Kids into Books: Christmas Sonata

Author: Gary Paulsen

Illustrator: Leslie Bowman

Publisher: Macmillan, $13.95

Age Group: 8-10 years

There were too many things to take in, too many stunning things. I had complete, utter belief in Santa Claus. I had seen him in a store sitting on a raised platform, had been terrified by his power over me.

I tried to be good; and when it didn't work and I was bad I hoped that he would not hear of it, and when I sat in his lap to tell him what I wanted I nearly peed in fear. He meant Christmas and toys and more to me and I had seen his work.

The year before I had asked for an army rifle with a wooden bullet that moved back and forth with the bolt and Santa did not find out that I had played with matches and I found the rifle beneath the tree on Christmas morning.

And now I found that Santa Claus was Mr Henderson. An old man who drank red wine and scratched and spit and swore at me, and who I had heard my mother say to a neighbour woman couldn't hold a job - that was Santa Clause.