Books Make the Best Gifts: Ideas for Kids, Teens and Adults

Posted on November 14, 2018

by Library News

Shopping for someone who loves to read this holiday season?

Check out our librarian selected list of books that make gifts for all ages!

Board Books

I Love You, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton

I Love You, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton An affectionate and heartfelt celebration enlivened with Boynton’s funny and captivating drawings. And Pookie’s Mom wisely knows that the best way to say I love you is simply to say it.

8 Little Planets by Chris Ferrie

8 Little Planets by Chris Ferrie Travel around the solar system and celebrate what makes each planet unique! From Neptune to Mercury and all the planets in between, each one is different and each one is happy to be what they are.

Black Bird Yellow Sun by Steve Light

Black Bird Yellow Sun by Steve Light Explores other colors, in a book that identifies such objects as orange leaves, purple grapes and pink flowers.

Toesy Toes by Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang

Toesy Toes by Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang Toes have long had their place in songs, where they head off to market and enjoy roast beef, but they have been overlooked and underrepresented in children’s books. That’s all about to change with this rhyming board book featuring piggledy-wiggledy digits in all their delightful glory.

Wiggles by Claire Zucchelli-Romer

Wiggles by Claire Zucchelli-Romer Little fingers twist and turn, zig and zag, moving on, over, and through pages filled with fluorescent die-cut dots and playful, grooved paths.

Picture Books

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Caldecott Medalist Blackall invites readers to step back in time and through the door of an iconic lighthouse into its cozy dollhouse-like interior in this lavish new picture book.

Love by Matt de la Pena

Love by Matt de la Pena

In this heartfelt celebration of love, Newbery Medalist de la Pena and bestselling illustrator Long describes the strongest bond there is and the diverse and powerful ways it connects us all.

This is the Nest that Robin Built by Denise Fleming

This is the Nest that Robin Built by Denise Fleming

A cumulative rhyme about the animals who help Robin build her nest.

Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Grumpy and cold when his forest friends insist he stay awake to celebrate Christmas, Bruce the bear, wearing his long underwear and warm hat, is mistaken for Santa by the youngest forest creatures.

I am Human by Susan Verde

I am Human by Susan Verde

A child recognizes his own humanity, his capacity for doing harm and being harmed, his ability to feel joy and sadness, and his belief in hope and promise to keep learning.

I Lost my Tooth! By Mo Willems

I Lost my Tooth! By Mo Willems

Friends search for Zoom Squirrel’s missing baby tooth. Includes “acorn-y jokes” and “cool facts.”

Juvenile Fiction

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

After eleven-year-old Ollie’s school bus mysteriously breaks down on a field trip,she has to take a trip through scary woods, and must use all of her wits to survive. She must stick to small spaces.

Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters by Andrea Beaty

Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters by Andrea Beaty

When Rosie’s unable to invent a contraption to help one of Aunt Rose’s Raucous Riveters friends, she calls on classmates Iggy Peck and Ada Twist to help.

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

A gripping and hilarious middle-grade graphic novel memoir from the author of “Anya’s Ghost” that tells a relatable story about navigating one’s own culture, struggling to belong, and the value of true friendship.

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason’s learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason’s best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family’s orchard. Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their neighborhood, so they create an underground club space for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again.

The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis

When his poor sharecropper father is killed in an accident and leaves the family in debt, twelve-year-old Little Charlie agrees to accompany fearsome plantation overseer Cap’n Buck north in pursuit of people who have stolen from him; Cap’n Buck tells Little Charlie that his father’s debt will be cleared when the fugitives are captured, which seems like a good deal until Little Charlie comes face-to-face with the people he is chasing.

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

Caleb Franklin and his younger brother, Bobby Gene, spend an extraordinary summer their new, older neighbor, Styx Malone, a foster boy from the city.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Merci Suârez begins the sixth grade and knows things will change, but she did not count on her grandfather acting strangely, not fitting in at her private school, and dealing with Edna Santos’ jealousy.

Juvenile Nonfiction

Maker Lab: Outdoors: 25 Super Cool Projects by Jack Challoner

Maker Lab: Outdoors: 25 Super Cool Projects by Jack Challoner

Supporting STEAM education initiatives and the Maker Movement, this latest volume in Challoner’s Maker Lab series contains such kid-safe projects young scientists as constructing a working model of tectonic plates to learn about earthquakes and build a telescope to look at the planets and stars.

Look at Me!: How to Attract Attention in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Look at Me!: How to Attract Attention in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Showcasing the most attention-grabbing animals on the planet gathered together, this latest offering from an award-winning husband-and-wife team helps readers understand the range of ways animals try to get one another’s attention and why.

How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World

How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson

A Young Readers adaptation of the New York Times Bestselling book where the author walks readers through the history and impact of six inventions that influence the modern world.

Above and Beyond: NASA’s journey to tomorrow by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Above and Beyond: NASA’s journey to tomorrow by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Since NASA was established in 1958, it has landed rovers on distant planets and launched telescopes deep into space, all so that we can look back to the beginning of time. Through stunning images provided by NASA and fascinating sidebars and profiles of lesser known contributors to the NASA program, young space fans will learn how NASA started, how it faced challenges along the way, how much it has achieved, and how it will continue to move forward in the future.

