Every December I reread Erich Kästner’s Das fliegende Klassenzimmer (The Flying Classroom). It’s a Christmas novel set in a boarding school (an Internat in German). It has some of the elements that later showed up in Harry Potter: feuding groups of students, strong friendships, wise faculty members and some who are less wise, and efforts by students to overcome their limitations. Boarding school stories have been popular for a long time.

The book is made up of several little stories rather than having an overreaching plot, but the most important thread is what happens with Nichtraucher. He lives by himself in a converted railroad non-smoking car. Nichtraucher (non-smoker) isn’t his real name, but the five students who are his friends call him that because it’s what a plaque on his home says. The students learn a secret that lets him discover a long-lost friend. In a sense, he’s like Scrooge, though his character is far more pleasant at the outset. He’s largely cut himself off from society because of a past tragedy, and visitors help him to find his way back.

Another plot thread concerns a boy who’s ashamed of being a coward and does something really stupid to prove his courage. Kästner seems to expect the reader agree with his decision, even though it lands him in the hospital. That might be a distinctively German way of thinking.

The housemaster, Doctor Bökh, nicknamed “Justus,” reminds me of Dumbledore. He shows a lot of understanding and empathy even when students break the rules for a good reason.

And then there’s the student who doesn’t have enough money to take the train home for the holidays. I won’t spoil that part by saying more except that you might want some tissue paper handy.

I don’t do a lot with Christmas, but it’s comforting to read Das fliegende Klassenzimmer every year. It’s available in English and many other languages.