The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Santa's Smelly Socks!
Because Santa's Smelly Socks! was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Rodel Barnachea
Upon poring over the title's official OBC review and Amazon page, I decided not to purchase the book. My primary reason is that I'm too old to be reading children's stories, and this book is intended for children aged three to ten. I also don't have any very young relatives or friends with very young children to whom I can give this book as a present. After I sampled the book, I still wouldn't purchase it. My reasons are similar to the ones above. It's also because nothing in it compelled me to read the rest of the story. Even if the sample contains only two pages, I still have my favorite part of the sample: It is the hilarious face of Santa Claus. I didn't note any errors in the text, so I think the book is professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:59 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
evraealtana
I don't have children, so I have no need for a children's book. I found the pictures of "Santa" to be creepy-looking, particularly in the way his tongue is always hanging out and in how his eyes bulge crazily. Some of the rhyming was a little off, such as "trees" and "wheezed", and while the lines did (usually) rhyme, there wasn't a consistent meter, making it hard to read the book as poetry, the way most children's books are intended to be. The book would most appeal to little boys, I think, because of the "yucky"/body humor theme. The book is short enough to be read in its entirety in a matter of a few minutes, but I have no desire to find out what happens, so I won't even invest that much in it. The official OBC reviewer felt it was a good children's book, so perhaps I'm just not the right audience for it. I found two errors in the first several pages: erroneous hyphenation in "a giant stack-of-socks piled high on the road" (stack of socks); and further/farther confusion in "a few miles further another stinky load" (farther).
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:57 am by evraealtana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The cover and title adequately denote what the book is about. There are only 11 Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide if I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary is very vocal, but not interesting enough to make me sample the book. As I am not interested in the theme of the book anyway, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found only first two pages of the book. I didn't find any story content. As I am not able to sample enough content of the book, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the first two pages of the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors in the sampled. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:52 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mutai Marshal
Just as the name title suggest, this is a book for Christmas festivity. During one of his rounds, Santa encountered a stack of socks. What happens next? The languages used by the author is simple. I loved most the graphical presentations. They make the book memorable and enjoyable to read. The book title and cover page dissuaded me from reading this book. It appeared to be a children's book, which is a genre I don't like. Having sampled the book and read the OBC review, I will not but it due to its genre (children's book). It seems exceptionally edited, and I cannot suggest any improvements for this read.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:40 am by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
By just looking at the author in the cover photo, I know that I will like this book because I love to read Len Foley's tale. I already read the book and will read it with my nephews and nieces. I like the rhyme words and the lesson embedded in the book. I like the fancy color. Plus, the OBC review presented the book well, which showed the exact details about the book. Moreover, I didn't notice any typos. There was nothing to improve, too.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:35 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
xsquare
I wouldn’t have sampled this book based on title or cover – it just doesn’t appeal to me, and I don’t know any children of that age either. Although the official OBC review rates the book highly, I still wasn’t too keen on the book. I like the unique style of illustrations and the author’s sense of humour. I did not see any typos, and I don’t think that there was anything the author could have done better. Unfortunately, I won’t be reading the rest of the book as it’s not really my cup of tea.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:20 am by xsquare.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
Initially, I would not have read the book because I do not read children's books and there are no kids in my life either. However, I do really think the cover looks hilarious, and honestly it made me want to read the book though it isn't my genre. The sample is so short I couldn't really analyze the writing and if it was edited well, but just by the illustration of the Santa's hand holding the socks and the wacky font, I think this could be a really funny and quick read. There's nothing I'd change. The official review didn't affect my decision at all since the book got a high rating, though some errors were mentioned that might need correcting. Excited to read this one, especially during the festive season!
