The Christmas Carrolls

Holly Carroll and her family love Christmas. Their house is festooned with lights and wrapping paper and tinsel and cards. They love singing, crafting, baking and – most importantly of all – spreading cheer.

When the Carroll family move to a Christmassy new house – in Sleigh Ride Avenue! – Holly goes to school for the first time. Previously, she was home-schooled in all the important lessons like Maths (symmetry on a Christmas tree) and Art (designing a fireproof hat for Santa). She’s so excited to make friends and spread cheer throughout the whole school. But it seems that not everyone celebrates Christmas every day. And no one wants to sing carols each breaktime. Even her new friend, Archer, suggests she cut back on Christmas. Could Holly be losing her Christmas spirit?

This is a festive treat. Holly and her family are delightful in their obsession – and with spreading cheer. There is a lot of humour in their enthusiasm, but, importantly, there is an acknowledgement that not everyone has family to spend Christmas with, or even celebrates it at all. Readers will also enjoy the exploration of how to be a good friend and whether to change yourself to fit in.