NVNR Author Profile: Chanda A. Bell

Chanda A. Bell was once a beloved middle school English teacher. Now she is the visionary founder and co-CEO of the Lumistella Company, home to the international phenomenon The Elf on the Shelf. As the author of The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition and other books from the Santaverse brand, she is often referred to as “Santa’s Chief Storyteller.” Chanda has brought Santa’s world to life with a Netflix partnership, a traveling holiday musical, and the Elf on the Shelf brand Scout Elf character balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Today, more than 25 million homes have embraced her magical Christmas characters. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her family.

The Elf on the Shelf Santaverse: The Rise of Nicholas the Noble

HarperPop, September 2025

From HarperCollins and Chanda A. Bell, beloved creator and bestselling author of the iconic holiday brand The Elf on the Shelf, comes an original and enchanting middle grade novel. Fans old and new will be taken on an epic holiday adventure filled with elves, gnomes, ice trolls, and shape-shifting villains! Discover the marvelous origins of young Saint Nick and the magical creatures of One True North as they battle to save the Lumistella Stone and the spirit of Christmas from an ominous force whose sole purpose is to spread hate and fear.

You may know the Scout Elves as mischievous little beings who watch over millions of homes around the world, reporting back to Saint Nick about who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. Perhaps you’ve even adopted an elf of your own, one who plays a tricky game each Christmas season, appearing every morning in a new place. Well, what if you discovered that this was all for a reason? A reason that takes us back thousands of years and involves the fate of the entire world!

Shipwrecked in the Arctic Tundra, a young boy named Nicholas and his dog best friend, Barry, discover a magical and wondrous world called One True North filled with gnomes, fairies, yetis, and, of course, magical elves. Nicholas learns that these special creatures protect a mystical and powerful object called the Lumistella Stone, a piece of the Christmas star, which fell to Earth long ago. In the right hands, it can bring love, hope, and balance to the universe. But in the wrong hands, it can fill hearts with darkness. Enter Gangleri: a dark force driven by greed. Now, with his army of savage ice giants, Gangleri has come for the Stone, and he is determined to win. That is unless a twelve-year-old boy can accept his destiny as Nicholas the Noble and become the hero that One True North and the rest of the world so desperately need.

Appearing: Sun 8/3 | 6:30 PM-8:00 PM | Early Bird Reception