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:14 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shrabastee Chakraborty
The cover didn't appeal to me much. The official OBC review rates this a full 4 stars. Based on the review, I would have read this book. I found no errors in the book. It narrates how Santa, finding dirty and smelly pile of laundry in a village, had spent the night washing them. The village people realised their folly and vowed to wash the clothes and keep themselves clean. I liked how the author incorporated educational values along with gross humor. I have no suggestions for improvement. I have already read the book.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 4:06 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Howlan
The cover is nice. The synopsis gives us a general introduction to this book. The first ten pages basically has the story of Santa finding a lot of dirty clothing and undergarments in front of a house and starts to clean them. This book is aimed at kids and the narrative is a poem that has a good rhythm. However, the art is just a hastily done photoshop edit. It could be done for some kind of an effect but it was a little sloppy which kept distracting me. Illustrations would have been a lot better. I am not going to buy and read this book as I am not the target audience of this book. No typos were found in the first ten pages. The Official Review is present, and the reviewer rates it highly.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 3:39 am by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. I’m always looking for new children’s books for my kids. I also recognized the author. I’ve read a few books by the author that I’ve really enjoyed. After reading the first ten pages, I will be finishing this book. I love the rhyming patterns already, and I thought the plot so far was gross and funny, perfect for my young boys. Santa hitting piles of dirty laundry was comical, and I want to see how he teaches the people a lesson. There’s nothing that needs to be improved, and the book did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on December 23, 2020, at 3:04 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Ekta Kumari
This hilarious children's book is based around the concept of why we hang stockings on the mantle during the holidays, and how Santa reacts on finding smelly socks and clothes all through the town. The story is told through funny illustrations and short written text on each page. I would have read the book even if it wasn't a part of the top ten program as I loved the cover page and the title. The thing I liked the most while sampling is the colorful illustrations and the texts on each page in the form of paragraphs making the read more digestible for kids. I also like how the author has used the message of cleanliness in a way that would be relatable and understandable by young kids. I did see an official review before sampling. The editing looks well done, so I would rate the book as professionally edited. As I didn't find any errors, I don't have anything to recommend for suggestions. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the sample, so I'll be reading the whole book.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 10:27 pm by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Manang Muyang
The title, cover, and blurb are signature Foley. I have copies of all of Foley's previous books and enjoyed them all. (I still read them when I need a laugh.) Nothing would keep me from sampling another one. I got the book for free and read it immediately. It was, as is usual with Foley's books, great fun! I even think Santa is a self-portrait of Foley! The book is written in verse, and poetic license allows almost anything. I wonder why "whoa" on page 6 is written with an apostrophe at the end, though. There is likewise a missing end quotation mark after "trees" on page 7, and it isn't clear who says that line. Also, "under pants" should be one word on page 11. I like the rhymes and love the pictures. I like that all the reindeer, including Rudolph, are named. I don't mind that Santa waves a toilet brush like a wand, but showing the brush being used to clean Lucas' feet on page 18 may send the wrong signal to little children. I also noticed that the stinky socks all looked quite new. (Some stains would solve the problem). The official OBC review gave the perfect rating, as expected.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 6:41 pm by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Gabrielle Sigaki
Santa's Smelly Socks! by Len Foley is a children's book that brings the theme of Christmas in a unique and funny manner. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its cover since I didn't like the design and the art of the cover. I also wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review that I saw since I'm not interested in Christmas books. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind, and I won't read the entire volume since the illustrations and the Christmas theme didn't catch my interest. However, I enjoyed the fact that the author constructed a narrative using the unique premise of the reason why people hang socks on the mantle. The book doesn't seem professionally edited since I found the lack of quotation mark at the end of the sentence "underpants in bushes... smelly shirts in trees..." Therefore, this book could be improved with another round of editing.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 4:54 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sonya Nicolaidis
I had the privilege of reviewing another of Len Foley’s books a while ago, and I was immediately interested in having a closer look at this one. The OBC reviewer seemed to be quite enchanted by this wonderful story and comments on how appropriate it is for younger readers. This seems to be the author’s strength: writing amusing, rhyming stories that have a gentle lesson for children. I was disappointed that I couldn’t read the full sample on Amazon, but only had access to the first couple of pages. I managed to read some excerpts from the Amazon blurb and was impressed by the funny rhymes used to relate the story. I did notice one small error in the text in the term “ol’ Santa” is written “Ol’ Santa” with an unnecessary capitalization. I loved the bold, cheerful illustrations which are really the best part of this book. There is nothing I didn’t like and can offer no suggestions for improvements. I am intrigued as to why we really hang stockings on the mantle, so would definitely read this book. I hope we see a lot more from this author.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 3:39 pm by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Alice Heritage