The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid by Dylan Thuras

Presents a kid’s illustrated guide to 100 of the world’s wonders, both natural and manmade, in 47 countries and on every continent on earth. Travel the world through common points of interest, from sacred skeletons (Trunyan Tree cemetery in Indonesia leads you to India’s Skeleton Lake, for example) to wild waterfalls (while in Zambia visit the Devil’s Swimming Pool–and then move on to Antarctica’s Blood Falls) to ice caves to bioluminescence.

Teen

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut–the launch volume of her Legacy of Orisha series.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Albert delivers a fierce, captivating contemporary fantasy about a 17-year-old girl who must venture into the world behind a pitch-dark, cult-classic collection of fairy tales to save her mother.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

In a world where Beauty is a commodity only a few control, one Belle will learn the dark secrets behind her powers, and rise-up to change the world.

Fresh Ink: An Anthology edited by Lamar Giles

Fresh Ink: An Anthology edited by Lamar Giles

All it takes to rewrite the rules is a little fresh ink in this anthology published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Featuring such authors as Melissa de la Cruz and Nicola Yoon, this collection contains 10 short stories, a graphic short story, and an original, one-act play from Walter Dean Myers.

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

The powerful, unforgettable graphic memoir from Jarrett Krosoczka, about growing up with a drug-addicted mother, a missing father, and two unforgettably opinionated grandparents.

Boots on the Ground by Elizabeth Partridge

Boots on the Ground by Elizabeth Partridge

A National Book Award finalist chronicles the Vietnam War through the personal stories of eight people–six American soldiers, one American military nurse, and one Vietnamese refugee–capturing the intensity, frustration, and lasting impacts of one of the most tumultuous periods of American history.

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

A lengthy California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, turning Alyssa’s quiet suburban street into a warzone, and she is forced to make impossible choices if she and her brother are to survive.

You can’t go wrong with popular topics, series or characters!

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is unstoppable. The Meltdown is the 13th title in Kinney’s popular series! Dork Diaries are still popular and Tales from a Not-So-Happy Birthday marks the 13th in that series, too.

Graphic novel series for kids are always a good choice. Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild by Dav Pilkey (of Captain Underpants fame) releases on December 24. The Bad Guys series by Aaron Blabey is gaining in popularity especially since the announcement that the series is being adapted into a movie. For the nonfiction graphic novel reader – try Science Comics! Each volume introduces readers to fun topics including: the Solar System, Bats and Plagues.

Budding chefs of all ages are very easy to buy for this year! From picture books to nonfiction, there are a bunch of options for culinary artists of all ages. Little Chef by Elizabeth Weinberg is a delightful picture books for young ones. The Next Best Junior Chef series by Charise Mericle Harper is perfect for juvenile fiction readers. To get kids cooking, there are some fabulous cookbooks. American Girl’s partnership with Williams-Sonoma continues with American Girl Around the World Cookbook: Delicious Dishes from Across the Globe and American Girl Garden to Table: Fresh Recipes to Cook and Share. Finally, The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs, from America’s Test Kitchen boasts over 100 kid friendly recipes.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown
merican Girl Around the World Cookbook: Delicious Dishes from Across the Globe
Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild

Harry Potter fever never seems to subside. There are a couple awesome gifts for Potter fanatics this year. The gorgeous full color editions of the first three books are now available in a boxed gift set. And brilliant paper engineer Matthew Reinhart and artist Kevin Wilson have released the pop-up book Harry Potter: The Pop-up Guide to Hogwarts.

Lego churns out a bunch of good titles each year. The LEGO Book by Daniel Lipkowitz is excellent for the LEGO fanatic and has been expanded to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick. Another is Brick by Brick Dinosaurs: More than 15 Awesome LEGO Brick Projects, which is perfect for your dinosaur obsessed builders.

As always, there are new books for Star Wars fans. The LEGO Star Wars Ideas Book: More Than 200 Games, Activities and Building Ideas is perfect for Star Wars and LEGO fans! The hilarious picture book, Star Wars: Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex will illicit giggles.

John Green’s teen books continue to show up on the bestsellers lists. Green is one of the first teen authors to have flipback versions of his books published. You can try the new format with mini books of 4 of his most popular titles.

Harry Potter: The Pop-up Guide to Hogwarts
Brick by Brick Dinosaurs: More than 15 Awesome LEGO Brick Projects
Star Wars: Are You Scared, Darth Vader?

Shopping for an adult who loves books?

Check out these helpful book lists for great ideas:

Fiction

45 Books that’ll Make Perfect Gifts (BuzzFeed) Goodreads’ 2018 Choice Awards for Best Fiction

Fantasy and Science Fiction

Goodreads’ 2018 Choice Awards for Best Fantasy Goodreads’ 2018 Choice Awards for Best Science Fiction

Mystery

Goodreads’ 2018 Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller Fall 2018’s Most Exciting New Mysteries & Thrillers (Bookish)

Nonfiction

Goodreads’ 2018 Choice Awards for Best Nonfiction 50 Nonfiction Books that Will Make You Smarter in 2018 (Barnes & Noble) Fall 2018’s Best New Nonfiction (Bookish)

Romance

Goodreads’ 2018 Choice Awards for Best Romance 18 New Romance Novels Coming Fall 2018 (BookBub)

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