[CHEERFUL INTRO MUSIC]

ANNE: Hey, readers, I'm Anne Bogel and this is What Should I Read Next? Episode 352.

Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader: What Should I Read Next?

We don't get bossy on this show: What we WILL do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read. Or in the case of today's episode, to choose a whole bunch of bookish gift recommendations for the younger readers in your life.

[MUSIC]

Readers, you'll hear me mention my reading journal for young readers on today's show and that's because My Reading Adventures makes a wonderful gift for the young book lovers in your life. Whether you gift it on its own or pair it with one of the titles we talked about today, My Reading Adventures invites your young reader to delight in the details of their reading life.

With their journal in hand, they'll explore new genres with a bunch of inspired book lists and keep track of what they've loved and what they didn't love. My Reading Adventures comes with an engaging emoji rating scale and lots of space to take notes on the books they've read lately, all wrapped up in a perfectly giftable book they'll use all year long.

Order your copy today from your favorite independent bookstore online wherever you buy your books. And you can go to modernmrsdarcy.com/store and also get yours there.

Readers, pull out your notebooks and pour yourself a cup of something good because today's episode is going to be chock full of book recommendations for the young readers in your lives. We always have a blast with these annual gift recommendation episodes. This year, we decided to dedicate an entire episode to answering your questions about bookish gifts for kids.

I brought along another professional booklover, Sarah Mackenzie to join me. Sarah is the creator of Read-Aloud Revival, the website and podcast that helps support and inspire homeschooling families while helping parents raise kids who love to read. And she does that so well. I can't wait to hear about the books and bookish gifts and ideas that she'll be sharing with all of us today.

We were overwhelmed with so many amazing requests. We are going to answer just as many as we can today. And know that as we do, we are answering questions and making recommendations with ALL of you listeners in mind. It's clear that whether you're a parent, an aunt, a friend, or a community member, you really care about getting inspiring books into the hands of the kids you love. And we are here today to help you do exactly that. Let's get to it.

Well, first of all, Sarah, welcome to the show again.

SARAH: Thank you. Thank you. I love coming.

ANNE: Well, I have to tell you that when we started conceiving a kid's gifting episode, the excuse to get to talk to you again may have been a strong factor in the pro column. So thank you for making this episode happen.

SARAH: Well, you know, I will talk with you about books any day. so I'm really happy to be here.[BOTH LAUGHS]

ANNE: We do that a lot on Voxer. It's fun to do it here on the podcast with an audience. Listeners, we're so glad you're here. I mean, we get really jazzed about talking about books for readers of all ages.

I mean, you and I really like to talk about what we are reading and enjoying as well as like, "Hey, Sarah, you got to help me figure out something for my 12 year old who has finished six books in six days and I've used up all my time budget for finding books for him."

So thank you for doing what you do. It is a great service to the parents, educators, neighbors, godparents, aunts, and uncles, to all those readers everywhere.

SARAH: Oh, thank you so much.

ANNE: Okay, you want to dive in?

SARAH: I want to dive in.

[00:03:28]

ANNE: Okay, we're going roughly in age order. We're starting with the younger set, and we're moving up to the older readers. Let's do this. First step, this Michigan reader is looking for books for her 2-yr-old son who loves his bedtime reading routine with dad. Some big hits have been Little Blue Truck, Llama Llama Red Pajama, and Sandra Boynton's books. She's looking for books with a great rhyme scheme that won't get too boring for dad even after the 30th or 40th read-through. The dad already finds a lot of dinosaur books because he loved as a kid.

All right, Sarah, what do you got on the rhyming front?

SARAH: Okay, so first of all, I love the dad is finding books that he loved as a kid because that makes for the best read-aloud. But honestly, rhyming books are my... I love them so much. A really good rhyming book, I should say. A poorly written rhyming book can be a little painful to read aloud. It's the kind that you accidentally dropped behind the couch and you can't find again when they want to read it again the next night for bedtime.

ANNE: You would never.

SARAH: This is all theoretically speaking.

ANNE: Okay. Okay. So the first one that comes to mind for me is Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. Do you know these books, Anne?

