Virtually Christmas

Description

The HILARIOUS new novel and the year's most perfect festive gift - from million-copy bestselling author David Baddiel It used to be the most WONDERFUL time of the year, but for years Christmas has been taken over by Winterzone. All the things that made Christmas special are gone: the human connection, the baubles passed down through generations, even the rubbish cracker jokes. Instead, Christmas is run by robots, while 3D holograms of Santa Claus called Santavatars check if you've been naughty or nice - and on Christmas Eve, all of the presents are delivered by ZoneDrones instead of Santa's reindeer! But when they stumble on a curious clue, eleven-year-old Etta and her friend Monty find themselves thrown into a fight to bring back Christmas. Racing against time and against the might of Winterzone, they must find the real Santa - before the true meaning of the festive season is lost forever . . .

David Baddiel was born in 1964 in Troy, New York, but grew up and lives in London. He is a comedian, television writer, columnist and author of three previous novels, of which the most recent is The Secret Purposes. Steven Lenton has been the winner of the Waterstones Picture Book of the Month and the Times Children's Book of the Week. He also illustrates fiction for David Baddiel, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and is the Sainsbury's Prize-winning illustrator of The Nothing to See Here Hotel series.

'Best friends Etta and Monty must find the real Santa and save Christmas... in the hilarious latest from the bestselling comedian and author of The Boy Who Got Accidentally Famous' Waterstones, Books of the Year 2022 Reviews for The Person Controller: "A perfect combination of humour, magic and a happy ending." Charlotte Norman, Waterstones Bookseller "A real page turner... a compelling story with relatable characters and meaningful life lessons." Huffington Post Reviews for The Parent Agency: "Funny, sometimes moving, always engaging" Guardian "I love this book because it really made me laugh! The best book I've read since I was born!" Tom, 11, LoveReading4Kids "Exciting and funny - I didn't want to put it down!" Daisy, 10, LoveReading4Kids