Tommy and The Bedbugs - Benedict John
A chance encounter with the 'monsters' beneath his bed on Christmas Eve, take the nine-year-old Tommy on a thrilling roller-coaster adventure that leads to the discovery of the 'real' Santa Clause!
Action-packed and hilarious for kids and adults alike!
A compelling and humorous short novel that brings together a cast of colourful charcters:
- Tommy: A well-meant, but slightly spoilt 9-year old, who needs to be taught the true meaning of Christmas!
- The Bedbugs: Iggy, Ziggy & Lou, whose diverse personalities make for instant comedy!
- Santa: An ordinary guy, trying to hold down a very extraordinary job!
- Rudolph: The infamous reindeer, whose fame and fortune have totally gone to his head!
A charming tale, with a strong moral undertow, and heartfelt twist to the ending:
Author, Benedict John: "From an early age, the whole concept of Santa Claus bothered me. It just didn't seem to be very well thought out. Why was this guy (Santa) getting in a sleigh and delivering presents all over the world every Christmas Eve? It is a lovely thought, but who was financing it? Where was he getting the presents? How were they being organised and and packaged? How did he get them all in one bag? How did he get around the whole world in one night?
To me, as a very pragmatic child, none of this stacked up as a viable business plan (I couldn't imagine presenting it to Dragon's Den..!). There were endless missing details and flaws in the whole concept. I really wanted to buy into the myth of Santa, but there were just too many loose ends - nobody had really bothered to think it through!
Thus the tale of Tommy and The Bedbugs started to germinate in my mind from about age 3 or 4, as I sought to find answers to the above questions in order to rationalise, and therefore make real the myth of Santa, and ultimately make it believable for the average child - and maybe for a few adults also!"