I wouldn't have sampled this book without the programme as I'm not in the market for a children's book for that age group. I did read the rest of it because it was very short and I wanted to find out how the story ended. I didn't find any actual errors, though some of the lines didn't scan or rhyme, such as: "Santa smiled joyfully and said to his happy flock: "We must care for this world and cherish everyone because we're all we've got."" Also Santa's eye look brownish on page 17, whereas they look blue on the other pages. I liked the photograph-like quality of the illustrations, especially the way the soap bubbles looked iridescent. However, my child (well over the target age range) said they looked "badly photo-shopped". Maybe the rhymes and scanning don't need to be improved though, as that probably wouldn't interfere too much with the message or enjoyment of the book. The OBC review was helpful, but my decision was mainly based on the sample.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 12:41 pm by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gen_g
Based on the title and cover, it seems like a children's book, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled it. I have also come across a positive OBC review of the book, but this would not have changed my decision not to sample, since this book does not belong to a genre that I am looking for. After sampling, there are a couple of errors present. For example, at page 3, there should not be a space after the ellipsis: "Well... here's the reason!", as the sentence has yet to end. I suggest more editing. However, I appreciate that the author had decided to make use of bright colours, font changes and text sizes to retain children's attention. For example, when the story talks about the reasons why people hang socks on the mantle during Christmas, there are arrows from the word "socks" to the picture of the socks illustrated on the same page. However, as I am not in the market for children's books, I will not be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 10:34 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jennifer Donovan Smith
I wouldn’t have read this book based on the title or cover because I do not have children in the target age range. The Online Book Club official review was positive but didn’t have an impact on my decision.
I liked the graphics in the book best. The OBC reviewer was accurate in describing them as being like a collage pasted on background scenery. There’s nothing I would improve.
I found no errors in the sample. The reviewer mentioned issues with dialogue tags, but the book has either been edited or the reviewer may have been mistaken, as I did not find such issues.
I read this book in full as it was available for free download and it was a quick read. I wouldn’t have read it had it not been free for the reason stated above.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 10:31 am by Jennifer Donovan Smith.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Ari Martinez
If it wasn't for this program, I would not have sampled the book based on its cover, title, or Official OnlineBookClub review because this book is clearly a children's book and I do not have any children. Interestingly enough, since the book is so short, I finished reading all of it in less than a minute. So I guess the answer is yes, I would finish reading the book based on the sample. My favorite aspect of what I read was the moral of the story. Since it is such a short book, I did not expect it to have any lessons for its young readers, so I was pleasantly surprised it did. The book seems to be professionally edited. There is nothing I would change to improve it.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 8:38 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Elvis Best
Considering the book's title, I may not have read the book, as the title did not pique my interest. Moreover, after reading the sample, I would not read this book because I do not enjoy reading children's books. The one thing I liked most was the colorful illustrations in the book, and I have no suggestions for improvement. Also, I believe the book was professionally edited, as there were no errors in the sample. Lastly, I read an Official OnlineBookClub review that gave me a nice overview of the book.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 8:02 am by Elvis Best.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
TheMazeRunner
This is a children's book that is perfect for everyone. I love children's books, and therefore, I would sample it based on the genre. I loved the first ten pages, and I will read this book since I liked the illustrations and the writing. I have found no errors, and this book is surely professionally edited. The illustrations are unique and funny, and I liked that the most. There is nothing that has to be improved in the book. This book also has the official review.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 7:29 am by TheMazeRunner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sanju Lali
The cover and the title indicated to me that this should be a children's book. Just knowing that, I read the official review of this book because I was curious to know the takeaways from this book. The official review helped me to understand that the book tries to educate children about hygiene. This information intrigued me to read the sample of the book before purchasing it. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, “As the sun rose that morning No-one believed their eyes…”. The sentence could have been, “As the sun rose that morning, no one believed their eyes…”. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing. The thing I liked the most is the bunch of attractive illustrations in this book. Grammatical errors in children’s book appears worrisome to me. Looking at all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help by addressing my suggestion so that reading this book can give a rewarding experience to me.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 5:50 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vickie Noel
