I am such a Harry Potter fan that I am almost always disappointed by J. K. Rowling’s other works, simply because they are not Hogwarts in the 90s. So let’s just take this children’s chapter book for what it is: a magical, Christmas journey into the Land of the Lost by one little boy and a stuffie that comes to life on the most magical night of the year. It’s a perfect set-up of taking what all children have imagined and running with it to create a whole world, swooping in on topics that many kids can relate to (divorce, blended families, losing a beloved toy, or more generally change and loss). I see this book as most successful being read aloud to children over the holiday season. And a kid may want to return to this one year after year. At the very least, it’s full of fanciful and wonder-ful things that will be fascinating the first time through.

Jack’s dad is gone, he moves to a new town, he gets a new step-dad and a new sister, but through it all he has DP, his worn-out but very understanding pig stuffie. DP will always be there for Jack, until he goes missing on Christmas Eve. Finding DP is nearly impossible, but combined with the magic of Christmas, Jack’s bravery and loyalty to DP will take him and the Christmas Pig on an amazing adventure into and across the Land of the Lost, where they will meet all the lost Things and contemplate their fates while making both friends and enemies. Where is DP? And can Jack—a real, live boy—steer clear of the Loser for long enough to save DP before midnight?

This book was next on my best books of Christmas picture books list. It turns out it is a chapter book with some illustrations, not a picture book, but that wasn’t going to stop me from reading it. I got it in the mail; I read it over a few days in my spare time.

I enjoyed it. I really think elementary aged to early middle school kids would really like it. But, as always, I have a few things to say. I mean, that’s kinda my job here.

I always find Rowling’s actual writing and writing style to be lackluster. I think Harry Potter is such a thing because of, first and foremost, the world Rowling built. Then add in her attention to detail, her characters and the plot (which is also touched by attention to detail) and you have a tour de force that translates well to other mediums without losing a ton (because it isn’t the writing that is drawing the attention here). I also think that with the magical boarding school she really hit a sweet spot with the fantasies of a couple generations, which is perhaps why Fantastic Beasts and her other books have not been as incredibly popular. (Well, maybe she should have actually written that series, but taking us away from the school and the teens was perhaps not what people really wanted. See my review HERE.)

Nevertheless, Rowling created yet another intriguing world with The Christmas Pig. It is geared much more for elementary-age kids up through at least early middle grades, and her writing is as lackluster as ever. (I could say straightforward. She is always clear. She never messes with real description, with word play, with language itself (except in naming things.)) But the place where Jack goes for the space of the book is creative, new, and full of those little details that made the Wizarding World what it is. But this time we head to the Land of the Lost, where lost things go. We cram the whole world into one book and bring it down in complexity for younger kids and space constraints. Still, there is a lot of world built and characters introduced in this small novel.

I also think that The Christmas Pig feels awkwardly like a fairy tale or, actually, more like a fable, yet I don’t think kids would mind that in the least. This would be a good one to read aloud at Christmastime to your little ones. Or give to a young bookworm under the Christmas tree. It doesn’t have to be a Christmas story, it just takes advantage of the holiday because it is the one night in a year when magic can happen. Most of the story has nothing to do directly with the holidays except that it takes place that time of year (after the first section or two).

The book has very short chapters. It is broken down into sections. Nice, black and white illustrations, but they were often a giveaway of what was to come and that always annoys me. Just put the illustration later. Unless they meant to foreshadow for kids? Nah. I don’t like it. And I would have liked more illustrations, actually, just in the right places.

And one last thing: this story could actually be too scary for some kids. There are some fairly bleak moments, but the real issue is when the Loser actually shows up. If you really imagine it well, he’s terrifying. Kids with overactive imaginations could get really scared of the Loser like kids who were terrified of the Wicked Witch of the West (my sister) or Gremlins (me). Then again, I think that most kids can probably handle it, especially kids these days who need to emotionally work through what’s going on in their own lives, from a pandemic to their own parents’ divorce. Or bullies. Or school shootings. Whatever. Reality isn’t always a pretty place, and fantasy should have bad guys that really suck, you know, like Voldemort.

In conclusion, I recommend this Christmas chapter book for kids and (for the third time) suggest that is a great read-aloud option for the holidays. It appeals equally across genders and life experiences, and across several ages. You’re not likely to recite it or quote it as great literature or poetry, but the story will enchant and stick with you and the kids, and they may ask for it again the next year.

“’Losing is part of living,’ whispered DP into Jack’s ear, his snout snuffling against Jack’s hair. ‘But some of us live even though we are lost. That’s what love does’” (p234).

“’You can love more than one thing!’ said Jack” (p257).

“He’d given the Things hope, which no lock can contain” (p258).

I don’t think there’s any talk of The Christmas Pig being made into a movie. Yes, we are only two years into its publication, but it also had some lackluster interest because some Rowling fans were boycotting her at the time (and even still). I am totally not going into all of this here  I’m just making the point that some fans being upset at her means that The Christmas Pig isn’t getting the same reviews, attention, or media deals that it would have if this boycott had never happened).

HERE is a link to the trailer for the Audible version of the audiobook with actors.