The Book

Title: Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King
Author: William Joyce, Laura Geringer
Series/Number: The Guardians #1
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Page Length: 240
Genre: Fantasy, Fairytale, Adventure
Age: Children’s, Middle Grade
Themes: Friendship, Light vs. Dark, Courage, Bravery

---

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Before SANTA was SANTA, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazar. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terrors of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune…or save the village.

---

At that moment a young moonbeam shot down from the sky and through the window. Like all beams, it had a mission: Protect the children.

William Joyce & Laura Geringer, Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

---

My Thoughts

This book just made me so happy. I discovered that one of my favourite movies, Rise of the Guardians, was actually inspired by a series of childrens/middle grade books. So, of course, how could I ignore it? I picked up the series and this is the first book in the series. I read and finished this at the end of December, 2019. I can honestly say that I read this book in only a few sittings. It was absolutely amazing.

The whole idea of this book and series is that they are the background stories of all our childhood heroes, the ones who protect childhood. This story follows Nicholas St. North, who eventually becomes who we know as Santa Claus. This book takes all the little stories and dreams that kids love and believe in and brings them to life. It brings to life the Man in the Moon, the Boogeyman, and intertwines all the stories and folklore kids believe and love into a world that is real and tangible.

We see Nicholas St. North beginning to develop magic and inventing and become a hero to the children of Santoff Claussen. All I can say about this book is that it absolutely brought me the most joy. It is funny and heartwarming and filled with so much hope. I am honestly so happy that I found this series and I am enjoying the heck out of the rest of the books. I absolutely adore everything about it and it pairs so well with the movie. It is also filled with illustrations from the author which just adds to the whimsy of this book.

Rating: 5/5 because it is soft and warm and hopeful and fun and so filled of childlike wonder