she can take any more. After her carelessness causes an accident at school, it seems like things can’t get any worse.

Then she wakes up to find The Ghost of Christmases Ruined in her bedroom.

She is taken to the North Pole, to a reform school run by elves determined to make her love Christmas. Stuck in a misfit group of fellow Christmas-haters with a motley crew of the weird and even weirder, watched over by elves day and night, she doesn’t expect to meet cute and funny Luke, who is hiding a vulnerable side beneath his sarcastic exterior. She doesn’t expect to fall in love with him.

But all is not as it should be at the North Pole. A certain Mr Claus is making the elves’ lives a misery, and pretty soon Mistletoe and Luke are doing more than just learning to like Christmas.

A YA romantic comedy in which Santa is the bad guy, teaching reindeer to fly is on the curriculum, and zombies have a fondness for Christmas music.

What I say:

I started this book not really knowing what to expect especially with the title and the blurb about the book.  I soon fell in love with the 2 main characters, Mistletoe (can understand her dislike of Christmas given her name) and Luke.  They were visited by a purple moose (genius by the author) that tells them he is the ghost of christmas's ruined.

To start with this isn't just another version on a Christmas Carol.  They are then transported in their sleep to the North Pole along with 3 others, Joe an alcoholic, Hugo who thinks he is dead and Emily who thinks ducks are watching her everywhere.

I like that although Santa does his job of sorts, he is the bad guy and the elves are really in charge of the North Pole.

The story keeps you interested from page 1.  I also like how you can have zombies and a 'Snow Globe' in a Christmas story.  I loved the book and will read more from Jaimie. 

5 out of 5 stars.