The Christmasaurus is a charming children's Christmas story, by Tom Fletcher (best known by some as singer/songwriter in British band McFly).

It was lovely to have a disabled protagonist whose wheelchair was neither ignored nor the character's defining feature. Representation matters so much, and I would have loved to have read more stories like this when I was younger. I was concerned at one point that William would be miraculously "fixed", but fortunately the author did not fall into that trap. It would have been a shame and would, in my opinion, have sent out the wrong message.

The story overall was heartwarming and charming, but very predictable. It feel it is suited to a very young audience rather than the primary age group that was suggested, but it's entertaining enough for family listening. The narrator, Paul Shelley, did a superb job of bringing all the characters to life, and was the perfect choice for this book. He reminded me of the narrators of favourite stories in my youth, and was cosy, engaging, and nostalgic in a way that all good Christmas stories ought to be.

My only gripe was the overuse of the word 'evil'. Each and every action and characteristic of the two main antagonists was, at various points, described as "evil". The main villain was evil, had an evil gun, smoked an evil pipe, and had evil thoughts. The school bully was an evil girl, who smiled evil smiles, and hatched evil plans. Not only was it irritatingly repetitive, but I felt that it was both lazy and unhelpful. I think it is much more important to teach children that people do evil things and make evil choices, rather than that people are simply inherently "evil" themselves. This element did spoil the story, somewhat, because it cropped up again, and again, and again!

I would listen to other books by Tom Fletcher, and will buy this one for the little people in my life.