I like colorful children's books, but because this one is about Christmas, I wouldn't have read it outside the program. I don't partake in the celebration of Christmas; thus, I avoid any material associated with the event. Reading the sample didn't change my mind. I like that the pictures are bright, eye-catching, and realistic; they have a high-definition look to them. Although the book looks professionally edited, I found some errors. For example, "underpants" is one word, but it was separated. "Stack-of-socks" shouldn't be hyphenated. Additionally, I observed that while the story says, "A giant stack-of-socks piled high upon the road..." the picture doesn't show a high pile, but rather small lumps and general litterings on the road. I recommend that the correction of these errors should be effected for a more enjoyable experience. I saw an OBC review, but it didn't influence my decision.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 5:40 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Maria Esposito
I knew I would not be interested in this book before I sampled it as I do not read children's books, and I do not have kids of my own that I could give this book to. I really love the cover design, the illustration, and the funny title. I also love the humorous ideas expressed in the blurb as I do not think that this side of Santa has ever been "exposed" before. I am sure kids who will pick up this book will have an absolutely fun time reading it. The book has two customer reviews on Amazon, but this had no impact on my decision. Reading the sample did not make me change my mind, as it is only two pages long, including the cover page. Hence, I did not have the chance to assess whether or not the book has been professionally edited. I really loved the author's idea of investigating Santa's smelly socks. There is nothing about the book I disliked: I simply have no kids in my life that I could gift this book to. It has an official review on Online Book Club, but this had no impact on my decision.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 5:16 am by Maria Esposito.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Santa's Smelly Socks!' is a children's illustrated book. It is written by Len Foley. The book tells the reason why we hang socks during the Christmas season. Long back, Santa stops in a town full of dirty things. He devotes his time making the town squeaky clean. I loved the illustrations. They are pretty realistic. There were no errors. Hence, it is professionally edited. The title and cover are funny. The OBC review and the Amazon reviews are great. I already finished reading it as it is pretty short. The lesson included in the book is admirable.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 3:54 am by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Lorraine De Vos
I undoubtedly would have chosen to sample this book based on my self proclaimed fan girl status of the author. I love Len Foley’s children’s books and he never disappoints. I was excited to see a Christmas book come out right before Christmas. I couldn’t resist reading the whole book in one sitting and would definitely score it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars. The tale of the Christmas socks came alive on the pages. The illustrations are fun, the writing is simple and easy to understand and the story can be enjoyed by both adults and children. I didn’t notice any errors, so I would say the book was professionally edited. The official OnlineBookClub review was excellent. I have no recommendations for improvements.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 3:10 am by Lorraine De Vos.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
J_odoyo
Santa’s Smelly Socks! by Len Foley is a well-illustrated children’s book with a vital message for children. The cover page was wonderfully done, and I think the title was attractive. The illustrations are highly attractive and suitable for younger kids. I couldn’t find any error or anything to dislike about this book (in the first ten percent of the 24-page book), and it would be easier to wager that the book was professionally edited; however, this wasn’t the case. The book’s description on the Amazon website was informative and could draw one’s attention to know more about this book. It also had an official OnlineBookClub review, which gave insight into what the book is all about. Len Foley weaves a riveting story, explaining why people hang socks on the mantle each holiday season. It teaches children to be humble and to have the spirit of servitude. Having read the sample and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m not going to finish reading this book because I’m not a fan of children’s books. However, I may consider reading it to my kid one day.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 1:10 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Justine Ocsebio
If not for the program, I wouldn’t have chosen to sample this book. The genre no longer appeals to me as an adult. Upon opening the sample, I was intrigued by the premise. Why, indeed, do we hang socks on the mantle every Christmas? With that, I decided to finish the whole book. I liked the illustrations. They looked three dimensional, almost like screenshots in an animated film. The narration has rhymes, which I liked as well. The text appears professionally edited. I disliked nothing, and I also didn’t see anything that needed improvement. The official review was very engaging and well written, but my decision was based on the sample entirely.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 12:54 am by Justine Ocsebio.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Verna Coy
Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I would have chosen it because the title and cover are so bright and appealing.
For this reason, I intend to read the whole book.
Reading the first ten pages confirmed my first ideas about the book. It’s appeal doesn’t stop at the cover. Each page is a bright and interesting addition to the tale.
Based on what I read, the book seems professionally edited.
I didn’t see errors in the first ten pages.
What I liked most about what I read is how Santa cares for everyone and lets everyone know we’re all we’ve got, and that it’s important to do things for each other.
I know that readers who like genuine children’s stories will like this book.
As far as improvements, I could see no need for any in what I read today.
I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it insightful. It didn’t affect my views of the book.
First Ten review added on December 22, 2020, at 12:04 am by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AvidBibliophile
The cover art is undeniably eye-catching and the title is comically engaging, but I think some young kids might see an "evil" Santa and a "terrified" Rudolph in the chosen illustration. The Amazon product description entices prospective readers with mentions of the hilarious revelation behind an annual Christmas mantle tradition. All of the internal illustrations appear to be a blended mix of digital accents on photorealistic background images. I'm sure young readers would enjoy seeing words like "stinky" and "smelly" amidst all of the snowmen, presents, merry mice, and reindeer. I did encounter some minor editorial concerns, though. On page 2, I'm not sure why unnecessary hyphenation appears in "A GIANT [stack-of-socks]" and on page 4, I'm not sure why each mention of "[whoa']" is followed by an apostrophe. On page 5, there is either a set of closing quotation marks missing from the end of the final spoken statement or the final statement isn't really spoken and it shouldn't have an opening set of quotation marks at all: "Underpants in bushes... Smelly shirts in trees...(_). On page 9, the term "[under pants]" should appear as a closed compound, just like it did in the previous mention. The one published OBC review offers a persuasively positive recommendation, as do the majority of the 10 currently posted Amazon user ratings. Since I don't have kids, I have no reason/desire to read a rhyming children's picture book about Santa's dirty laundry, so I will be passing on this one.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 11:57 pm by AvidBibliophile.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
I likely would have read the sample of Santa's Smelly Socks! even if it was not the OnlineBookClub's book of the day. I read another work by the author titled Sigfried's Smelly Socks!, so I imagine that this one would be similar. Based on what I know about the book, it seems to be very much like that book but in a good way. Since it is a funny Christmas kids book and I love this author, I will be reading Santa's Smelly Socks! soon. There are no grammatical errors that I can find, and I can think of no improvements that can be done to it. The cover art is hilarious, which is my favorite part. There is an official OnlineBookClub review for this title, and this review made me more excited to read the book. Kids that love gross humor and Christmas stories will get a thrill out of this one.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 10:23 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Stephanie Runyon
The title is funny and the artwork is done well. The OBC review was positive and I would have sampled this book for my children. I liked the singsong delivary of the story. It was very upbeat and the only downfall was the missing quotation marks with the dialogue:
"I'll brush my hair, clean my teeth... and wear my finest suit.(" missing) "
The book was easy to read, the words stood out against the colorful artwork. I will keep this book for my younger children and look forward to reading more books by Len Foley.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 8:48 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sou Hi
