From Alex T. Smith, bestselling creator of festive favourites The Grumpus, How Winston Came Home for Christmas, How Winston Delivered Christmas, and The Twelve Days of Christmas (Or, Grandma is Overly Generous), comes a gorgeous retelling of a Christmas classic The Nutcracker. On Christmas Eve, as the air fizzles and crackles with magic, Clara and Fritz Strudel witness something truly unbelivable: a toy Nutcracker comes alive! And that night, after they creep downstairs to investigate the toy, they are swept up in a magical, snowy adventure. The Mouse King has stolen all of the chocolates, biscuits and goodies in The Kingdown of Sweets and has an evil plan in place. It's up to Clara, Fritz and their new friend the Nutcracker to stop him. But when Fritz slowly starts turning into a mouse, it's a race against time to find the Sugar Plum Fairy, the only one who can save him! Can they stop the Mouse King and save Fritz before it's too late? With irresistible illustrations and twenty-four and a half chapters - one to enjoy each day in December in the lead up to the big day - Alex T. Smith's retelling of The Nutcracker is the perfect gift for any child at Christmas.