Review: The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden
Title: The Story of Holly and Ivy
Author: Rumer Godden
Genre: Children’s fiction
Source: Bookshare
Reason for Reading: I went with a friend to go holiday shopping for her daughters, so of course we ended up at Toys R Us. She was looking in particular for a doll for one of her daughters, and I found myself remembering this book, which I’d read as a child.
Synopsis: This is a sentimental little Christmas story about a doll named Holly, who is desperate to be sold from Mr. Blossom’s toy shop and given to her special Christmas girl. It’s also about Ivy, an orphan who doesn’t get to go home with a nice family to spend the holidays, and about Mrs. Jones, the wife of a policeman, who wants to do something special for Christmas. All of these people will invariably meet, and, it being a holiday story, everyone eventually has a wonderful Christmas.
My Thoughts: I have very few holiday traditions that I have created myself. Reading holiday books is one of them. I actually read this last week, but I wasn’t going to review it until today, because at least today marks the beginning of the actual holidays.
This is a cute story. It’s heartwarming in the way that you want a Christmas book to be. Some readers may find it a tad mawkish, but this is a book that’s probably specifically targeted to young girls, so I imagine that comes with the territory. I liked it, though, and the whole time I was reading, I had a smile on my face.
Final Thoughts: A very good Christmas story to read to the children in your life.
Final Grade: B+