The Santa List

Not one single babysitter in their town is brave enough to look after Aisling and Joe, two siblings who are CONSTANTLY getting into mischief. But when a business trip means their parents have to go away for a couple of nights before Christmas Eve, it’s time for desperate measures – and suddenly Aisling and Joe find themselves saddled with a super-strict babysitter called Mrs Grough.

Living with Mrs Grough is a nightmare – there’s no fun, no noise, no mess, and certainly no bad behaviour allowed under her mega-harsh list of rules. In fact, she’s so strict that a little misunderstanding (OK – perhaps not that little) sees Aisling and Joe finally on Santa’s naughty list and faced with the prospect of NO presents on Christmas Day.

But when the list goes missing, the siblings realise there's a lot more at stake, Armed only with a very messy dog, a grumpy elf and an unexpected new ally in the form of the toughest kid at school, Aisling and Joe have to find Santa’s list and save Christmas – before it’s too late!

Hilarious, fast-paced and filled with expressive black and white illustrations by James Lancett, this is a perfect Christmas adventure story for children aged 6-8 – and a great one to read together, as there’s lots of funny bits for grown-ups to enjoy too. There’s a positive underlying message about the importance of kindness and compassion towards people you might not get on with at first, and that Christmas is about much more than getting presents.