This extract of Sprouts had made me seriously excited to read this whole book. It’s festive, mysterious and I am already hooked.

I loved Pounder last Christmas book - she’s great at festive books.

I would definitely recommend this book based on the chapters i have read.

Thank you to NetGalley.

We did not actually read this extract. When the children found out that the book had already been published, they forced me to buy the full book. Reading only an extract is too cruel apparently. Reading a little at a time, a bit like an advent calendar, but so far they are loving it !

Loved the previous book by this author (Tinsel) and was really hoping for more of the same quality but I found this a bit bland. It seems to have been written to try and fit a gap rather than to make an excellent story. I am sure many children will love the idea and read it happily but, as an adult who has read many, many children’s books I don’t feel this one quite hits the mark .

My daughter is a huge fan of Sibéal Pounder and has loved her previous books, the squeals when she saw this . Having reread Tinsel several times she loved being in this Christmas world. She did say Sprouts would work as a standalone novel but she wholeheartedly recommends reading Tinsel before Sprouts.

She loved the characters, the humour , the plot and the wonderful witchcraft. Looking forward to buying a copy to add to her collection on publication . Recommended for age 8+ readers who love magic, fun and adventure stories

This was the perfect Christmas book, filled with adventure, friendship, and candy canes!

Gryla, is a witch, but she hates it, while the whole world busy with Christmas celebrations year-round, witches only celebrate once a year on Mince Pie Island. Everything changes when Gryla is kidnapped by Merrilee and taken to Humbug, the Christmas capital of the world.

It turns out that Christmas year-round isn’t as fun as it seems, especially because there are severe punishments for anyone who doesn’t celebrate adequately. Merrilee, the daughter of Santa Claus, desperately needs Gryla’s help to stop the Krampus, terrible monsters who enforce Christmas laws.

Sprouts was a well-written story with an amazing plot and charming characters. It’s the perfect book to read under the covers with a nice cup of hot chocolate and a candy cane—though perhaps not a sprout-flavored one

Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

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A brilliantly festive adventure. Christmas has taken over the world and must be celebrated every day.
The witches have been exiled to the Mince Pie isles and guard the book of spells.
Merrilee is the daughter of Santa and desperately wants to return Christmas tradition and celebrate once a year. Gryla, a witch, is bored and loves the idea of celebrating Christmas every day. When she becomes guardian of the book, and is whisked away by Merrilee, they both work together to return the old Christmas celebrations.
A book full of magic, candy canes and adventure. Loved it

It's really no secret that I love Christmas and that I adored Tinsel (you can read my review here) so when I saw Sprouts, I squealed with delight and it jumped to the top of my reading pile (which meant that I read it in 40 degree heat whilst lying on a sunbed!).

Set in the future, the book is based around the idea that every day is Christmas for everybody except the witches who have been banished to Mince Pie Isles where they still only celebrate it once a year. Now, I know I love Christmas but the thought of celebrating it everyday would fill even me with dread! And it's this opinion drives Merrilee to find Gryla in order to try to stop the Krampuses that were created in order to protect everyone from the witches and to ensure that Krampus Code is kept. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, things seem to have become rather unpleasant.

Like Tinsel, Sprouts is a Christmas story with a difference and is one that readers will adore. Perfect as a stand-alone book, it's also a wonderful book to read after Tinsel as there are some wonderful references that readers will spot - I loved this!

Publishing 26th September, Sprouts is guaranteed to fill you with Christmas spirit, put a smile on your face and leave you craving candy canes!

The year is 2000+2024 and it’s always Christmas.
Though the Christmas spirit is long gone.
Gryla Garland (yes, the puns);realises that it being always Christmas is not magical at all. Being a witch, a banished one who cares about Christmas, she joins forces with Santa’s daughter Merilee Claus (yes, more puns there, and I have not even mentioned the names of locations) to bring the sprouts back!

A very Christmasy book. It is witty. silly, creative and is full of nice jokes about Christmas tropes. I highly recommend this book for 8+, especially 9-12 year-olds, and it is highly enjoyable to read with and to younger children (5-8).

I read this book with my nine year old.

The story takes place in a world where it's always Christmas. Witches, however, live in the Mince Pie Isles where Christmas only happens once a year. Gryla, a witch, is taken on an adventure by a mysterious figure, in a quest to stop the Krampuses and put Christmas back to 25 December for the entire world.

The story was well written and engaging. My son's only complaint was that the dungeons were mentioned a little bit too much, which meant that when they actually made it to the dungeons it was less exciting than it could have been.

A recommend read for fans of Witch Wars and people who love Christmas