The Christmas Carrolls - The Christmas Competition (The Christmas Carrolls #2) by Mel Taylor-Bessent (Illustrated by Selom Senu) Review

Hey ForeverBookers, 

How are you all? I hope you’re good!

I’ve just finished “The Christmas Carrolls - The Christmas Competition,” the second book in the Christmas Carrolls series by Mel Taylor-Bessent and I really LOVED it.

5 Stars!

It’s a quick, fun, middle grade adventure that follows our lead character, Holly Carroll and her family and best friend from book 1, Archer as they try to make Christmas a fun time for everyone. In this second book in the series, the Carrols are pitted against the Klauses to try to win a Christmas time holiday to New York City to perform in a Christmas parade. It’s set in the UK, which was nice as that’s where I’m from. The rivalry between the two families takes the Carrolls’ characters to new extremes of Christmas loving, and they were very strong before! Also there is some animosity towards Christmas from our lead character, Holly as she wants to experience other festivities, such as Halloween, which her ever-loving Christmas parents want her to avoid at all costs. This novel had me laughing OUT LOUD, it was so funny! Lastly there’s penguin rescue, but I’ll get onto that in the spoiler section below…

I read The Christmas Carrolls - The Christmas Competition for one readathon this time, which was:

Reading Rivalry - Holiday Icon On The Cover - There are Christmas lights as well as candy canes on the cover.

Spoilers Below…

“…All we have to do is prove that we’re better at spreading cheer and we’ll be named the Most Festive Family in the entire country!”

Mum looked lie all her Christmases has come at once. She began jumping up and down, tiny flecks of fake snow fluttering down from her snowflake hat. 

“And then what?” she squealed. “Do we get a certificate? Will they use us as an example for the rest of the world to spread cheer, too?”

Dad shook his head with a grin. “The winning family get an all-expenses paid trip to New York City.”

“NEW YORK CITY!”

“Next month.”

“NEXT MONTH??”

“Where they’ll appear on the leading float in the Christmas Season Parade.”

Mum stared at Dad with bulging eyes. “Christmas. Season. Par—” - 13

At the beginning of the story, this sets up our characters’ want to win the Most Festive Family competition. They’re beyond excited to hopefully take part in the parade in New York City. The whole book basically takes place around this want to succeed. It shows that our characters have their faults as well as their good parts. For example, later in the story Holly’s mum and dad get so obsessed in winning that they forget the good parts of Christmas and how it’s meant to spread joy and happiness to all…Can Holly and Archer get Mr and Mrs Carroll to see just how all consumed they are by the festivities.

The other set of characters, I’d say are the Klauses. They have two children, a boy and a girl called Toboggan (Toby) and Poinsettia (Setti). I laughed when I read their names. Holly while Christmas themed isn’t odd, while Toboggan and Poinsettia are when used as names for children! They are just as obsessed by Christmas as the Carrolls, if not more so believe it or not! When the Carrolls drive round to their house one evening they are put off by the extravagance of their lodgings in Candy Cane Lane.

“You must see Klausland before you go!” Mrs Klaus clapped pulling me out of my trance.

I glared at her. Cheers, lady. It wasn’t like I was on a roll or anything. 

“Klausland?” Mum said, her ears pricking up. 

“What’s that?” Dad asked.

“And where exactly do we have to go?” I added.

“Oh, not far,” Liana said, clicking her fingers at the elf butler (who I might call the Elfler) to lead the way. “Just around the corner beyond those trees.

“Klausland is like Lapland but better,” Poinsettia said, suddenly coming back to life. “It’s what’s going to win us the Most Festive Family Competition.”

“Now, now, Setti,” Khris said, nodding his head as if to say she had a point. “A little healthy competition never hurt anyone.”

Klausland is basically a whole, entire Christmas theme park! Of course, the Carrolls are worried that they won’t win the Most Festive Family Competition after they see it! Can they or do they let their egos get in the way? The story is basically a toss up of egos vs happy cheer. Holly and Archer are on the cheer side, while the adults are on the egos side. Can Holly save the day and Christmas? I’ll let you read for yourself but it’s a fun old time! 

Lastly, while the main plot I’ve mapped out above, is the competition, there’s also saving a group of stolen penguins from Klausland that Holly and Archer try to do. Can they or do they run into trouble? 

I loved the artwork that is in the book too! The artwork really livens up the plot and just makes the story fun to read!

Overall then, I loved “The Christmas Carrolls, The Christmas Competition” just as much as the first “Christmas Carrolls” book that I read and reviewed last year! I always love reading seasonally themed books as it would feel weird to read a Christmassy book any other time of year, I feel.

Stand by to see what I read next!