Holiday Gift Guide: Books for the young people in your life

Looking for a holiday gift for someone under 18? Consider giving the gift of reading! Children who grow up in homes where books are plentiful go further in school than those who don't. Further, children with low-education families can do as well as children with high-education families if they have access to books at home. (Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations 2010). If you're not sure what to get the young person on your list, here's our handy guide.

Books for the preschool/K-2nd grade set:

Lizz's Must-Have Pick: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. By Eric Litwin. Illus. by James Dean. HarperCollins. A blue mellow-eyed feline keeps losing his groovy buttons. But does he cry? Goodness no! For after all, it’s all good! (A 2013 Geisel Honor Book) A super-fun, lyrical book the children in your life will want you to read again...and again...and again! PLUS: lots of great videos on YouTube of the author reading the book.

Creepy Carrots! By Aaron Reynolds. Illus. by Peter Brown.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Jasper Rabbit loves carrots until he notices they are everywhere and becomes convinced that they’re coming for him! (A 2013 Caldecott Honor Book)

Demolition. By Sally Sutton. Illus. by Brian  Lovelock.  Candlewick. Through a mix of rhyming text, sounds, and onomatopoeia, and large gritty illustrations, children are introduced to what machines do at a construction site.

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors. By Hena Khan. Illus. by Mehrdokht Amini. Chronicle. A look at Muslim life through the eyes of a child, sharing family experiences; the warm illustrations and cultural details remind us how similar we are.

Oh, No! By Candace Fleming. Illus. by Eric Rohmann. Random/Schwartz & Wade. With exuberant rhythmic phrases and jungle colored illustrations, five animals are disturbed by a grinning tiger and fall into a hole, one by one. This suspenseful cumulative tale is an engaging read-aloud.

Books for the 3-6th grade reader:

Lizz's Must-Have Pick: The One and Only Ivan. By Katherine Applegate. Illus. by Patricia Castelao. HarperCollins/Harper. This unique gorilla’s-eye-view of the world delivers wry humor, deep emotion, and thought-provoking insights into the nature of friendship, hope, and humanity. (The 2013 Newbery Medal Book) 

Liar & Spy. By Rebecca Stead. Random/Wendy Lamb. What's real and what's deception? This subtle story, with unlikely friendships and secrets to be revealed, will intrigue readers and encourage a second reading.  

Three Times Lucky. By Sheila Turnage. Dial/Penguin. Rising sixth-grader Mo LoBeau leads eccentric residents of Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, on a rollicking journey of mystery and adventure as she investigates a murder and searches for her long-lost mother. (A 2013 Newbery Honor Book)

Lizz's Other Must-Have Pick: Bo at Ballard Creek. By Kirkpatrick Hall. Henry Holt. It's the 1920s, and Bo was headed for an Alaska orphanage when she won the hearts of two tough gold miners who set out to raise her, enthusiastically helped by all the kind people of the nearby Eskimo village. (For the Little House on the Prairie/Little Women/Anne of Green Gables fan!)

Books for middle school students:

Lizz's Must-Have Pick: Drama. By Raina Telgemeier. Illus. by the author. Graphix/Scholastic. Callie's personal drama on the tech-crew -- unrequited crushes, a first kiss, middle-school cliques -- is a spot-on tribute to teamwork, strong friendships, and individuality.  (A 2013 Stonewall Honor Book)

Temple Grandin: How the Girl who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World. By Sy Montgomery. illus. Houghton. Using interviews, blueprints, and accessible narrative, the author explains the workings of the autistic brain while introducing the life of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman famous for her animal rights advocacy.

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March. By Cynthia Y. Levinson. illus. Peachtree. Four children, who risked their lives in the momentous march, provide their personal accounts of that historic event. Beautifully designed and illustrated with archival photographs.  

The Last Dragonslayer. By Jasper Fforde. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. With magic drying up, it's hard for a freelance magical agency to stay afloat, especially with the rumors and prophecies of the death of the last dragon.

Books for high school students:

Lizz's Must-Have Pick: Two Boys Kissing. By David Levithan. Knopf. Stories of modern LGBT teens as told by a Greek chorus of the first wave of AIDS victims. 

Lizz's Other Must-Have Pick: The Whole Stupid Way We Are. By N. Griffin. Atheneum. Do-gooder Dinah and her troubled friend Skint struggle to set the world and their friendship right when Dinah's attempts to help end up hindering.

Code Name Verity. By Elizabeth Wein. Disney/Hyperion. Verity and Maddie are friends working in the war effort.  When the Gestapo captures Verity, she trades information for freedom.  Meanwhile, Maddie tries to free her.  This is their story.