If it's not for this program, I will not pick this one. The reason is that the cover is kind of creepy, and Amazon's summary doesn't provide any necessary information about the content at all. The official review gives it full marks, but there are only a few ratings from Amazon's customers. The sample doesn't help, as it contains only the covers and no actual pages. Due to that, I know nothing about this book. I can't like or have any suggestions, and there's no way to tell if the editing is good. Even after reading the sample, I remain unimpressive and still have no idea what this book is about, so I am not buying it.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 8:42 pm by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and reviews of this book, I may have read the book. The book looked like it was interestingly illustrated, had an interesting premise, and a great Christmas story for young kids. After reading the first ten pages I changed my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I enjoyed the images in the sample that I read, although they did seem a bit weird at first, in particular the unnatural Santa face, it they actually kind of grows on you. That being said, I got annoyed, however, at the phrasing, capitalisation, and the text itself. I found that, for the age group targeted, full sentences and something a bit less brusque would be more appropriate. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but I did see at least one error in the sample. On page 11 the word "underpants" was separated into two words "under pants". The official review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 8:41 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
I recognized the author as one who likes to use bodily function humor that kids find funny. The cover was cute, but I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. It is often hard to get a feel for children’s books by sampling them. The story was funny and would definitely be a hit with the target age group of children ages 3-10. It taught a lesson about hygiene, although the little town was gross. Little Lucas cleaned up well, but I was disgusted with old man Muddy Crane. The only thing I didn’t like was the title implied the socks were Santa’s dirty socks. I’m glad they weren’t! I finished the story because... how could I not? The illustrations were entertaining, and I noticed only one punctuation error. On page 7, there was an unnecessary open quotation mark before “underpants in bushes.” Neither the featured OnlineBookClub review nor the Amazon ratings influenced my decision to finish this book. I have no suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 7:41 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chelsy Scherba
I enjoyed reading another of Len Foley’s cute stories. When Santa pulls into sloppytown, he discovers piles of dirty clothes. Instead of delivering presents, Santa and the merry mice choose to give everyone clean clothes for Christmas. I liked how the author made a book explaining why we hang stockings on the mantel. The review mentioned the story has a narrative throughout, which was nice to see when the little boy who never washed promised to do so from now on. It was cute and I enjoyed the pictures of the flies and the funny faces on the deer and Santa. I think kids and adult fans of these books will find enjoyment in the humor. I liked the cover image, and since I’m familiar with Foley’s books, I was happy to read another book by this author. I don’t read a lot of kids books, but I make an exception for these. I don’t have any suggestions for improvements. The book had no errors that I could see.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 5:41 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Laura Ungureanu
The cover already gave me an idea about this book's art style. I'm not a fan of it because it doesn't seem appropriate for children. It looks like a sort of combination between reality and the graphic of video games. The title seems silly since I don't expect these elements to be associated with each other. I wouldn't have checked this book based on its appearance. The OBC review informed me about the lesson behind this book, which makes it more interesting. I was willing to give it a try after finding out about it. However, the book didn't make a good impression on me. I simply can't enjoy the art style. Also, the slang words, like "Yo Comet and Cupid", don't fit a children's book. The only thing I liked was the rhymes, which were inspired. The editing seems also fine. However, the art style and the slang words distracted me from anything else that might be good in this book. I don't wish to finish it because I don't enjoy it.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 4:45 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Nikolas Farmakis
This is a children's book about the tradition of hanging socks for Santa on Christmas Eve. I would not have read this book based on its cover, its title, or its genre, as I do not like children's books. However, I changed my mind, so I will read this book because it seemed funny and colorful. I found no errors in the text I read, which means that this book was impeccably edited. What I liked most about the text was that the author added colorful vivid illustrations that grasp young readers' attention. To improve, the author should use more imagination and creativity to make a more original story. This book has an Official OnlineBookClub review, but this did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 4:28 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jsovermyer
