A Most Mizerable Christmas

by Mick Foley

For years The Miz has bullied his classmates—including Sheamus, Kelly Kelly, Wade Barrett, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, and Natalya—yet managed to stay on Santa’s list of good boys. When a new kid arrives in town, he shakes the foundation of The Miz’s selfish beliefs, and sets in motion a chain of events that results in The Miz trying to fool Santa Claus and his new helper, The Cenelf, on Christmas Eve! Will the new kid help everyone on Wrescal Lane enjoy the holidays while teaching The Miz a lesson, or will it be A Most MIZerable Christmas for everyone?

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Mick Foley is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several memoirs, a WWE Hall of Famer, and the author of numerous books for children. He has appeared on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Late Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Good Morning America, Family Feud, Fox News, and has made several appearances on The Today Show. He was featured in a story on ABC’s World News Tonight for his work as an online volunteer with RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. Foley was also recognized for his work with RAINN at the famous "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" – where he was awarded the Medal of Reasonableness from "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart. Follow him at @RealMickFoley.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly meant for wrestling fans (others would miss all the in-jokes and probably not care about the story otherwise), but well written and nicely illustrated. A good moral to boot. A worthy addition to a wrestling fan's library.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Most Mizerable Christmas by Mick Foley is a Christmas story about Miz, a kid who has bullied all the other kids on Wrescal Lane for years and still manages to get onto Santa's good boy list. All the other kids are afraid of Miz and will not go outside and play due to the fear that Miz will do something to them. However, when a new kid arrives in town he helps Miz see the error of his selfish ways. Santa also brings in reinforcements in a form of one very muscular elf. This is my pick for the Caldecott. The Illustrations were done by Josh Adams who is most famous for his comic book illustrations for DC Comics House of Mystery and design work for shows on Syfy. Adams captures the action in stunning clarity. The illustrations are just as important, if not more than the words written on the page. He gives each character in the story their own unique qualities, such as Miz's spiked up hair and a t-shirt that has Awesome written on it. Adams illustrations accomplishes what the author has written about! This story teaches children a very important lesson. That lesson is bullying is not cool, it effects everyone around you. This book would be appropriate for children around 6 and up, and i personally believe boys will like this more than girls. This is a great read that teaches a valuable lesson!!

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expressive in both rhyme and illustrations, this picture book shows a mean little boy getting exactly what’s coming to him for Christmas. With pointed emphases on acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, a tough elf who pulls no punches and a jolly old elf who’s sick to the teeth of Miz’s nastiness and selfishness, this is a fine picture book for people who are bored with the usual treacle that floods the shelves every Xmas.

The illustrations in watercolor are very good, with bold outlines and clear expressions on the characters. (The page with Santa Claus going from surprised to deeply annoyed with Miz is particularly effective.) I also liked watching Miz getting the boot. The illustrator wisely realizes that parents may not want to see a child being kicked by an adult, no matter how much the child deserves it, and the scene is expertly implied, not shown.

Featuring John Cena of WWE fame, this book is jolly fun and good enough to put in the stockings of good and bad boys and girls.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our family are big WWE fans, and so I bought my boys this book last Christmas. I think some of the words are a little bit too advanced for my four-year-old, and the story itself is on the longer side for a true "kids" book. However, they love the illustrations and the rhyming pattern, as well as the cameo appearances by their favorite wrestlers. Overall an enjoyable tale with a good moral for the kids.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spirit of Christmas and the WWE this makes for an interesting read. Written in rhyme and watercolor illustrations featuring a few wrestlers, this story moralizes the importance of friendship. This is a great read for boys especially who need something a little more "macho" to appreciate good values. It is a fun read.