cover image Santa.com

Santa.com

Russell Hicks and Matt Cubberly, illus. by Ryley Garcia. Familius, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-64170-289-8

What if Santa modernized his operations? Hicks and Cubberly imagine that scenario in this tale about young elf Yo-Yo, who is just starting out at Santa.com. On the eve of Yo-Yo’s first day on the assembly line, where he loads delivery drones with children’s Christmas gifts via the push of a red button, his grandfather regales him with favorite stories of Christmases past—the days when Santa loaded a sack with elf-made toys and delivered them himself via reindeer-powered sleigh. So, when Cyber Scrooge hacks Santa.com, tripping an alarm and threatening Christmas, Yo-Yo enlists a team—and seeks out Santa himself—for a back-to-basics rescue mission. Garcia fills the gift fulfillment center with looming tech—drones and alarms—that conveys a harrowing surveillance state vibe. Though the cast of wide-eyed characters eventually celebrates the plan’s success, the disjointed story-within-a-story can feel a bit unclear. Ages 4–8. [em](Sept.) [/em]