Celebrate the Season: Home for the Holidays

Celebrate the Season #4

by Taylor Garland

Celebrate home, sweet home in this cheerful middle grade book series that captures the magic of the holidays.
Christmas is coming, but this year feels different for Alyssa Sing. Not only is she in Florida instead of the snowy Northeast, but Alyssa misses having good friends like she did in her knitting club at her old school. Things seem to look up at the Palm Meadows Holiday Festival when Alyssa meets Rachel, Elle, and Becca, who all show an interest in Alyssa's homemade scarves. But trouble arises when Alyssa finds out her new friends used to be friends with each other...but aren't anymore. While Alyssa is glad to have Dasher, a mysterious cat that appears in her backyard, to confide in as she navigates her new school, she can't help but wonder: Will Florida ever feel like home?

Genres: Young Adult, Christmas

176 pages, Paperback

Published October 9, 2018

Reviews

[RebekahAshleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, sweet book. I read this book around Christmas time to see if it would be okay to give to my book club girls, ranging in ages from 9-13, and yes, it passed the test! It was a fun book about a girl and her family moving to Florida and the main girl Alyssa getting used to a new state that has no snow, and settling into school and making new friends. Alyssa really enjoys spending time with her new friends, but she soon realizes that her new friends used to be friends with each other but aren’t anymore. So Alyssa sets out to try and mend those friendships. Even with that part of the story there really wasn’t all of that drama that some books have. It’s an appropriate book that is great for younger reader and one that older readers may find enjoyable as well. 

[S.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite character was Alyssa because she loves cats like I do and she got to take care of a cats babies that she thought was a kitten.

What you will like about this book is that if you like cats this is the perfect book to get. There are other books in the series but this one os the best because she has so many friends and her favorite friends are Becca, Ellie and Rachel.

Rachel and Ellie were already friends but for Christmas they gave Alyssa cat toys.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great holiday story with a great main character. I especially enjoyed Alyssa's optimism and hopefulness about getting the friends reconciled - and her clear boundaries with the other girls. What a great example! Lots of good material for discussion for family reading or classroom reading. Good animal story.

[Books Lucy King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas story about friendship, knitting and cats. Super cute :) One would say that a story about a kid girl having problems to make friends and trying to figure it out would be boring for an adult, but with the christmas spirit and cats and knitting it just made a great holiday read :)

[Bethany Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book for young readers. It shows the amazing factors of friendship as well as the difficulties. It is a great example to younger girls.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute! Alyssa was such a good friend. A cute little middle grade story with a lesson. And it was really Christmassy too!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming little holiday book with a positive message for young girls.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it and it was so sweet how she made new friends and also rescued a pregnant kitty,also found the owner,the best part is she gets first pick on a beautiful kitten for Christmas

[Pamela Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, teen read, easy ...

[Janelle Hackbarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little Christmas story Middle Grade book. When I saw it and read about the plot, I knew I had to read it.

Although it was a typical plot (girl in new town wonders if new town will ever feel like home, then it starts to feel like home), I still enjoyed it. Living in the USA, I'm also used to winter's being a bit on the chilly side. I'm not used to warm Christmases like they may have out in Florida (just like the main character Alyssa).

Alyssa felt relatable, like she was the age she was, going through the struggles of moving from the Northeast to the Southeast. All the characters felt real too, even the quick-talking/quick-tempered Elle. I enjoyed reading about her struggles with her friends and the cat (struggles make the characters seem more relatable and real).

This is a good book for anyone looking for a quick, light little Christmas/holiday story.