Nine-year-old Holly Carroll has led a sheltered life, homeschooled by her Christmas-mad parents, celebrating Christmas 365 days a year since before she can remember. All of a sudden, her life is turned upside down when a house becomes available on the festively named Sleigh Ride Avenue and her parents decide to move the family there. Excited beyond measure, the reality of life in suburbia is rather different to what Holly imagined it would be, especially when she enrols at the local primary school. Navigating her way through strict teachers, cliquey girl groups, and endless rules and regulations is harder than she expected and makes the business of spreading that all-important Christmas cheer more difficult than usual.
Filled with festive touches, this novel is a masterclass in terms of writing about that point in your life when you realise that not everyone lives in exactly the same way as you. Holly realising that not everyone has a present wrapping room or has a full turkey dinner (while wearing Christmas hats) every night reminds me of that point in my life when I understood that not everyone has their bath at the same time every night or eats tinned salmon sandwiches on a Sunday night like we did. It is a strange unsettling realisation and one that this novel conveys well through its Christmassy trappings. It is a coming of age rite of passage to understand that we are not all the same, we do not live in exactly the same ways, and yet we share common bonds of friendship and kindness. In the same way, Holly begins to understand through the novel that her parents are not all-knowing god-like figures who can solve all her problems; they are just trying their best to muddle through life and spread happiness wherever they can.
One of the central delights of this novel is the friendship that develops between Holly and Archie as they get to know each other. Although new friendships are hard, they show each other understanding and kindness. Even the popular girls are converted by Holly's endless supply of good cheer. At the heart of this novel is the message that Christmas is not just about turkey with all the trimmings or about getting lots of gifts; it is the feeling of hope. Hope that we all need as we live our lives. Never lose hope; be more like the Carrolls and spread good cheer wherever you go!
I have to say one final word about the incredible illustrations provided by Selom Sunu, which bring Mel Taylor-Bessent's text fully to life in such a creative and exciting way. I for one cannot wait to see what the Carrolls end up doing next!
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