ANNE: I do. I do. They're so fun.

SARAH: Yes. Whole series. Karma is a master at rhyme. So that one is fantastic. And they're funny and really well illustrated. Another that my little boys loved is How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?. That one's by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Mark Teague. That's another one that's a whole series. And it's possible that he's already got these on his bookshelf but How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? would be a fantastic one.

And then another one that's really funny, and I have found that most adults who read this book and don't know what's coming will find themselves laughing out loud as they read it, and it's Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw. Again, that's another one that's in a series. So lots of series here.

ANNE: That's amazing. Because with a good series when you find one book, you found a bunch and that is always welcome.

SARAH: Totally feels like a goldmine, yeah

ANNE: Our next request is from a grandmother who is discovering the world of modern children's books alongside her granddaughter! This holiday season she hopes to gift her granddaughter a book with great illustrations that sends a positive message of some kind, like being accepting of others or overcoming a challenge. Bonus points if it incorporates her granddaughter's favorite things like unicorns, dogs, farm animals, rainbows, and the color pink. She already has quite a library, so we're looking to steer into often unexplored territory.

SARAH: Okay. I hope that she doesn't know this one yet. Madeline Finn and the Library Dog. There's also Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog. Both of these are written by Lisa Papp. I think they're written and illustrated by Lisa Papp actually. Really well illustrated. Really beautiful. But they are the kind of story where they're tackling some of those positive message issue things like facing fears or doing something challenging.

I think Madeline Finn and the Library Dog talks about struggle learning to read and dyslexia maybe. I don't think it names dyslexia, but struggling learning to read is basically a thing that's happening in that story.

And then Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog is about seeing the world through someone else's shoes, basically, and learning how to be kind and empathetic. But what I love about them is they're not preachy. Your child's not going to feel like you're reading this to make them a better person. They're just going to feel like they're reading a really good story. And there's also these really fabulous messages underneath.

ANNE: Hurray for good books that adults don't find saccharin and eye-rolling.

SARAH: Yes, exactly.

[00:06:54]

ANNE: I can't wait to read it. That sounds amazing. Next, Elizabeth has zero qualms about flooding her own children with book gifts, but is a bit more nervous about gifts for her little nieces and nephews. Her 2-year-old nephew is so far only interested in interactive car books, so she would like recommendations for books that would entertain him but also start introducing a storyline. And if his baby brother could grow into it or his 4-year-old sister would also enjoy it, all the better!

So I have had several children completely obsessed with the world of transportation. I'm keeping this car specific but I mean, I know so many of you readers have kids obsessed with Cars, Trucks and Things That Go. So we're going to talk about all of them.

First of all the books of Donald Crews, if you have not discovered those yet, he has all kinds of vehicles and transportation methods, including little cars. And he has simple plots as well as vivid illustrations. They come in board books, they come in picture book format. Lots to explore there.

I did say Cars, Trucks and Things That Go. That is also the title of a Richard Scarry classic for a reason and also an introduction to the whole busytown universe. Those books were ones that I read in my childhood and they have held up. You can spend half an hour poring over a single-page spread of some of those books. So lots to delight in for baby brother and the 4-year-old sister and older.

An interesting one—Sarah, I'm wondering if this is on your radar—but Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire of the ones renowned for their Greek and Norse gorgeously illustrated, mythological stories also have a picture book called The Two Cars.

SARAH: I've never heard of that.

[00:08:32]

ANNE: I know. Isn't that fun? It's a retelling of the tortoise and the hare, which a young child may not get at all, but the grownups sure do. And I have to use this moment to insert a family fav. Chugga Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis is about choo-choo trains. But I've talked about this on the podcast before. I can recite almost this entire book to you by memory because I read it so many times. And I don't hate it, which is high praise. But he's also written My Truck Is Stuck! and Tugga-Tugga Tugboat if that appeals more to Elizabeth's child.

Moving on to Nina who is a fantasy nerd, adult fantasy nerd who wants to find books for her 2-year-old godson who might not be ready for Grimms' Fairy Tales. No. Like I read Grimms' Fairy Tales in high school as a German student. We read the real thing. I'm not sure I'm still ready for Grimms' Fairy Tales.

SARAH: Yeah. Are you still recovering? [LAUGHS]

ANNE: Oh, I'm still recovering. My son is now taking German in college and he's reading some stuff that is bringing back all kinds of memories, Sarah. Nina's godson is Filipino, and she would especially like to find a book that reflects his heritage and helps him see himself in the story. In the past, he's loved Mel Fell and he will play the Twas the Night Before Christmas audio book all the time. What do you think?

SARAH: Okay, a couple things come to mind for me right away. One is A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin. I think that comes in both a board book and in a regular picture book. But Grace Lin actually won a Caldecott Award for it for the illustrations.

And there's another one. I think it's A Big Bed for Little Snow I think might be the other one. But A Big Mooncake for Little Star has a bit of a fantasy element which might appeal to Nina since she mentioned that she's a fantasy nerd, but it also, I think, has some of those fairy-tale-like qualities without being, like we said, a Grimm Fairy Tale.

Another one that just came to mind, especially because he loves listening to the Twas the Night Before Christmas audiobook, is that there are a whole series of audiobooks called Rabbit Ears Productions. So it's a whole series. Each one is like 30 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes and it'll be like the emperor's new clothes, or the tortoise and the hare. There's sound design and music so they're kind of like a production, but they're really well done and they are covering like a lot of folktales and fables, which are oftentimes more suitable for young kids than fairy tales because they're less dark than fairy tales can be. So a Rabbit Ears Productions, those are fabulous.

And then I love Nina that you mentioned Mel Fell. It's amazing to me what Corey Tabor did with that story in just not very many words and very simple illustrations. So funny. So he is another one that I absolutely love. Every chance I get I read it to a young kid. And it's called Snail Crossing. I just read it to my homeschool co-op kids because I get to do the kindergarten through second graders. And then they enjoyed it so much, I went ahead.. I'm also teaching a class at the third and fourth graders and I read it to them too. Everybody loved it. Snail Crossing by Corey Tabor. It's not like the fantasy fairy tale, I should say. It's not like a fairy tale. It's just if he loves Mel Fell, he'll like Snail Crossing.

ANNE: Well, you've got your own little focus group and they approve.

SARAH: I do. [LAUGHS]

[00:11:43]

ANNE: Next we have Abbey. She is a mom who loves to fully commit to the voices and personalities of the characters she reads aloud to her 4-year-old son (especially the Frog and Toad series). But she needs some new book suggestions to keep her son interested, introduce some female protagonists to his bookshelf, and challenge her own voice acting! I love this. I love this, Abbey. They love reading adventure together, but avoid anything too scary. Her son recently loved Winnie the Pooh, Moongobble and Me, and all Arnold Lobel's stories.

SARAH: Oh, this feels like familiar territory to me. [ANNE CHUCKLES] I love all of those books. And also my twin boys, who are now nine, couldn't really do scary books for a long time. So I love these. These are newer. They're called Fox & Chick. If you love Frog and Toad, you definitely want to check out Fox & Chick by Sergio Ruzzier.

So they're like Frog and Toad but they're a little more graphic novel-esque in like the way that they're laid out, but they're for young readers. They're really fun to either read aloud, or as your kids get older, and they're practicing their reading, they will be able to read them as well. So we use them both ways. I read them to my kids and also they practice their reading by reading them to me. Very fun. Same kind of close friendship between.

That sort of funny, endearing bond between Frog and Toad, it shows up in Fox & Chick as well. You've got like Fox who's more responsible and predictable and then there's a chick who's a little bit more unpredictable and wild and hilarious. So they're fun.

Another one that comes to mind for me, and I feel like I'm recommending these books every day to somebody, I'm telling them every day, they're the Fabled Stables by Jonathan Auxier. The first one is called Willa the Wisp.

Jonathan himself will call these novel-length picture books because they're full color illustrations on every page. You can read the whole book in like half an hour. So it's not really a chapter book but there are chapters and it's not really a picture book, because it's way too long to be a picture—You can't read it in 10 minutes. But they're fabulous for a lot of ages. So I mean, I think a kid age three all the way up to age 12 would be engaged in them. And there's a lot of opportunity for that voice acting the Abbey said she likes to do. [LAUGHS] There's a lot of opportunity for voices in this series.

[00:14:01]

ANNE: I think those sound amazing. Abbey, I hope those sound good to you. Next we have Kayla. Kayla is a work-from-home mom hoping to foster an environment at home for her three kids under five to love books as much as she does. She's looking for recommendations for non-book suggestions for helping kids learn to read — what makes reading approachable for young children, aside from the books themselves? Sarah, I'm sure we both have thoughts here.

SARAH: You know, the first thing that comes to mind for me is it's going to sound too simple, which totally try it. Just put a couple of books face out. So if you go to a bookstore or the library, you know, the books that catch your attention are the ones that have the covers face out. This is especially true, I think, with picture books because picture books have those tiny little skinny spines. And so we put our picture books on a bookshelf and then there's nothing really driving our kids or motivating our kids to go over them, pick through them and look at them.

So one of the things I love to do is give myself like a 62nd challenge. So I will like start my coffee, or you know, throw a tea bag in my hot water. And then while it’s steeping just for that minute or two, I will go around and just pluck a few picture books from the shelf and put them face out.

And I don't have like fancy face out bookshelves or anything in my house. I will put them in windowsills or wherever that the kids will see them. I mean, I'm always surprised that the books I put face out are definitely the books my kids are picking up later that day.

ANNE: Yes, I hear that. It's something that we've always done around here is to put them on the coffee table where if you're sitting on the couch, because you just want to sit down, oh look, there's a book in front of you. And put them near your kids' toys, put them with your special things, whatever that means. Have books at snack time, have books on the picnic blanket outside.

And also I just want to say to Kayla, don't be shy about modeling your own love of reading. If you want to help your kids love books as much as you do, you may take for granted that of course they know you love books, but let them see you enjoying books. So Kayla, you are truly doing a service to the young readers in your family if you sit down on the couch and grab one of those books off the coffee table and read it for a few minutes while they are still awake and up and about.

SARAH: So good. It feels indulgent. Like I think sometimes we think this isn't... I have so many things to do. But if it's one of our goals to like help our kids fall in love with their reading life, then modeling that is a really good use of your time. So you can actually feel like you're doing something productive. It's better than folding the laundry. [CHUCKLES]

Actually, one other thing, Anne, that as you're talking about putting it on the coffee table, so for anyone listening who has teens that they wish would, you know, open up books and read them more, one thing I did for my son for many years is because he would get up and eat like, I don't know, 17 bowls of cereal in the morning, [CHUCKLES] I would put a book face... just like lay a book on the table face up, you know, where I knew he was going to be sitting. I would try not to put it like right there, like, "Oh, look what I put out for you," but I would just sort of toss a book on the table.

And then he would sit down and he pours cereal and then he's looking around for something to do while he's sitting there chomping, and there's a book right there. So he kind of pull it toward him and flip through it. And that worked really well. So same idea, putting a book face out, putting it on a coffee table, like you said, Anne. And you can do this I think with kids of any age.

ANNE: Sarah, I'm glad you said that. Like you're not going to tell them especially as they get older. No. This is your stealthy, like-

SARAH: Yeah, for sure.

ANNE: "I'm laying a trap for you." But you're not. You're inviting them to a really wonderful experience, a potentially really wonderful experience. You're inviting them to try something.

SARAH: Yeah.

ANNE: Sarah, before we move on to middle-grade readers, are there any general thoughts, tips, advice you'd like to give to a reader shopping for the younger set?

[00:17:27]

SARAH: Well, one thing that's been helpful for me is that you don't need a ton of different books, especially the youngest kids from two tell eighth. Rereading is going to... This is like the rereading sweet spot. That's what they really want. We all know that 3-year-old or 4-year-old who wants the same book every single night read again and again.

So, you know, I wouldn't worry so much about having like a huge library or huge, wide offering of picture books or board books or whatever. If you can find a few that they really, really like and have those in your home library, I think that will make a big difference.

