Andreas Steinhöfel: An Elk Dropped In (originally published under the title Es ist ein Elch entsprungen in 2021)
It was the third Sunday of Advent, Billy and his family were in the living room singing a Christmas song when with a loud bang, not an angel, but a moose descended from the sky and crashed into the middle of the room through the roof, tearing their IKEA table to pieces. Mr. Moose can talk, so he tells them that he and his boss, Santa Claus, were just making a test flight when he drifted off a curve and landed in Billy’s house. Billy really likes the new arrival, who is housed in the garage, but the Boss soon comes to get him back.
The book is not a traditional Christmas story, but it contains the values that we usually emphasize especially as the Holiday approaches: kindness, care and family. In addition, we can find a lot of humor and contemporary references, which elevates the story to the level of the new classics.
The author has already published about twenty middle grade and young adult books, several of which have become recommended readings in the schools in his home country, Germany. His works have already been translated to several languages, and he presents himself with The Pasta Detectives in Hungarian, with which he won the German Children’s Literature Prize in 2008 in addition to several honorable recognitions. A very, very good book! I read it back in 2020 and it became my favorite book of that year. This Christmas story has also become one of my favorites, and it will be a re-read every Christmas.
