Synopses & Reviews
George Kronenfeldt is an unemployed engineer with one shot to keep his daughter's belief in Santa intact. When Megan tells him the only way she will believe in Santa is if she can videotape him and then tells her fourth grade class she will prove the existence of Santa Claus by posting her video to YouTube, George realizes he must become the Real Santa. He devises a plan to land nine reindeer on his roof and go down his chimney, hiring a broken down movie director who eventually has him funding a full scale production that bankrupts him and threatens his marriage. When George goes to find the "Real Santa" to help him, the line between what is real and magic is crossed. Real Santa is a funny heartwarming story of parenthood gone wrong and illuminates what lengths parents will go to keep their children happy.
Review
"Hazelgrove's lively, improbable narrative will appeal to readers in the mood for holiday fiction." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Hazelgrove marries the everyday dramas found in the novels of Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby to the high camp of Carl Hiaasen or Dave Barry....[A]dults looking for a funny, holiday-themed tale that doesn't lose its sense of wonder in the face of realism will find a treat here. A lovingly crafted comedy about the madness that fatherhood inspires." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"If somebody doesn't make a movie out of this book, there's something wrong with the world. Beautifully done." Booklist, Starred Review
About the Author
William Hazelgrove is the best-selling author of five novels; Ripples, Tobacco Sticks, Mica Highways, Rocket Man, and The Pitcher. His books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, Booklist Editors Choice Awards, and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications and has been featured in the New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, and on All Things Considered. He runs a political cultural blog, The View from Hemingway's Attic. He lives in Chicago. A new novel, Jack Pine, will be released in the spring of 2015. Visit him at: williamhazelgrove.com.