2024 Gift Guide: For the Tweens & Young Teens (Ages 10-15)
December 13, 2024 § 4 Comments
Welcome to the fifth and final installment of this year’s Gift Guide! I apologize that it has taken me so far into December to finish these round-ups. Putting this Guide together every year is a bit like childbirth. When it’s over, I quickly forget how grueling it was. Then, smack into the middle of the following fall, I think, holy heck, why have I agreed to do this again?! I’m mostly kidding, because I do love the process of reading through fall releases, looking for standouts for different types of readers and different types of gift givers, but the thorough written reviews are in themselves a huge undertaking. I thank you for bearing with me!
Today’s list includes both upper middle-grade titles, a new but rapidly expanding category aimed at the tween reader (ages 10-13), and books on the softer, gentler side of YA (ages 13+), something not so easy to come by in a category only growing edgier in its aim to catch the attention of adult readers as well. To be clear, there is no difference in reading level across YA books; the age distinction is based entirely on how graphic the content is around sex, violence, or drugs, so don’t assume that an older teen wouldn’t like some of these selects, too!
For those of you straddling traditional middle grade (ages 8-12) and upper middle grade (10-13), be sure to check out the previous installment of this year’s Guide, too!
Speaking of older teens, I won’t be doing a list specifically for them this year, but I can direct you to the one my colleagues helped with at the bookstore, because their taste is impeccable. Many of these are being gifted to my own daughter (who just finished and adored the holiday romance, Make My Wish Come True! And, as always, if you keep your eye on my Instagram account, I do occasionally share reviews for older teens alongside all the other books I read and love.
As always, please consider supporting my work at Old Town Books by using the links below to purchase your books from us, either in person or online, though if you have an indie bookstore near you that you love, by all means give them your money! Our communities need its bookstores—places of escape, discovery, and inclusion—arguably now more than ever.
The books below are presented roughly in order from youngest to oldest.
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: Middle Grade for Ages 8-14
November 28, 2023 Comments Off on 2023 Gift Guide: Middle Grade for Ages 8-14
In the fourth installment of this year’s Gift Guide, we’re turning our attention to middle-grade reads that aren’t graphic novels (those will get their own installment next!). I’m especially proud of this grouping, which includes standard middle grade (ages 8-12), as well as upper middle grade, an expanding category aimed at middle schoolers who might not be ready for the comparative heaviness of young adult literature. All but two are new this fall. (I had to throw in The Swifts and What Happened to Rachel Riley? even though they were included in round-ups earlier in the year, because they are too good not to recommend one more time for the people in the back.)
I was especially picky when choosing these titles—translate: I read and rejected, read and rejected—because I’m finding an increasing disconnect between what publishers are publishing and what today’s young readers want to read. Many of you have echoed my struggle to find shorter, faster-paced stories that hook readers straight out of the gate, that are funny and fun but still amount to something meaningful and authentic. Others have readers who tear through books so quickly that the challenge becomes finding something meaty, challenging, original. Some of you have complained that there aren’t enough realistic middle grade with boy protagonists (you’re correct). Others have kids who only read fantasy or nonfiction. I hope you will find all of these needs answered in the collection below, which truly offers something for every kind of reader.
All these books are in stock at Old Town Books, where I work as the children’s buyer, so especially if you’re local, I hope you will consider supporting our beautifully curated store!
And for those looking for more stand-out 2023 middle grade, check out my Summer Reading Guide here and here and my Spring Break Reading Round-Up here.
Titles are arranged from youngest to oldest, so if you have readers closer to ages 12-14, you’ll want to scroll down.
« Read the rest of this entry »2019 Gift Guide: Graphic Novels to Rock Their World (Ages 8-16)
December 11, 2019 § 1 Comment
It’s what I hear most often from parents: “I can’t get my kid to read anything but graphic novels.” The assumption is one of concern: perhaps said kiddo is dabbling in literature less worthy than the meaty prose novels many of us devoured in our own childhoods. The question of whether to purchase graphic novels also stumps parents: is it worth buying books our kids will tear through so quickly? After all, a graphic novel that takes an entire year to create can often be finished by an avid young reader in a single sitting.
AND YET. I would argue that graphic novels are some of the greatest (material) gifts we can bestow on our children. Today’s kids are growing up in a more visual culture than we ever did. Couple that with the exploding innovation coming out of the comics market right now, and is it any wonder these books are so alluring to young readers? I’ve watched my own children fall in love with reading through these books. I’ve watched them return to favorite comics in times of stress or change. I’ve watched them bend over graphic novels in the backseat during carpool, with friends on either side leaning in.
Good graphic novels are clever and layered and poignant and often shockingly beautiful. Their vocabulary is rich. To read them is never a passive experience; rather, kids need to work to extract the complete narrative, to find the innuendos and deeper meanings hidden in the cross-section between picture and text. Herein lies the best case for owning graphic novels: the reason your kids return to them again and again isn’t just because they enjoy them; it’s because they get more out of every reading.
Best of all, today’s graphic novels are tackling a range of subjects and genres, including science, history, biography, and immensely valuable socio-emotional learning. 2019 was a banner year for graphic novels. Below are some of the stand-outs (including what my own kids are getting for the holidays!).
What to Read to Your Kids 