Summary: Meet a beastly boy with a dastardly plan that could ruin Christmas!

Bradley Bartleby is bad. Very bad. To avoid Bradley’s wrath, his wealthy parents buy him whatever he wants. All the adults in Bradley’s life are running scared – except for Santa Claus, who refuses to give him anything but socks.

But Bradley vows to get what he deserves. If Santa won’t give him the gifts he wants, Bradley will just have to steal them.

It takes Bradley a full year to execute his plan. In the end, he transforms his house into a trap so fearsome even his parents refuse to enter it. With dynamite, trapdoors, guillotines, and tigers in his path, Santa doesn’t stand a chance.

Or does he?

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The Santa Trap, by Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene 7.5

Warning: Contains no peace and goodwill.

Well, that was enough to pique my interest. And ‘The Santa Trap’ delivered: a short children’s book, it tell the story of Bradley, a wealthy, spoiled and entitled child who’s upset with Santa for bringing him socks every year – even though he gets showered with gifts from his parents.

Every year, Bradley makes a lengthy list of all the things he wants, and every year he gets socks. But that’s because Santa is too nice not to give him anything – he feels that even the wicked kids should at least get a little something. So, every year, this despicable child gets a pair of socks.

Worst. Gift. Ever.

This year, however, Bradley gets into his head that he’ll have the upper hand: he decides to booby trap his house so that he may capture Santa and take all of the gifts. He toils all year round just to make sure that Santa can’t escape, and by the end the mansion is one giant Santa Trap.

But Bradley’s plans won’t go as anticipated.

I picked up ‘The Santa Trap’ after seeing it on the local library’s display shelf, snuck a peak at it, and liked what I saw. Bernatene’s art was rich in colour, making it look like a devilishly silly book. And it was. It’s not extensive, but it should easily amuse the young and old alike.

And it could put a smile on The Grinch’s face, too.

(At least, for a short while.)