nut free nerd

Author: John Grisham

Number of Pages: 177

Publisher: Arrow

Release Date: 2001

“Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.”

– Goodread.com

This book was recommended to me by one of the librarians at my school library, and I’m so glad I decided to read it! It’s short, sweet, and such a fun read!

Skipping Christmas is one of those novels in which the characters really make the story entertaining and worthwhile. Luther Krank is sassy, snarky, witty, and my favorite character by far in this story. I think there’s a tiny bit of Luther in all of us, that little voice in our heads that gets really determined to prove people wrong when in actuality we need to take some time to relax and look at the bigger picture. Luther’s interactions with his neighbors actually made me laugh out loud, because he’s just so incredibly against Christmas that it’s pretty ridiculous. I can picture people acting like him in real life, and that image makes it a million times funnier. There’s this one scene involving Luther, a giant Frosty, and a rooftop, and it was one of the funniest scenes I’ve read in a long time. Priceless!

This book is quite short- less than 200 pages- yet there is so much packed into it! It’s heartwarming, hilarious, and even a bit suspenseful. I honestly had no idea what would happen at the ending because it seemed like anything at all could happen where the Kranks were concerned. Fortunately the ending was adorable and fit the story perfectly. And despite its length (or lack thereof, rather) Skipping Christmas still manages to deliver an important message: Christmas is about the people around us, not material possessions or appearances.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, but don’t simply take my word for it- I highly recommend that you read it and experience its loveliness for yourself! 🙂

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!

Have you read this book before? What are your thoughts on it? What holiday books would you recommend? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY