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45th out of 63 books
—
515 voters
Santa's Twin (Santa's Twin #1)
A contemporary Christmas classic for childrenof all ages -- including those who pretend to have grown up!
Charlotte and Emily are determined to save Santa from his mischievous twin -- Bob Claus -- who has not only stolen Santa's sleigh and stuffed his toy bag full of mud pies, cat poop, and broccoli, but has also threatened to turn Donner, Blitzen, and the others into reind...more
Charlotte and Emily are determined to save Santa from his mischievous twin -- Bob Claus -- who has not only stolen Santa's sleigh and stuffed his toy bag full of mud pies, cat poop, and broccoli, but has also threatened to turn Donner, Blitzen, and the others into reind...more
Paperback, 64 pages
Published
September 21st 2004
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published January 1st 1995)
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This isn't the kind of book you'd expect from horror and suspense writer Dean Koontz, it's actually a children's picture book. It is the tale of Santa's evil twin who is determined to ruin Christmas, he has locked up Santa and has set off on Santa's sleigh to cause mischief instead of leaving presents. I've had this for years now and I bring it out most Christmases when I want a fun, festive read. The story is told in verses in much the same rhythm as The Night Before Christmas and just begs to...more
Four of us read this one today. Let me share some parts that had us chuckling:
Santa's twin is evil, has locked the merry man away and stolen his sleigh to create havoc:
"They land on the roof, quiet and sneaky,
Oh, but this Santa is fearfully freaky;
He Whispers a warning to each reindeer,
leaning close to make sure they hear:
'You Have relatives back at the Pole -
antlered, gentle, quite innocent souls.
'So if you fly off while I'm inside,
back to the Pole on a plane I will ride,
I'll have a picnic in t...more
Santa's twin is evil, has locked the merry man away and stolen his sleigh to create havoc:
"They land on the roof, quiet and sneaky,
Oh, but this Santa is fearfully freaky;
He Whispers a warning to each reindeer,
leaning close to make sure they hear:
'You Have relatives back at the Pole -
antlered, gentle, quite innocent souls.
'So if you fly off while I'm inside,
back to the Pole on a plane I will ride,
I'll have a picnic in t...more
I don't review many children's books, but as this was one of the worst, most tedious books I have ever had the misfortune to read to my son, I'm making an exception. Wow, I hated this book. The forced rhyming, the excessive length of the book, the words and "humor" far above a child's understanding level (I can only assume meant to entertain the adult reader, but didn't work!) were all awful. The book went on and on. Not to mention the picture in which it appears that Santa's evil twin brother i...more
I've had this book for a long time, fifteen years,
intended for my daughter's welcoming ears.
It's brought out every Christmas and put on display,
and there it has sat to this very day.
Now that she is grown and out on her own,
I wanted to read a book by Koontz (he's very well known).
With Christmas so near I should get in the mood,
but in all honesty this story is a bit crude.
The rhythm of rhymes and number of lines,
had me stopping a plethora of times.
The artwork, however, is colorful and fun,
which...more
intended for my daughter's welcoming ears.
It's brought out every Christmas and put on display,
and there it has sat to this very day.
Now that she is grown and out on her own,
I wanted to read a book by Koontz (he's very well known).
With Christmas so near I should get in the mood,
but in all honesty this story is a bit crude.
The rhythm of rhymes and number of lines,
had me stopping a plethora of times.
The artwork, however, is colorful and fun,
which...more
At our school, this book has become a holiday tradition. Adapted from Koontz's novel "Mr. Murder", this is a tale of Santa's twin brother Bob Claus and his efforts to spoil the Christmas of two sisters. The girls, Charlotte and Emily, conspire to thwart Bob's evil plan and in the process Bob learns a valuable lesson. A cross between "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "The Night Before Christmas", this story works best with 3rd-6th graders. It takes about 40 minutes to read aloud, so plan accor...more
Wanted to read a Christmas book to put me in the mood for the upcoming holiday season. While I enjoyed immensely some of the lines in the poem, to the point of having to read them out loud, (right now I have 'deep, dark, dank hole' stuck in my head), I had problems getting the lines to match up syllabically (if this isn't a word, it should be :). I'm sure I'll be rereading Bob's story again next Christmas season, and it will probably make me laugh again. I had totally forgotten about trying to f...more
This is really fun. This story started in the novel Mr. Murder when the main character was making up a Christmas story for his children. Fun verses by Koontz are combined with fun illustrations by Parks - the two have worked together before and the combination is excellent. In each picture is a snow man - some of them obvious and others hidden. Also each picture the artist has hidden his name and to further keep things interesting are items in the pictures such as a portrait of Dean Koontz (from...more
Jan 07, 2011
Mary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all
Recommended to Mary by:
love the author and all he does
I love Dean Koontz and have for over 20 years. I respect him even more because he sent my class a free book and signed our classroom author quilt.(Check out his holiday poetry books for 4-6th grades) Santa Twin is a fun book for those who walk a little on the darker side, but not to Koontzish creepy. It is still kid appropriate and actually the illustrations are very eye catching and intriguing. My students can't pass the holiday book bin without wondering what it is, stopping and pulling the bo...more
This is the type of book for someone who holds a love/hate relationship with the holiday season, like I do. I also liked that it wasn't written in the typical Koontz style. It seemed that it was almost written for young readers (though I think younger readers would grow bored with the length), but at the same time, I think it is more for the adult, minus the typical heart pounding Koontz suspense. All-in-all, a good read for those of us who dislike all the trappings of Christmas, yet long for th...more
My husband Scott is a huge Dean Koontz fan. I've tried to read some of his more-known books, but I just can't get into horror and suspece. I just don't have the patience for it I guess. But I love his children's books! They are vibrent and intriging and usually have a happy ending, with some sadness. They tend to be more-life-like fantasy fairy-tales, if that's possible. I wish all of Dean Koontz's children's titles were re-released and not out-of-print. They can be very hard to find, but worth...more
The rhyme is somewhat stretched at times -- like it is directing the word choice rather than happening naturally -- but I'm impressed at the length of this rhyming story. The tale itself is good, too: just dark enough that my kids (just starting the teenage years and slightly younger) found it interesting. It's worth reading, even if the ending feels a little forced. The pictures are great!
