"Laughter, tears and a huge helping of seasonal magic"
December 2023 Debut of the Month
A musical novel is indeed a unique concept, but one that will add to the reading experience most enjoyably and the songs themselves are absolutely delightful, encompassing a huge of styles from true music theatre power ballads to funny ditties! When the reader scans the QR code on the page you can hear the author and company sing them and the performances are as polished and perfect as you would expect from a renowned West End musical star!
The book provides the lyrics to all the songs at the end which makes it a fantastically useful resource for schools and families to enjoy a sing along. I can imagine many a Christmas assembly making use of There is No Day Quite Like Christmas Day! There is a website (theboywhoslept.com) with videos and activities to accompany the book too.
But even without the songs, I predict this debut novel will fast become a seasonal favourite. It is a magical and genuinely heartwarming tale. I fail to see how anyone could avoid falling in love with the central character, Leo, who really loves Christmas in an obsessed sort of way. This was something he shared with his Mum and together they would plan and bake and decorate to the max.
But sadly, Mum passed away a few months ago, and Leo is almost taking on the role of carer for the family. His father is wrapped up in his grief, his teenage brother stays in his room and his little sister is too young to help. Leo wants to make Christmas perfect and writes endless lists with endless tasks for him to complete. Things go wrong and the tasks just accumulate, despite working till all hours and as the title implies, disaster strikes.
It will require real magic to get a happy ending and with a little adult suspension of disbelief, we can all root for that. A lovely bend of humour and pathos, relatable characters and sparkling dialogue, this is a lovely Christmas treat of a book.

Dive in to this funny and debut heart-warming magical adventure from star of stage and screen, Matt Lucas - a festive modern classic for young readers of 8-12!
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the best books for 9-12 year olds · the best books for teenagers
Dive in to this funny and debut heart-warming magical adventure from star of stage and screen, Matt Lucas - a festive modern classic for young readers of 8-12! Leo LOVES Christmas.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas features in the following genres: Books to Motivate Reluctant Readers age 9+, Recommendations, Debuts of the Month, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Festive Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Funny, Gifts, Stories about Family and Friends, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Paperback, Hardback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas was written by Matt Lucas and published by Farshore an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas has 340 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.