The artwork on the cover and the book title are great. I think young children would love the silly humor. I would buy this book from the cover alone. The official reviewer gave this book a perfect rating. I found several instances of missing ending quotation marks, such as on page 6 where it says “Whoa’ Dasher, whoa’ Dancer, Hey Prancer and Vixen! This should have a quotation mark at the end. My favorite parts are the illustrations. I love the looks on the reindeers' faces. The only thing I wish were fixed would be the grammatical errors, but they didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. I finished reading the pages and am interested in buying a hardcopy of it.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 3:31 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kelyn
Even if I had not been a member of this program, it is possible that the genre and author of this book would have brought it to my attention. I am always on the look-out for books to read with my grandson and have found Len Foley to be a good author. The title was mildly amusing but that Santa on the cover turned me away completely. Frankly, he's just creepy-looking and seems just as likely to scare small children as to amuse them. The blurb paints a pleasant picture of the book that somewhat belies the grossness that is actually to be found inside. There are several positive reviews on the Amazon site, including a very short complementary one from this program. These gave me high expectations going into the sample. I found it not only disappointing but also entirely too gross for my taste. I liked the lesson it taught about cleanliness and I believe that 3-8 year old boys would find the images of Santa washing out someone's grungy underdrawers hilarious. I'm not so sure about little girls, though, because their sense of humor often differs from boys humor. In the end, even though I would be reading it to my grandson who would probably laugh his head off, the book's gross humor just isn't something I could stomach. I will not be reading the book. The book seemed well edited. The only 'errors' found were those which were obviously intentional, such as missing identifiers like 'the or 'a.'
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 3:27 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kirsi Cultrera
Frankly, I did not know what to expect when I first saw this book. Naturally, it made me curious enough to take a second look, and I would’ve probably done the same had I seen this book somewhere else first. The story was quite funny, and the illustrations were mostly adorable. For some reason, I was not thrilled about the face and expressions of Santa Claus, but the reindeers were absolutely marvelous. I think this book teaches important principles to the kids without ranting or being too strict. I did not spot any disturbing mistakes but found one missing dialogue tag at the end of page 19. Regardless, I believe this book has been edited professionally. The Official OnlineBookClub review stated that this book would be a good read for children from 3 to 8 years old, and I agree with the reviewer. I am most definitely going to read this book to my kids around the Christmas holidays!
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 3:13 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Hazel Arnaiz
I enjoy children’s books, Christmas stories, and legends. Since the book has all of these, I will check it out even outside the program. The title sounded hilarious. Funny, grossed-out images of popular Christmas icons complemented it. Together, the cover and title were catchy. The blurb was short but enough to pique my interest. Likewise, customer reviews were enthusiastic. Sampling the book was fun. I liked the fresh and funny take in explaining an age-old Christmas tradition. I also liked the illustrations. They seemed like a collage but uncluttered. Also, fonts of varying sizes and styles complemented the graphics. Some words were in uppercase. The intention was probably to maintain a style. But, there were some editing errors. I suggest a few tweaks to fix the issues. Here are some examples.
Page 6. Punctuation. The closing quotation mark is missing.
“Whoa’ Dasher, whoa’ Dancer, Hey Prancer and Vixen![]
“Yo Comet and Cupid And Donner and Blitzen![]
Also, the book used the names Santa, Kris Kringle, and Saint Nick. They referred to the same character. I hope this will not create confusion.
