The Legend of the Christmas Witch

by Aubrey Plaza, Dan Murphy, Julia Iredale (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Perfectly on brand for the dynamic duo of Aubrey Plaza and Dan Murphy, The Legend of the Christmas Witch is the eerie original Christmas fable we didn’t know we needed. We’re all familiar with Santa Claus and the joy he brings, but how many know the story of his mysterious sister? Along with their beautifully and creatively crafted tale, Julia Iredale’s illustrations solidify The Legend of the Christmas Witch as a new Christmas classic.

From Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza and creative partner Dan Murphy comes the long lost tale of the Christmas Witch, Santa Claus's much misunderstood twin sister. The perfect gift for the holiday season and beyond!

Gather ‘round the fire to hear a Christmas legend that has never been told before...until now. Each year a mysterious figure sweeps into town, leaving behind strange gifts in the night. No, not Santa Claus, but his sister…

The Christmas Witch.

Her story begins many, many years ago when her brother was torn away from her as a child. Raised alone by a witch of the woods, Kristtörn's powers of magic grew, as did her temper. Determined to find her long lost twin, she set out on a perilous journey across oceans to find him. But what she found instead was a deep-seated fear of her powers and a confrontation that would leave the fate of Christmas hanging in the balance.

From award-winning producer and actress Aubrey Plaza and her creative partner Dan Murphy comes a holiday story unlike any told before. With all the richness of classic folklore, they’ve woven a tale of bravery, love and magic. Whatever you thought you knew about Christmas…think again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593350805
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Pages:	56
Sales rank:	115,243
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Aubrey Plaza, originally from Delaware, is best known for her role as April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation. She has produced and starred in several films, as well as performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. She currently lives in California and is known to dress up like a witch every Christmas.

Dan Murphy is a writer and producer who lives in Los Angeles, California. Originally from Delaware, he is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and has been creative partners with Aubrey for over fifteen years.


Julia Iredale is an illustrator fromVictoria, British Columbia. She studied illustration at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and now spends her time painting, making books, and, whenever possible, escaping into the magic forests of the Canadian West Coast.

Editorial Reviews

09/13/2021

Copper-haired infants abandoned in the Black Forest come to disparate ends in this “forgotten” dark myth. Though young Kristtörn and Kristoffer share the “gift of swiftness” and a life in the woods, the arrival of a cinnamon bun–toting Danish couple—the Kringles—ends with pastry-intent Kristoffer abandoning his sister, who is subsequently taken in by the Yule Witch Lutzelfrau. While Kristoffer learns his adoptive woodcutter father’s trade and internalizes “a strong sense of duty and hard work,” Kristtörn lives “a wild, carefree life in the forest,” learning magic but proving mercurial. When disregarding Lutzelfrau’s counsel ends in a flight to the South Pole, Kristtörn takes up a seasonal search for her North Pole–dwelling twin. Employing fairy tale diction, producer Murphy and actor Plaza meld pagan and Christian elements into blocks of text elevated through Iredale’s moody folk art. Though the story upholds folktales’ neither-here-nor-there ethics, an exploration of male privilege ends up punishing the temperamental female protagonist, undercutting the spooky seasonal telling. All characters read as white. Ages 5–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Raves for The Legend of the Christmas Witch:

"In a story that pairs the popular holiday with the pagan background of Yuletide, questions of intolerance and human flaws offer interesting layers to ponder and discuss... A well-written and thought provoking tale."—Kirkus Reviews

"The story is steeped heavily in the fairy tale tradition—raven scouts, capes woven from leaves, the ability to talk to animals, a queen who lays frozen under ice—and, especially when paired with illuminated-style borders and the deeply saturated colors of the artwork, it conjures up the magic of the Grimms and Andersen."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2021-08-18
An original legend is introduced in the familiar style of a fairy tale.

The titular tale has been “forgotten to time,” but Kristtörn was once as well known as her long-lost brother, Kristoffer, or Santa Claus. Abandoned as infants, the twins are looked after by animals in the forest until the day Kristoffer is carried off by a well-meaning childless couple, who raise him in a village. Kristtörn weeps bitterly and is found by a witch, who raises her in the forest and teaches her to use her magic, warning her to hide it from people, lest she be targeted. When Kristtörn is seen healing an animal, a mob forms to find her and burn her. She says goodbye to her adopted mother and sets off in search of her brother. After a dangerous journey, she ends up at the wrong pole. Learning that he travels the world on Christmas Eve, Kristtörn spends years searching for him, but when she finds him, they are separated by angry townspeople wishing to destroy her. Kristtörn’s temper is her downfall, but readers are left to wonder whether her return will be vengeful or conciliatory. In a story that pairs the popular holiday with the pagan background of Yuletide, questions of intolerance and human flaws offer interesting layers to ponder and discuss. Dark illustrations echo themes of winter nights and ancient European villages. All human characters present White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A well-written and thought-provoking tale. (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews