Sign in with Facebook
A Bookish Gift Guide for Young Readers
When buying holiday gifts, books are always a good choice. (We would say that, wouldn’t we?) When it comes to buying for kids, books are an especially great choice.
To help you in the latter department this year, we're offering a gift guide for those with young bookworms in their lives. Below, you'll find a range of recommendations for brand-new proto-readers (babies!) to younger teens (13 to 15 years old). For these recommendations, we turned to a kid-lit expert for help: Seira Wilson, editor for the Amazon Book Review.
Seira can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a die-hard book lover, and one of her favorite things is helping other people discover books that they love. After more than 20 years in the book industry, she lives in a house brimming with bookshelves full of great reads, including an insane number of children's books and young adult novels. You can find more of Seira's coverage about books here, and be sure to check out further bookish suggestions for kids with the 2023 Amazon Book Editors’ children's books gift guide.
Hover over the book cover images for details about each title, or click through for more information. You can keep track of potential gift ideas with the Want to Read button.
Board books for babies' bookshelves
Picture books you won't get tired of reading over and over
For the child who loves planes, trains, and automobiles
Beautiful gift books that will knock their socks off
Chapter books that will create a lifelong love for reading
For the sports-obsessed kid
Great graphic novels for big and small kids
Boxed sets that will keep middle schoolers hooked
More mythology for the kid who's already read the entire Percy Jackson series twice
Books to convince your middle schooler that reading can be fun
Young adult novels suitable for younger teens
Now it's your turn! Which books do you love buying for young readers? Share them in the comments below to help out your fellow Goodreads members this holiday season!
Comments Showing 1-18 of 18 (18 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Laura
(new)
Nov 15, 2023 12:20AM
we love "Grumpy Monkey" by Suzanne Lang. Great for toddlers!
reply
|
flag
Ryan T Higgins books-especially Bruce and Penelope-are fun reads!
I've read The Inheritance Games. The first book is enjoyable and now I can't wait to read the next book.
Enid Blyton - The enchanted woods & faraway tree series was my FAVE as a kid. Still wished it exists to this day :')
I love this list, but I'm so sad Goodreads took away middle grade and children's as Goodreads Choice Awards categories.
2021 - "Picture Books" category is removed.2023 - "Middle Grade & Children's" category is removed.
Very, very disappointing. Could this be an error??
I would not consider the inheritance games or the cruel prince suitable for younger teens. 16+.
Kris wrote: "2021 - "Picture Books" category is removed.2023 - "Middle Grade & Children's" category is removed.
Very, very disappointing. Could this be an error??"
Massive shame. They also removed the Graphic Novels and Comics category and instead they put Romantasy? Really?
Divine Rivals has graphic war descriptions. Maybe not a book suitable for young teens.
And yet you couldn't aggregate them for people to vote?? Romantasy gets a whole section (pointless really, we know what will win) but middle grade isn't good enough to warrant the attention of the awards? While we're at it, where is the poetry section? Or should we expect a list for best poetry recommendations for the poet in your life? 🙄
Kris wrote: "2021 - "Picture Books" category is removed.2023 - "Middle Grade & Children's" category is removed.
Very, very disappointing. Could this be an error??"
In judgement, yes. They removed cookbooks too and lumped science together with non-narrative nonficiton
4 of the top 10 most grossing movies of all time are comic adaptations but yeah, let's do romantasy instead.To me that category sounds like someone really wants a book to win in a category and they are creating some BS category just so that book can win it.
Jordi wrote: "4 of the top 10 most grossing movies of all time are comic adaptations but yeah, let's do romantasy instead.To me that category sounds like someone really wants a book to win in a category and th..."
its the opposite. Fantasy readers were asking for this category FOR YEARS because they were sick of Romantasy books (aka books they didn't view as "Fantasy enough") winning the Fantasy category. It was created to alleviate that. Still shouldn't have replaced graphic novels or middle grade, though.
Jessie wrote: "I would not consider the inheritance games or the cruel prince suitable for younger teens. 16+."Based on what? "younger teens" is 13 at the youngest. The Cruel Prince and Inheritance Games, as well as the other two mentioned, are both about teens and have clean romances compared to their peers. I'm sure that's why they were picked, along with their popularity. There is no reason a 14-yo couldn't pick up either of those books and be just fine :\
I remember the Horrid Henry books when I was growing up. I loved those books!
These are great recommendations; still would have liked to see the middle grade and children's books categories in the Goodreads Choice Awards. Please reinstate it.
I found s fabulous book for my great-grandson who has inherited many of the well-known and classics. The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination by Brad Montague is perfect for a precocious 7 and up!
Obviously each teen or child is different. For some, they may not be ready for Divine Rivals or Cruel Prince but many are. You'd be surprised how many teens enjoy a book like these.
