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Santa's Gotta Go!
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  • Published: 27 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9798217239009
  • Imprint: Nancy Paulsen Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $17.99

Santa's Gotta Go!

Formats & editions
Paperback
27 Oct 2026
EBook
10 Oct 2023
Audiobook
10 Oct 2023
Hardback
7 Nov 2023
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We all know that Santa Claus is one cool dude! But how is he as a houseguest? Find out in this hilarious picture book by bestselling author Derrick Barnes!

The number one thing on Monte and Mabel’s Christmas wish list is the chance to hang out with Santa Claus. So when his sleigh breaks down in their yard as he’s finishing his last delivery, they couldn’t be more delighted--Santa’s gonna stay with them while he waits for spare parts to be delivered! It’s a dream come true . . . or is it? It turns out Santa doesn’t have a lot of experience being a houseguest, and likes to rock out late at night and swigs spaghetti sauce from the jar. Soon he goes a step too far and the whole family agrees--Santa’s gotta go! But how on earth do you kick out Santa Claus?

Readers will get a kick out of this hilarious holiday tale by New York Times bestselling author Derrick Barnes, with its funny reminder to be careful what you wish for and to remember that sharing the holiday spirit can take a lot of goodwill.
  • Published: 27 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9798217239009
  • Imprint: Nancy Paulsen Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $17.99
Categories:

About the authors

Derrick Barnes

Derrick Barnes is a National Book Award Finalist for his graphic novel Victory. Stand!-Raising My Fist For Justice, which also won the YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award, and a Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut which received a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award, and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers. In 2020, he became the only author to win the Kirkus Prize twice for the New York Times bestseller, I Am Every Good Thing, which also won a Charlotte Huck Award and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor. Derrick is also the creator of the New York Times bestselling companion picture books, The King of Kindergarten and The Queen of Kindergarten. He is a native of Kansas City, MO, but currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his enchanting wife, Dr. Tinka Barnes, and their four sons, the Mighty Barnes Brothers.
portrait photo of Derrick Barnes

Courtney Lovett

Courtney Lovett received her BFA in Visual Arts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. As a Black American and a native of the DC-Maryland-Virginia area, her work reflects her heritage and upbringing, focusing on perspectives that are often underrepresented or misrepresented in art and media.
CL

Praise for Santa's Gotta Go!


PRAISE FOR SANTA'S GOTTA GO!
    * “Crisp illustrations transport readers into the comfortable and loving home of a young Black family and clearly convey the family’s emotions on their faces: exhaustion, annoyance, anger, surprise, and more. Children will love seeing an easily relatable Santa Claus and family.” —SLJ STAR
    “A relatable Black family and a very modern Black Santa. . . . Santa’s outlandish shenanigans will have readers giggling and turning pages to see how the Macks will survive his stay. A fun reminder about the holiday spirit of giving.” —Kirkus
  “Barnes and Lovett bring comedic havoc to this vision of a Santa who’s more chaotic than nice.” —PW

PRAISE FOR DERRICK BARNES'S I GOT YOU
    * “Barnes’ text is elegant in its simplicity, loving yet never saccharine, and always emotionally honest. . . . Brotherly love and Black joy abound in this brilliantly told tribute to the ties that bind.” —Kirkus STAR
  * “Barnes honors older siblings’ contributions to family dynamics. . . . A touching work that models secure attachments and strong sibling connections.” —PW STAR
  * “This moving picture book depicts a loving Black family with a strong bond between siblings. . . . An enjoyable picture book for reading aloud in families with children who wonder about becoming an older sibling.” —Booklist STAR