FIDDLESTICKS

Lowles offers a sugar-spun, peppermint-scented Christmas adventure steeped in tradition, imagination, and holiday heart.

This children’s tale, set in the whimsically grand Fiddlesticks Christmas Candy Cane Castle, follows generations of hardworking elves—and Elf Rubert, a lost young elf—as they uphold a secret family tradition of crafting the most perfect peppermint candy canes in the land. The book employs richly stitched prose that combines humor and folklore, revealing the origins of candy canes, the mischievous tricks of goblins, and the deeply magical roles that beets, Silkie hen eggs, and Peppermint Falcons (who bring the flavoring to the castle from the wilds of Mercia) play in this fictional world. Occasional grayscale images by Coelho show elves in action. Readers will be happy to learn about what goes into making the most perfect candy canes, which involves candy cane crooking machines, enchanted recipe books, and festive avian messengers; each elf has a precise role, whether they’re sugarsmiths, crookers, or ribbon-tiers—which is quite different from the toymaking elves of other holiday stories. It all leads to a gentle Christmas morning with candy canes delighting children near and far. Lowles’ detailed, old-fashioned Christmas story combines elements of fairy tales and legends, foregrounding the enduring magic of storytelling. Younger readers may need some help with the longer passages, but older children and nostalgic grown-ups will find themselves thoroughly charmed. Each page comes to life with its vivid descriptions of such things as the sparkle of frost on turret windows, the fragrant wafts of peppermint rising from cauldrons, and the rhythmic bustle of Goblin Gatekeepers protecting the factory entrance: “Equipped with smart dark blue uniforms and caps, whistles and nets, they guarded the whole Fiddlesticks castle 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” Reading this captivating tale will make anyone reach for a candy cane—and maybe some will wonder about the origins of real-life confections.

A festive and charming treat for those who love cozy, quirky Christmas stories.