This is a very different type of Christmas story which I thoroughly enjoyed reading to my children, about a naughty brother to Santa who takes him captive and decides this yearis his turn to dleiver the presents...it takes 2 determined little girls to put things right before children the world over wake up with horrendous presents in their stockings!!
Just like Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, the Real Santa was mugged, tied up, and gagged, blindfolded, ear-stoppled, and bagged, locked in his cellar under the Pole, down in a dismal, deep, dark, dank hole before the Evil Santa stepped in.
I think Bob Claus the twin isn't as evil, just childish. Maybe he's not as bad as Vince Vaughn's Fred Claus...
I think Bob Claus the twin isn't as evil, just childish. Maybe he's not as bad as Vince Vaughn's Fred Claus...
I have found that my generation are slightly jaded to wholesomeness and selflessness for the sake of it. This doesn't mean all things innocent are found lacking. We just have a stricter sense of affectivity. So when something does make our hearts pound with good 'ol cheesy sentimentality it is the "kosher" bomb of goodness. This book spoke to my warped sense of humor, but still left me feeling like a holiday had been parked inside me. I read it to my kids when they were in kindergarten, which mi...more
A christmas picture book for children by the master of suspense? With rhymes? Ye
s and no: though it is a christmas story, it is an unmistakable Koontz: Santa is
locked in the cellar by his bad brother, who wants to deliver some christmas tr
eats of his own this year. He intends to spoil christmas for everyone so they wi
ll stop liking Santa, as nobody likes him. But two sisters stand up against his
evil plan and free Santa, but will there be enough time left to save Christmas a
s well? The book is w...more
s and no: though it is a christmas story, it is an unmistakable Koontz: Santa is
locked in the cellar by his bad brother, who wants to deliver some christmas tr
eats of his own this year. He intends to spoil christmas for everyone so they wi
ll stop liking Santa, as nobody likes him. But two sisters stand up against his
evil plan and free Santa, but will there be enough time left to save Christmas a
s well? The book is w...more
I really enjoyed this story. I wish my niece hadn't thought it looked or sounded too scary. I think she would enjoy it too. Perhaps in another year or two I can introduce her to it again. It was a good story. I have always enjoyed the works of Dean Koontz!
It has become a tradition for me to read this to my students every year. They love it and I enjoy reading it. If you are going to share this book with children, as usual, be sure to read it yourself first.
Such a fun book! I was initially worried about the 'Dean Koontz' factor for the kids, but nothing of the sort is there - phew!! It's a fun story with a happy ending and the pictures are to die for!
The pictures are fun, and the rhyming a blast.
But the little ones, on my lap will not last.
So read it to big kids, for Christmas delight.
And with little ones, find snowmen all night.
But the little ones, on my lap will not last.
So read it to big kids, for Christmas delight.
And with little ones, find snowmen all night.
I use to love to read this to the kids, they always thought it was so funny. I bought it because I was so blown away by Dean Koontz writing a Christmas book, let alone a children's book!
Good idea, wonderful artwork, bad execution. The text is just too dense and wordy to be appealing. Koontz could have pared this down a great deal and had a much better book.
The story was different but the best part was finding the hidden snowmen and illustrator's last name on the various pages.
One of the first Xmas books my son truly loved. A dark spin on the classic that holds any kid's attention.
Way too weird for me - supposedly made for his children - but no way am I reading this book to my kids!
Absolutely love this book, we have been reading this every Christmas for the past 10 years.
Hilarous book for kids. We have the audio version. Its a great Christmas book.
My son absolutely has to have this read to him every Christmas without fail.
Could've been better, especially if was designed for older.
there are 2 books to this one, and they are worth it. Not for kids
cute short Christmas story!! Would be great to read to kids!
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Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.
Dean R. Koontz has also published under the na...more
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Dean R. Koontz has also published under the na...more
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May 10, 2013 11:03am