Title: SantaKid
Author: James Patterson
About the Author: Not making any bones about his bid for success, James Patterson once declared he wanted to be known as the king of the page-turners. While that may seem like a pretty grand ambition, Patterson is as worthy of that title as any author working today.
Age Level: 5-8
Synopsis: This story is about a little girl named Chrissie and her parents, Santa Claus and Momma Claus. When Warrier Ransom, the boss of the Exmas Express Company decides to buy Christmas and rename it Exmas, Chrissie and her family can’t believe what is happening. Everything at the North Pole begins to change and it looks like Christmas is going to be ruined. Then Chrissie remembers something she learned from her dad and becomes Santakid. She delivers presents to all of the children on Christmas Eve!
Pre-Reading Activities: The importance of having courage and having respect for words of wisdom. What are words of wisdom? Has anyone given you good advice or words of wisdom? Did you use their good advice or words of wisdom? Have you ever had to be courageous? What was the situation? Discuss with the class the importance of believing in someone or something and sticking up for your beliefs.
Post-Reading Activities: What was your favorite part of the book? What do you think it would be like if you were Santa’s child? Would you want to be Santa’s kid? Why or why not? Do you think Chrissie had a lot of courage? Do you think she followed Santa Clause’s words of wisdom? Would you have done the same thing as Chrissie or let Christmas be ruined? After the reading, the students will write a short story about a time when they were courageous in their journals. After they are finished writing they will get into small groups and each person will share their courageous story.
My Reflection: I love that this story is not a “typical” Christmas story and kind of goes against the “traditions” of Christmas. This story is almost like a twist on The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I like that this story portrays having courage. I also like that if we believe in something, then we should stick up for our beliefs. I think that at some time in our lives we have had to be courageous and we should celebrate those moments, reflect on those moments, and use them as our own life lessons.
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