Stealing Saint Nick: A Legendary Corpse, a Notorious Theft, and the Stories That Shape the World by Anderson, M. T.

From NBA, Printz, and Newbery Honor winner M. T. Anderson, a tour de force of research and storytelling that follows the life of a humble young man named Nicholas who became one of the world's most influential figures in religion, government, and commerce--whether you believe in him or not.

M. T. Anderson still believes in Santa Claus--just not in the way you think.

Born of the research for Nicked, his acclaimed adult debut, Stealing Saint Nick is the story of the man who became Father Christmas--but only after surviving the Great Persecution, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the theft of his magically oozing bones (twice).

Anderson traces Nicholas of Myra, future patron saint of consumption, from his humble origins as a child born into a fringe Jewish cult in a small town on the Mediterranean coast in the third century AD through his rise to one of the preeminent saints in all of Christianity to his transformation into an icon of capitalism and unwitting rival to Jesus Christ. Along the way, Anderson shows how human history can only be known and understood by both examining the objective facts and by studying the fantastical stories that people choose to make into myths.

Anderson's full powers as a storyteller and a scholar are on display in this incredibly readable and hugely informative tale about how the stories we believe in common shape the course of humanity.

Author: M. T. Anderson
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published: 09/22/2026
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.57h x 5.67w x 1.05d
ISBN: 9780593699546
Age Range: 14-UP

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2026
School Library Journal 08/01/2026 pg. 105
Publishers Weekly 08/03/2026
Booklist 08/01/2026

About the Author
New York Times bestselling author M. T. Anderson writes books for children, teens, and adults, including Octavian Nothing: The Pox Party, winner of the National Book Award; Elf Dog & Owl Head, a Newbery Honor book; and Feed, winner of the LA Times Book Prize. His nonfiction book Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, was a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction finalist. His most recent book, Nicked, is a historical heist story set in the eleventh century. He lives in New England.