So choosing like one new or two new books for the holidays that you can add to your permanent collection would be better use than like buying, I don't know, 10 and not knowing if any of them are going to be a good fit. So I think like taking a few minutes at the bookstore to kind of peek through them and go, "Okay, yes, I can imagine myself reading those 20 times," and picking that one would be a better idea than buying 10 that you're not quite so sure about.

ANNE: Yes, that is such good advice. And that reminds me you said something about shopping in the bookstore. If you're able to access a local bookstore or even like a big box Barnes and Noble, even Target has a book section, the difference between shopping in person and shopping online is online it's very easy to find what you're looking for. You may notice things that are perfect for your kids, the kids you're shopping for that you didn't realize you were looking for when you're browsing in person. So that's so valuable.

Also, to underscore what you said about you don't need to buy all these books we're talking about today. We certainly want you to support independent bookstores. That's something we believe in. And also very few of us wish to buy all the books our kids will read. Like we would run out of space in our actual homes.

But even like when we do... We count down to Christmas in my family. That's a holiday we celebrate. So if we do a Christmas holiday countdown beginning December 1 going to December 24 with wrapped books, which is something we've done before. When my kids were little I got a lot of those from the library because I wanted to try them out. And we didn't need them in our house for months. We just needed them for 24 days. And I could do that. That's a great way to experiment.

SARAH: And then if you find yourself checking them out over and over again, you can go okay, "This is one that's worth putting in our permanent collection." And especially if it's a favorite book. Like if the kids have read it again, have requested it again and again, when they get their very own copy, it'll be like oh, "This is one of, whatever, The Snail Crossing, of my very own. I can read it anytime I want." [CHUCKLES]

ANNE: Oh, that feels so good.

SARAH: Yeah.

ANNE: Okay, middle grade, here we come. First request is from Krysten. She is a mother with a history of staying up way too late with a book, who has passed that tradition on to her 10-year-old daughter. She'd like to introduce her daughter to a fantasy middle-grade series that will keep her excited and challenged without the more mature themes of the young adult category. Past favorites are the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger, The School for Good and Evil Series by Soman Chainani, and anything by Rick Riordan. What sounds good to you, Sarah?

[00:20:23]

SARAH: Okay, so a couple of things come to mind for me as I hear this, Krysten. One is the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, which are pretty well-known, so it's possible you already know these. But that series has engaged my kids of like a really... You know, the ones who love fantasy are the ones that really love adventure. But they're very middle-grade, so they don't have any of that young adult-themed stuff that you were talking about.

Another is The Green Ember by S.D. Smith. The whole series I can recommend. We're big fans of The Green Ember at my house. And it's funny to me, I feel like, kids who read Green Ember and love it, they are like rabid fans. Like they love Green Ember. So if it's a good fit, she'll know in the first book, and then you'll have the rest of the series to engage with.

Another one that comes to mind is The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. And that one starts with On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Those are going to be longer and a little bit like harder to get through them unlike, say, The Green Ember. I think they might be like a level-up in complexity and length. So I would probably start with Fablehaven and The Green Ember. And then if those are good fits, then go to The Wingfeather Saga.

ANNE: Those sounds so good. I also want to add a recommendation from our team member, Holly, who said that she has nieces and nephews in the six to 9-year-old age range. And she recently gifted her nieces The Wind Riders books. These are by Jen Marlin.

And she said that they have been such a big hit. They're slightly advanced for the 4-year-old but she enjoys listening in. The 6-year-old is really into them. The publisher says up to about age 10. So Krysten's daughter is about to age out. But for readers who are really relating to Krysten's request, those are definitely worth taking a look at.

SARAH: I have never heard of them but I cannot wait. I'm adding that to my list. That sounds like something that would be a good fit in my house.

ANNE: Sarah, this is what we're here for. [LAUGHS]

SARAH: I know. And I love it. [ANNE LAUGHS] I'm making a list. A whole list. [LAUGHS]

ANNE: Our next reader is Annie, looking for middle-grade book recs for her 10-year-old daughter who recently expressed an interest in trying mystery stories. She's hoping to find just the right book — or series — to encourage this new interest, especially if it's funny and about kids her daughter's age. We have an addition here. NO SAD ANIMAL STORIES for Annie's daughter. What sounds good to you, Sarah?

