Stowaway on Santa's Sleigh All year long the North Pole is busy. Everyone is busy except Stanley Claus, who has way too much time on his hands. Stanley, an eleven year old primordial dwarf was being bullied in his home town, so his uncle Santa Claus welcomed him to the North Pole to help with this very sensitive issue. Stanley, also a child prodigy, is soon met with an even worse kind of bullying. When he is finally given a very adult job to do, things get worse. He starts to feel that he doesn't fit in anywhere. He is a little boy with a BIG mind and an even bigger heart. Stanley is also a cookie moocher and his adversary is Sonsaray, the chief cookie baker. Fiona is a nine year old beauty who loves Stanley and always bugs him for a kiss. Stanley confides in Herald, his best friend. Due to the huge increase in the number of children in the world, Santa is forced to turn to technology to face and manage the increased demand. Everything needs to be computerized. One major project was the toy bag on the sleigh. While the outside appearance of the bag on the sleigh remained the same, thanks to the magic of Christmas, the inside of the bag was expanded to the size of about twenty football fields. It too had to be automated and computerized. Stanley feels that there aren't any truly naughty children. "They are just confused or misunderstood, or they don't know how to be nice." He became a "stowaway with a purpose" inside the enormous toy bag. He felt that no child should be given coal. Every child should be given a second chance and receive a toy. Stanley was given the honor of supervising the loading of the sleigh which included millions of toys but not a single bin of coal. Using his advanced intellect he made multiple changes to all of the computer systems to fit his agenda. And he had to do all in secret. His mission never wavered but his mind-set did. Despite all of his work and effort, he was still getting rude remarks, criticisms and disrespect from many of the adults. All of this took an emotional toll...after all, he was still just a child. He felt out of place and like he was being bullied all over again. He decided that he wanted to go back home to Minnesota. Being a stowaway on Santa's sleigh would afford him a free ride home and he wouldn't have to explain anything to his Uncle Santa or anyone else. (Except his parents.) The dilemma came when they reached his own house in Minnesota on Christmas Eve, because they had only finished half of the route. What would happen to the "naughty list" children on the second half of the route? They wouldn't get a second chance! For them, nothing would change. He made a personal and grown up decision; he had to continue and finish the route! He couldn't let them down! While they were at Stanley's house, Santa discovered him and they had a heart-to-heart talk. Stanley became emotionally overwhelmed as he proceeded to tell Uncle Santa everything. Santa appealed to him and asked him if he thought that at least the relentless bully from his school should get a lump of coal instead of a nice toy. Stanley displayed a mature and forgiving spirit and said that of all people, he needs and should be given a second chance. The book ends back at the North Pole with a sleepy Stanley Claus going to bed filled with wonderful memories of perhaps the best day of his young life. When he woke up he found that he was two feet taller, he had along white beard and he was wearing red pajamas with "SANTA" monogrammed on the chest. He had become the person he had always wanted to be. My book tells of the whimsical antics, the intellectual genius, and the sensitive nature of Stanley Claus. I've played Santa Claus for thirty years and I felt compelled to introduce a fresh, new and delightful character into the magical story of Christmas. Enjoy my book.

チャールズ・ジェフリー・ノエル・シニアが描く本作は、聖夜の魔法を「少年の慈悲と成長」へと昇華させた珠玉の一冊です。主人公スタンリーは、明晰な頭脳ゆえに疎外感を抱えながらも、世界中の子供に救いの手を差し伸べようと奮闘します。大人の効率主義を超えたこの純粋な優しさは、人間性の極致を体現しており、読む者の心を激しく揺さぶります。 物語の核にあるのは、自らの痛みを通じて他者を赦し、真の居場所を見出す魂の旅路です。幻想的な情緒の中で彼が下す決断は、他者への寛容さが持つ真の力を教えてくれます。聖夜の奇跡が単なる贈り物ではなく、次世代へ受け継がれる「愛の覚悟」へと変わる感動的な瞬間を、ぜひその目で見届けてください。