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Tinsel Reader Reviews

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Tinsel

This is a really fun, festive, feminist book! Perfect for Christmas.

This is the heartwarming and festive tale of Blanche Claus and her incredible friends, who come together to make Christmas magical for every child. It addresses some serious points like inequality and unfairness in Victorian times, and how women and girls didn't have the same rights or freedoms as men and boys, but overall this is the funny, festive, feminist story about the girl who invented Christmas! The talking Christmas tree and the elves are brilliant and the friendships made though the book are so heartwarming and feel very real. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the festive season. An absolute joy to read!

Emily Welbourn

Tinsel is a brilliant Christmas story which both Boys and Girls will enjoy. I am 9 and read it on my own but it would also be a good family read. If you like adventure and suspense then you will really like this story and it will prepare you for Christmas..Ho Ho Ho!

Tinsel- The Girls who invented Christmas is a festive Christmasy story about hope and never giving up.
The story is about an orphan girl called Blanche who dislikes Christmas until she is given a magical bauble by an old lady.
Making friends with an abandoned horse Rudy, Blanche sets off with a new found friend on a Christmas adventure.
The book is very good and exciting and I did not want to stop reading it as I loved it.
The book is perfect to read on your own or as a family and it gives you a Christmassy feeling of love.

Elissa Watkin

Descriptive, funny multiple plot lines. Tinsel takes everything we know about Christmas and changes it, whilst all along giving a reasonable explanation. Recommended for Christmas lovers!

Blanche hates Christmas. She is homeless and has nothing of her own. But she is given a mysterious bauble which changes her life forever. She befriends an abandoned horse (Rudy) and finds another girl without a home. The girl’s name is Rinki and the two become best friends. But when Blanche returns to see Rinki again, she isn’t there. Five years later, Blanche is working as a carter, disguised as a boy. She is asked to deliver a strange box and finds Rinki with a home. When the two were discussing their Christmas wishes, Blanche tells Rinki that, if she could, she would give every child in the world a present at Christmas. With the help of her friends, Blanche makes her dream come true but not everything went to plan…


This book is very descriptive and funny and I absolutely love it! Some bits are deeper than others and there are multiple plot lines that slot together like a jigsaw, creating a masterpiece! The book draws you in and it feels as though you can read the whole thing in one go, even though it’s 320 pages long. I like how Tinsel takes everything we know about Christmas and changes it slightly but also gives everything in the book a very reasonable explanation. It also shows how females are put down and tells us that they are more capable than many people think. I would definitely recommend this book to girls and Christmas lovers.

Rodborough Readers

I loved this story!! It is so original and really funny in places. The group of friends seem really lovely and I wish I was part of that group too! Especially if I got to have a ride with Rudy. Fantastic story, you need to read this!

Firstly, I really loved the cover of this book. It’s nice and colourful and the title is all sparkly. From the title and the picture it makes you want to pick it up and read it straight away.
I like the fact it has some information on elves before you start the actual story, it does help when reading.
The style of writing is really easy to read. It flows and keeps you entranced in the story. I found it really hard to put down. I just kept saying ‘one more chapter’.
The main characters are Blanche Claus, who is a homeless orphan living on the streets of London, pretending to be a boy so she can be a carter and earn some money for food. Then there is Rudy, a horse who turned up just when she needed him. There is also Rinki, another orphan, but who now has a home. And then Santa the cabin boy, who Blanche meets on board a ship.
I don’t really want to tell you too much about the story, but there is a very mean man called Mr Krampus who hates Christmas and wants to bring the whole thing crashing down.
Blanche, Rinki, Rudy and Santa decide that with the help of the elves, they are going to make sure each child in the world receives a gift at Christmas, no matter where they are.
And so lots of the little things we know about Christmas suddenly become explained.
I think I prefer this idea of Santa Claus more than the original actually.
I read this book super quick and I think I need to read it at least three more times before Christmas!

Lily O’Dwyer

A wonderful Christmas adventure, lots of festive fun and girl power!

What a wonderful book I loved it. It got started straightaway wasn’t boring at all. A very exciting Christmas adventure. I love Blanche and Rinki, Mr Krampus was very mean. Eggnog was very funny, I’d love to go to the North Pole and meet all the Carols!

Sabrina Chorley

A magical story with suspense!

Tinsel is a spectacular Christmassy story with a twist. Maybe we got the Santa tale a bit wrong? Maybe Mrs. Claus played a very vital role in the magic of Christmas ever happening? From waiting for Christmas to be over, to loving it and changing Christmas for children all over the world, Blanche goes on adventures all over the world! I couldn't stop reading and was very excited to finish the book. Read along as Blanche Claus and Rinki go on a life changing journey. I loved how creative the story line was and how eye-catching of a book cover it has. I would love to recommend this book to anyone wanting to go on a Christmassy adventure!

Prisha Yadav

https://prishayadav.blogspot.com/2021/10/tinsel-by-sibeal-pounder.html