[00:22:44]

SARAH: My 10-year-old daughter loves the A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy. There's 26 of them because there's a mystery for every letter of the alphabet. So you can just read them in order. You start with A and you keep going on.

She actually loves listening to them on audio, but they're probably a good fit for a 10-year-old reader reading independently. You know, another one... they're kind of mystery. They're not really mystery, but they have a mysterious element to them. And that is the Zoey and Sassafras series by Asia Citro. These are like really short chapter books. So they're fantastic for kids who are intimidated by either a lot of words or a lot of pages.

And they're, let's see, like a magical... There's a fantasy element to them. They're funny. They're totally for kids who are into science, which is my 10-year-old daughter. So those would be a good fit as well. Those were called Zoey and Sassafras.

ANNE: Okay, I have ideas. The James Ponti books. The Framed! series is a great place for Annie's daughter to jump in. Also the Charlie Thorne series by Stuart Gibbs. I know that's a really popular one that a lot of kids love.

A little more, not completely off the beaten path, but not as top of mind for a lot of booksellers and librarians is Octavia Spencer's book series called Randi Rhodes, Ninja Bandits, about a girl whose... can I say kicking butt to middle graders and getting things done? Just lots of action. Really fun.

And then the Nooks & Crannies series by Jessica Lawson is a funny mystery series about a bunch of kids solving a puzzle. It kind of reminds me of Crew as an adult in a big old mansion that might be full of money.

Finally, I got a slide in a nonfiction graphic novel. I guess it's not a graphic novel than graphic how-to. It's called The Drawing Lesson by Mark Crilley.

SARAH: Oh! I know this book. I love this book. Yes, yes, go.

ANNE: This book is amazing, right?

SARAH: Yes.

ANNE: There's nothing quite like it. It's a graphic novel that teaches you to draw. And we know that Annie's daughter is really interested in music, drawing, and telling jokes. I think that could really appeal to her.

SARAH: You know what? That makes a really good gift. Because when I read that book, what I wanted to do is start drawing. And like you'd actually learn... exactly you said it teaches you how to draw. You learn principles of drawing as you're reading the story. So it just sort of feels like a really like kind of hits a bunch of different beats with the one book. I love it.

[00:25:08]

ANNE: We haven't talked a lot about presentation and packaging. Two things that kids often appreciate more than I wish they did, but yeah, you package this thing up with a couple of black wings and a pencil case. Also, my kids get really excited... My teenagers get really excited these days about fancy erasers. So just package that baby up. Your kids will be occupied forever.

Katie is a kindergarten teacher who loves picture books and adult books but doesn't have much experience with the graphic novels her daughter loves. She's looking for an action-packed graphic novel or chapter book series that will keep her daughter's interest without overwhelming her. Past favorites have been Lucy Knisley's Apple Crush, The Unicorn Whisperer, The Baby-Sitter Club, Shannon Hale's books.

Okay, my first thought here is I didn't know the new Lucy Knisley's is out. That's so much fun. Okay, what comes to mind here for Katie's daughter, first of all, there are so many. And there is a graphic novel category in My Reading Adventures if that interests you.

Based on what you said about your daughter, I thought of The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell, which really is the story of neighborhood kids with great imaginations doing fun and fantastical things. And also maybe Click by Kayla Miller. This is all about finding that one interest or group that you like really click with. And yes, that word which is spelled C-L-I-C-K in the title, that works on multiple levels in this book. It's an exploration of friendship and identity as well.

Finally, Katie, this may be a touch old for your daughter right now, but Terri Libenson's Emmie & Friends series. Keep that on your radar because it will be perfect in a year or two based on what you said your daughter enjoys. Sarah, anything to add there?

SARAH: I discovered Lightfall. Have you read this yet, Anne?

ANNE: No, I haven't.

SARAH: It's by Tom Probert. It is a graphic novel. So my 18-year-old—she's almost 19, I guess—just went off to art school, loves graphic novels. This middle grade graphic novel was her favorite read last year of everything that she read. She reads a lot of different things, right?