The official OnlineBookClub review was insightful. It gave more encouragement to finish reading the book.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 2:25 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Odette Chace
I like the title. The cover isn't bad, I just feel like I need to stare at it and notice all the things that are wrong with Santa's body. The premise is funny. The official Online Book Club review gave the work a perfect rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The reviewer noted that there were a few errors in the text, but otherwise offered no criticism of the work. I'm looking forward to sampling the book. However, I would probably skip this one if I weren't part of this program because I never read children's books for fun. "A giant stack-of-socks piled HIGH upon the road a few miles further another stinky load" (pg. 4). It should be "stack of socks" rather than "stack-of-socks." This is also not a complete sentence. I noticed several other errors and don't believe the work was professionally edited. I find errors in children's books particularly egregious because children that are learning to read need to read books with impeccable grammar. Aside from the excessive errors, I quite enjoyed the work. It was funny, unique, and engaging. I'm sure children and adults alike will enjoy it. I plan to finish reading it.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 1:23 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Twylla
I would not have sampled the book on Amazon. After reading the book as part of this program, I would not have purchased it.
I can just hear my great-nephew laughing if I read this story to him. This is definitely a different twist on the Christmas story. I didn't think it was 'hilarious', but kids will probably like it. It kind of made me queasy.
The book didn’t have any misspelled words, but there were some missing quotes from the dialogue. “Underpants in bushes…Smelly shirts in trees [missing quote]. So it was not edited well.
The OBC reviewer liked it more than I did. The OBC review was very good.
I don’t have a favorite thing about the book. I just tolerate Santa Clause and the commercial aspect of Christmas. People lose sight of the real Christmas story, the birth of Christ, and this book went even one more step in the wrong direction.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 12:55 pm by Twylla.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
Although I am not a big fan of children's books, I would have read the book based on the title, Amazon blurb, and OBC review. My interest increased after reading the first ten pages. After finding a lot of dirty laundry around town, Santa and his reindeer are on a mission to teach the people of Sloppy Town to be responsible for their own laundry. The Amazon blurb was intriguing, and I found the writing style pleasant to read. What I liked most, however, was the inclusion of colorful, humorous illustrations; they captured my attention completely and made me smile a lot while sampling the book. As I found some distracting punctuation errors, I would suggest another round of editing. For example, I found a missing closing quotation mark after "trees" in the following sentence: "'Underpants in bushes...Smelly shirts in trees." (page 7) There should also be a comma after "morning" in the following sentence: "As the sun rose that morning no-one believed their eyes." (page 14)
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 11:28 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Diana Lowery
I like the alliteration in the title. The cover illustration bothered me because of the distorted head on Santa. I was also not a fan of stating that it was a true story. The blurb had some catchy rhymes. The review explained the odd "eclectic/collage" style of illustrations. I saw some missing end quote marks: "Whoa' Dasher, Whoa' Dancer/Hey Prancer and Vixen! ["]. I like the message, and I am sure young children, especially boys, will enjoy the gross humor. I suggest taking off the "true story" tag on the cover. I did download and read the whole story.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 11:20 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
RachelEmmanuel
I enjoyed reading "Santa's Smelly Socks!" by Len Foley. It's a cute story for kids who like to read about Santa. I particularly liked the illustrations; they were very well done. The review on Online Book Club was very complimentary and increased my positive opinion of the book. I found the cover bright and eye-catching, as a kid's book should be. I did find issues with the editing. On page 19, there are two sentences with open quotes but no closed quotes. Since the book was very short, I finished reading it in one sitting.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 10:20 am by RachelEmmanuel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Timothy Rucinski
There are no little ones in my life right now, so I won't be purchasing the book. But if I were interested, the Official Review and cover would have prompted me to do so. The illustrations are great, much better than the text. All in all, it's a fun book. I particularly enjoyed the concept of mice folding clothing - I actually laughed out loud at that one. I agree with the author that there are punctuation issues. For example, there is a quotation mark missing following the sentence, "Underpants in bushes... Smelly shirts in trees... Quotation marks are also missing from other patches of dialogue. There isn't anything that I disliked about this book, nor do I have any suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on December 21, 2020, at 9:02 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 57%
Santa's Smelly Socks! earned a score of 57%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 57% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Santa's Smelly Socks!
