Tinsel (The Girl Who Invented Christmas) - Sibéal Pounder

'It's the tiny, ordinary things that snowball to make life truly magical.'

Blanche Clause is living on the streets of Victorian London and hates Christmas: she's alone and spends the day counting down the seconds until it's over.  But then a stranger gives her a red Christmas bauble, her first ever Christmas present, telling her: 'Never underestimate the gifts you are given.  What you see inside might surprise you.'  Shortly after that, she meets a young girl called Rinki who is thrilled to have found somebody she can call a friend and their friendship becomes something that will change the world forever.  Determined to have her own sleigh and to deliver a present to every child in the world, Tinsel, is the story of how Santa and the Christmas traditions we know and love today came to be.

Ok, so, disclaimer: I love Christmas!  I put the tree up at the beginning of December, play Christmas songs at full volume and will happily read any book to do with Christmas at any point in the year, so I was very much looking forward to diving into Tinsel and starting the festivities early this year (goodness knows, we need it!).  And oh boy, what a book this is!  From learning about the elves to discovering how Santa met Rudolf; from the creation of Tinsel to why Santa dresses in the red suit and beard, this book puts a rather wonderfully feminist twist on things that just make complete and utter sense when you read them!  And as for Santa ... well, I should have known: we women always do have the best ideas!!!

Blanche is a wonderful character, full of spirit and determination, and somebody who knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid of hard work in order to get there.  She's prepared to take chances and is a wonderfully feminist protagonist who will inspire girls and make them want to go out and change the world.

To be fair, this book is full of wonderful characters: Rinki is a delight and full of positivity; Teddy is following his own dreams of creating costumes and being his true self; Cook is everything you could want and a little bit more (Brussel sprout brew anyone?!) , and as for Mr Krampus - well he's just the bad guy you're going to enjoy! OOOh, and I have to mention the Carols and, most of all Eggnog, who is quite possibly the best Christmas tree in the whole history of Christmas!

From mince pie picnics (yes, they are a thing and I desperately want it to snow so I can enjoy one!) to climbing up and down chimneys, this book oozes festive spirit, is guaranteed to put a big smile on your face, make you laugh and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.  Full of magic, Tinsel is like a hug in paper format, a cosy blanket you'll want to wrap yourself in and is an absolute must read when it's released on the 29th October!