I mean, it has such a wide appeal. My 10-year-old daughter read it and loved it. Like I said, my 18, almost 19-year-old, loved it. But this is an action packed fantasy kind of graphic novel. Not too much text. Hilarious, fabulous female protagonist. There's so much to love. So there's the first one and there's a sequel out now too.

And then another one that comes in mind for Katie is Mighty Jack, which is like a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. But Ben Hatke is hilarious. I mean, he's such a fabulous artist and great storyteller. So there, I think, are three or four in that series. And usually when I'm recommending Lightfall, I'll say okay, if you're Ben Hotke fan, then you definitely need to read Lightfall. They kind of go hand in hand. If you like one, you're probably gonna like the other.

ANNE: Sounds good. Next, we have a mom in the St. Louis area whose 11-year-old son doesn't consider himself a reader but gets totally immersed in the right series — so she needs action-packed series recommendations ASAP! Her son loves kid-spy books like those by Stuart Gibbs and James Ponti. And he is into basketball and baseball, Scouts, mythology, and math. What comes to mind, Sarah?

[00:28:14]

SARAH: Anything by Laura Martin. So I think Laura Martin's books are totally unputdownable. She's a middle school teacher who is now a full-time writer. But she wrote her first book because she basically said she was tired of middle school boys coming into her class and saying they didn't like reading. And so she wanted to prove them wrong. Like to give them a book they could not put down. I think she's done it. I mean, her books are consistently favorites at our house and they're ones that we read very fast, whether it's me or any of my kids. We read them fast because you can't linger. You just gotta keep finding out what's happening.

I would recommend probably for this 11-year-old starting with Float. That one's about a group of kids at a summer camp and they all have like uncontrollable superpowers that get them into all kinds of trouble. The ones I most often recommend are The Edge of Extinction. That's a two-book dual... What's it called when there's two books?

ANNE: It sounds like we wish you'd write more is what it always feels like to me.

SARAH: Exactly. So Float, The Edge of Extinction. My own favorite by Laura Martin is Glitch, which is a time travel book. Fabulous for history lovers. And because this 11-year-old like spy books like Stuart Gibbs and James Ponti, I might rethink my start with. I had said start with Float. I actually think you might want to start with Glitch. These kids are time traveling for historical purposes that feels a little bit like a spy novel. So...

ANNE: Okay, since we said math, the Secret Coders series of graphic novels by Gene Luen Yang. This reader may be a tad old for the early books, but not the later books. Of course, there's so much great sports writing out there, fiction and nonfiction like Kwame Alexander, Tim Green, Jason Reynolds, of course, those.

But we want to look for the less explored territory and many readers don't realize that Linda Sue Park has a book about baseball. It's called Keeping Score. And what's so cool is it will truly teach you how to do that while also introducing young readers to the Korean War.

And I also need to mention a classic that readers my age may take for granted but younger readers are discovering for the first time. You know, sometimes we give a little nudge. So The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt is this wonderful work of historical fiction that revolves around, well, so much middle school trauma and also baseball in the Vietnam War.

Finally, my own son who's now off at college, but when he was young, he loved The Kid from Tomkinsville by John Tunis, and all those books. So these are old. The Kid from Tomkinsville was first published in 1940. But what's interesting is it's marketed as kidlit today, but Tunis didn't intend it as such. But your 11-year-old I think could definitely like read and enjoy the story just fine. Better than fine, I hope.

SARAH: Just a second. I'm writing all these down. [LAUGHS]

ANNE: Yeah, I've got my little shopping list here. Now we have Sarah who is looking for Hanukkah gifts for her daughter and son. She's a New York reader with a 5-year-old son loves Epic, an app that offers "read to me" books, so for him she's looking for a special read-to-me or audiobook experience — perhaps one that involves his favorite topic, SPORTS! Her 8-year-old daughter loves craft books, even cookbooks!

SARAH: What a fun kid? Because there's such a wide range of interests. What do you think, Anne?

ANNE: I love to see the variety that appears on anyone's bookshelves but for kid readers that's extra fun. So, Sarah says she was looking for Hanukkah gifts, which made me think of the book When Jackie and Hank Met by Cathy Goldberg Fishman. So this is about the major league baseball players, Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenberg.

