Tog is desperate to join Santa’s elves. He makes fantastic toy lemurs for his family and friends but does he have what it takes to join Santa’s workshop…?
Diary of a Christmas Elf is a wonderfully festive children’s book.
Tog discovers that dreams and reality are often very different. His dream job working for Santa doesn’t go to plan and he finds himself in trouble. Christmas is also in danger so Tog needs to prove his own innocence and find some self belief while uncovering a mystery at the heart of Santa’s workshop.
I loved the diary and narrative style which worked well as an audiobook. The narration by Ben Miller is perfect. The tone is lighthearted and warm while conveying a festive mystery. I liked the characters and the insight into Tog’s experiences through the diary format.
Overall I was disappointed that the book is so short the audiobook is just an hour and a half but I loved the plot and characters so much I wanted more! However, I am not the target audience and this would probably match children’s attention span. The ending was a little abrupt but there are sequels which I intend to read in time for next Christmas.
Book blurb:
Discover the joy of gift giving and meet Santa himself in the perfect stocking filler from the million-copy selling actor, author and comedian, Ben Miller.
All Tog wants to do is work in Santa’s workshop and one wonderful day, the letter from Santa arrives: Tog has been selected as an apprentice elf! Making toys is a lot more technical and a lot less fun than Tog had imagined, and even though his new friend Holly tries to help him, he’s quickly relegated to cleaning out the reindeer stables. But someone has been stealing the presents from the workshop and a case of mistaken identity finds Tog accused of being the culprit! Can Tog use his special Christmas magic to discover the real thief and save all the presents before Christmas Eve is over?
