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Holy Mother of the Universe. Now, when I tell you that I loved this book – I AM REALLY TELLING YOU THAT I LOVED THIS BOOK. I finished it within 20 minutes and it was hilarious, sarcastic, ironic, beautiful, heartwarming and honestly, just stunning. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard as when I was reading about Schmuck the Buck, the real hero of the Holidays, let’s be honest. The blurb is as follows, and can be found on GoodReads:

Larry was just your regular caribou, who was cruelly excluded from his crew. He and his kin happened to be the sole Jewish reindeer in the North Pole. Larry was bullied and treated the worst way, until his plan saved one Christmas Day.

A contemporary satirical take on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Schmuck the Buck introduces Larry, a young Jewish reindeer. He overcomes his awkward and sometimes painful youth to save Christmas. His tale of acceptance and inclusion is sure to warm the hearts of anyone who loves Christmas, Hanukkah, or both. Sixty pages of vibrant illustrations bring his story to life. A unique modern addition to any holiday library.

Schmuck the Buck is a story of the trials and tribulations of Santa’s only Jewish reindeer, Schmuck. Larry the Buck was down on his luck (see what I did there) and he was bullied by older reindeers in high school, who kept calling him Schmuck the Buck. I adore Larry, his character is hardworking with a heart of gold. He realised how cruel his world was, and did his best to find his place amongst the bedlam. What occurs is Schmuck saving the Christmas and earning the respect of his peers, and of course, Santa. 

At this point, I have to say that the writing was brilliant and extremely creative. This novel is in a sort of ‘picture book’ form, with an appropriate amount of written words on each page with graphics that are immersive and compelling. But it is the commentary on society, politics and culture which made me laugh out loud in complete agreement. The level of satire is sophisticated for an adult audience, but young adults and older teenagers will be able to understand and find the irony and hilarity of the commentary and overall narrative.

At its core, EXO Books does a wonderful job in honing in on such a powerful message that is compounded, not confined, by its satirical nature. For this, I want to highlight a paragraph from the Schmuck the Buck:

Schmuck said, ‘We have our differences, that’s for sure,

But we’re all the same at the core.

Christmas isn’t just about gifts, but the love underneath,

So it really doesn’t matter your religious belief.

It really is a powerful message underneath the humour and sarcasm, and that is why I think I enjoyed it the amount that I did. As a result, I give Schmuck the Buck: Santa’s Jewish Reindeer 5 out of 5 stars. Honestly, give this a read. It’s a quick read that doesn’t hold back its punches and I can’t recommend it enough! And shoutout to Korina Shor for her amazing art and drawings for the novel!

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That’s it for this review, my loves! Until next time, happy reading!

Allie

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NOTE: I just want to extend my extreme thanks to EXO Books for giving me a free E-copy of Schmuck the Buck in exchange for an honest review.

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