Real Santa - Softcover

Hazelgrove, William

3.56

160 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1938467949 ISBN 13: 9781938467943

Publisher: Koehler Books, 2015

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George Kronenfeldt is an unemployed engineer with one shot to keep his daughters belief in Santa intact. When Megan tells him the only way she will believe in Santa is if she can videotape him and then tells her fourth grade class she will prove the existence of Santa Claus by posting her video to YouTube, George realizes he must become the Real Santa. He devises a plan to land nine reindeer on his roof and go down his chimney, hiring a broken down movie director who eventually has him funding a full scale production that bankrupts him and threatens his marriage. When George goes to find the Real Santa to help him, the line between what is real and magic is crossed. Real Santa is a funny heartwarming story of parenthood gone wrong and illuminates what lengths parents will go to keep their children happy."

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Review:

In a fit of inspired insanity, a laid-off suburban father decides to prove to his 9-year-old daughter that there really is a Santa Claus. Never doubt the determination of a mad scientist and his plans. In this sixth novel from prolific writer and blogger Hazelgrove (The Pitcher, 2013, etc.), the author marries the everyday dramas found in the novels of Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby to the high camp of Carl Hiaasen or Dave Barry. His protagonist is an aging engineer named George Krononfeldt who is promptly laid off from his firm for his increasingly cranky attitude. Simultaneously, his daughter Megan is slowly being poisoned of her belief in Christmas-y myths by her hateful teacher, Mrs. Worthington. "I will kick Santa squarely in the nuts once and for all," she proclaims during one of her darker moments. Undetermined, George starts sketching out plans to give his daughter who has inherited her father's penchant for requiring empirical data to prove a coherent thesis one more Christmas miracle. "I'm going to be the Real Santa," George tells his father, whom he enlists in aid of the outlandish project. "I'm going to land a sled on the roof, go up the chimney, go down it, deliver the gifts, and then I'm going to get back in the sled and take off into the sky." After spending more than $80,000 building a contraption that would rival a NASA launch and engaging the help of his estranged older son and daughter and a slightly mad Santa impersonator named "Kris Kringgle," George does indeed take to the skies. It's not as frenetic as Christopher Moore's The Stupidest Angel or as maudlin as all those holiday staples (read: A Christmas Story), but adults looking for a funny holiday-themed tale that doesn't lose its sense of wonder in the face of realism will find a treat here. A lovingly crafted comedy about the madness that fatherhood inspires.--William Hazelgrove"

"A lovingly crafted comedy about the madness that fatherhood inspires." Kirkus Reviews--William Hazelgrove

Hazelgrove marries the everyday dramas found in the novels of Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby to the high camp of Carl Hiaasen or Dave Barry ... adults looking for a funny, holiday-themed tale that doesn t lose its sense of wonder in the face of realism will find a treat here. A lovingly crafted comedy about the madness that fatherhood inspires. Kirkus Reviews--William Hazelgrove"

Hazelgrove s lively, improbable narrative will appeal to readers in the mood for holiday fiction. Publishers Weekly--William Hazelgrove"

If somebody doesn t make a movie out of this book, there s something wrong with the world. Beautifully done. Booklist Starred Review--William Hazelgrove"

MOVIE RIGHTS SOLD! Vicki Rocco of Modern Family optioned the movie rights of William Hazelgrove's Real Santa for her production company Small But Mighty Productions with an eye to a feature or a made for television movie. Ms. Rocco has to her credits, Modern Family, Arrested Development, Stand and Deliver, U23D, Empire Dreams, Heather, Britany Spears Live, and sees Real Santa as a classic that will pull in people hungry for a new take on the Christmas movie. "No one has done this. No one has taken on the physics of being Santa Claus. It is funny and heartwarming and has all the things we look for in any great Christmas movie."--William Hazelgrove

About the Author:

William Hazelgrove is the best-selling author of five novels: Ripples, Tobacco Sticks, Mica Highways, Rocket Man, and The Pitcher. His books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, Booklist Editors Choice Awards, and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway s birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications and has been featured in The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, and on All Things Considered. He runs a political cultural blog, The View from Hemingway s Attic. He lives in Chicago. A new novel, Jack Pine, will be released in the spring of 2015. Visit him at: williamhazelgrove.com."

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