8 Tiny Reindeer: An Advent Calendar Adventure

Do the contents of the “Excerpt” sound familiar? In the near future, Christmas has really changed. With the season heavily commercialized and automated, Santa no longer sees the need for elves or his reindeer, relying heavily on technology provided by the evil tech baron Larchmont Quickbuck. But what Santa fails to see is that Quickbuck wants to replace him, too, forcing Santa to retire and taking over the holiday entirely.

Just weeks to go before Christmas, Quickbuck unleashes his plan and shuts down Santa’s workshop – literally. The machines stop making toys, and, with no reindeer to deliver presents, Santa’s worst fears are coming true – Christmas might be cancelled this year.

Enter Delfina and Elvis, the last two elves working in the North Pole. Santa tasks them with a very important mission: to find his eight tiny reindeer and reunite them in time to save Christmas. But where do they start?

As the duo embark on a fantastic adventure through the North, they rely on some friends and family to help them along their way, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Delfina’s mother, who just so happens to be the best reindeer wrangler the elves have ever seen.

Back at the North Pole, Santa is working on saving Christmas by fixing the machines that make his toys. Not surprisingly, Quickbuck tries to sabotage his efforts by hacking his systems and initiating drone attacks, but Santa and his crew have a few tricks up their sleeves too!

Meanwhile, Elvis and Delfina are slowly wrangling up all eight reindeer, finding them in the most unlikely of places. From bobsledding, to dancing in a production of “The Nutcracker”, Santa’s reindeer have been having fun and are none too pleased to return home.

However, in the end, everything ends well, with all eight reindeer making it to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, with Delfina and Elvis in tow. Santa and his faithful elves have managed to fix his workshop, and, not surprisingly, Christmas is saved.

Based on a podcast of the same name, 8 Tiny Reindeer is a fun-filled holiday graphic novel that will delight younger readers. Its format is quite entertaining and lends an interactive element to the story. Written in the form of an advent calendar, each chapter represents one day in December, leading up to Christmas Day. Children have the option to binge-read the entire book, or, if they choose, read one chapter a day. Readers who opt for the latter will delight in the anticipation.

Furthermore, Danesh Mohiuddin has created a verifiable winter wonderland through his visually stunning illustrations. With the book being filled with bright colours and action-packed sequences, children will feel like they are in on the adventure themselves.

Overall, a highly entertaining read, 8 Tiny Reindeer is the perfect graphic novel to usher in the holiday season.