Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Teen Tuesday: Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban


Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban. 280 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, September, 2022. 9781534478831. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban. Frankincense Wood, call her Francie, is fifteen-year-old and lives in Hollydale, Indiana. She's still grieving the death of her beloved grandfather, who was the patriarch of her family's Christmas-themed store and Santa school. The business isn't doing very well and her wretched Aunt Carole has moved back home to try to change the business model. Francie's trying to stay connected to her best friend, Alice Kim, who still attends the parochial high school she used to attend. That's getting hard. Francie is also dealing with vicious teasing by the school's hockey team due to an unfortunate kissing situation from two years earlier. While she has no interest in remedying the memory of that disastrous first kiss, she can't stop noticing Hector Ramirez, who has great shoulders and other intriguing attributes.

Francie's first-person narrative sparkles with humor both self-deprecating and sly. She unabashedly loves Christmas and all things Santa. She's awkward and angsty and totally relatable. This gentle rom-com is comfy and warm like your favorite flannel pjs.

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