Dean Koontz (Illustrated by Phil Parks) ‘Santa’s Twin’ Review

Written by: Vitina Molgaard

Well, now Thanksgiving is safely past,

more turkey eaten this year than last,

more stuffing stuffed, more yams jammed

into our mouths. And using both hands,

coleslaw in slews, biscuits by twos,

all of us too fat to fit in our shoes.         —Santa’s Twin

 

Mr. Koontz brings forth a modern day classic here. One that should easily be sitting next to ‘The Night Before Christmas’, waiting to be read and shared with your family. Granted it is a Koontz tale which has its fair share of devious behavior and misdeeds, but it was obviously written for the pleasure of young and old alike. There is no age limit on the pleasures to be enjoyed in this tongue-in-cheek tale. My recommendation is that it should be read aloud with someone whose laughter you enjoying hearing.

Christmas Eve has arrived and we find our protagonists, two sisters preparing for the big day. Unfortunately the two very good girls, named Charlotte and Emily, have discovered a threat to all the children’s joy. Apparently Santa has been kidnapped by his evil twin brother, Bob Claus. These youngsters bravely set out to resolve this problem.

I will share with you a few of Bob’s favorite things, like cat poop, mud pies and toad snot. To say the least, he’s a mischievous imposter with scandalous plans. To tell much more would be unfair, you as the reader need to discover just how intense our evil misbehaving brother can be and how the problems of our heroines proceed to be resolved. After all we are dealing with a missing Santa on Christmas.

This is a beautifully illustrated book and the credit for that goes to Phil Parks. Some of these pictures are delightfully wicked and meant to be scrutinized. The book itself is just a true joy. This is Koontz at his best, in a very different format. One other thing I want to make note of: Be sure you read this all the way to the very last page. There is a neat little rhyme there that should send you right back to the beginning of the book. Whatever you do, don’t peek.

Rating: 5/5