Blurb The Mouse King is up to some very sneaky shenanigans. The night before Christmas, he steals the key to the Kingdom of Sweets and sets out to cause as much festive mayhem as he can! Clara and Fritz Strudel, and their new friend the Nutcracker, are the only ones who can stop him. But when a magical curse is put on Fritz, it's a race against time to make it to the Kingdom of Sweets and find the Sugar Plum Fairy - the only one who can break the spell! Can the adventurers stop the Mouse King's naughty plan and save Fritz, before it's too late? Review: The quickest review I have is that you should just get this. Done. We can all go and have a Lovely Cup Of Tea and a party ring. More? Tsk, fine, don’t trust me then. An advent chapter book in the vein of Smith’s sublime Winston books, reading this one chapter a night will get you all cosy for Christmas. Full of sweets and treats, adventure and some very tricky Mild Peril (Cheese Related Magic Shenanigans ensue) this balances a pyramid of charm, camp and humour perfectly on a fondant fancy base. The characters are delicious. From a helpful squirrel to an ice chicken called Brenda (who is, of course, deathly afraid of marmalade). From the magical Anastasia Stroopwaffel to the somewhat aloof Queen Victoria Sponge. Everyone leaps off the page and the story is a riot of invention and ideas. In short, this a fizzy, frothy treat and at the same time, a traditional magical children’s story. Mind you from the mind of Claude, Mr Penguin and Winston the mouse - the devout Miss Piggy afficionado Alex T Smith - I would expect nothing less.