Greenberg is probably less well-known to your casual or not at all baseball fan but he was one of the first Jewish players in Major League Baseball. And this picture book Storify their meeting in 1947 that happened when the Dodgers played the Pirates and a friendship was born. There's a very cool illustrative style in this book that cast their lives side by side, and then they get to come together. So this is like first grade and up for young readers.

[00:32:09]

SARAH: I have not read that one, Anne, but it kind of reminds me there are several picture book biographies about sports figures by Barb Rosenstock. I am blanking on titles right now but I can send you some over so you can put them in the show notes. But Barb Rosenstock has written... She's one of my favorite picture book biographers, but she's written several about sports heroes.

One thing I love about her picture books is I can read them with my older kids, and everybody loves them. So they're the kind of picture book that doesn't feel like it's for little kids. They feel like they're for older kids. So that might be a good idea too.

ANNE: And also for those with younger kids or shopping for younger kids, don't disregard the younger kids' books. Like the Who Was, What Was series from Penguin Workshop, and others in those similar vein. A lot of those are sports-focused. But you can also say, like, Okay, what is my kid interested in? Just scan the offerings and see what looks good. And many libraries are thoroughly stocked on this series and other similar ones, which is nice.

Finally, for that read-aloud vibe, Jack Prelutsky has a poetry collection called Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More. That would make a really great read aloud.

Okay, let's talk about crafts and cooking. Sara, I love that you have this in mind for your daughter. Those craft books are relatively easy and fun to shop for in person. Browsing your local indie or like Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million would be a great way to do this. And some of these are kit or activity based. Libraries don't carry these types of books. So take advantage of the fact that you're gifting here.

My Reading Adventures has a booklet called Recipe for a great read. So check that out. But for you Sara I want to call out the All Four Stars series. All the books in the series are really fun. They're about a young girl who wants to be a writer and becomes a restaurant critic in New York City. It's lots of fun.

All You Knead Is Love, which is set in Barcelona, which is fun. And then Recipe for Disaster features a Jewish protagonist which your daughter may especially like. That one is for like third grade or so and up.

And then for actual cookbooks, I want to call out America's Test Kitchen The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs, which is set to be for age eight and up. My son was gifted this when he was about 10 and he was perfectly competent with this cookbook.

There's actually a five-book series from America's Test Kitchen for young cooks. But this, The Complete Cookbook or the Complete Baking Book are the place to start here. That sounds like it's going to be a fun holiday.

[00:34:32]

SARAH: The America's Test Kitchen, I've not seen that one. This is going to be something under our Christmas tree. [CHUCKLES]

ANNE: This one is from Anne. Her 10-year-old is a budding scientist, so she's looking for fiction or non-fiction books that feature nature and animals. His past favorites have been the Ranger's Apprentice Series, the Redwall series, My Side of the Mountain, the Mysterious Children of Ashton Place, Frindle, Hatchet, and the Mysterious Benedict Society. Wow, some listeners just got some book recommendations there as well.

She feels like she has exhausted the library shelves for this category, so Sarah, let's think about under-shared recommendations. What comes to mind for you?

SARAH: Okay, so I mentioned Zoey and Sassafras earlier. And for a 10-year-old budding scientists… they're fabulous. I mean, for a 10-year-old who's been reading things like the Ranger's Apprentice and Redwall and My Side of the Mountain, Zoey and Sassafras is going to be like he'll be able to read it in like an hour or something but it would be a really fabulous selection for him.

Another one that comes to mind for me, and this one's going to be longer and a little more classic, because it is a classic, Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, which is a whole series about these kids who have all these Island adventures.

It's an old book. I think it's published in the 50s. So it's got like that old school kind of adventure of a bunch of kids out on their own for an entire day where they don't have to be home till supper, that kind of thing. [CHUCKLES] And they can get into all kinds of adventures in nature. So the Swallows and Amazons series might be a good fit there.

ANNE: That sounds great. There's a list for animal lovers in My Reading Adventures, but I just want to call out something that's a little fun and offbeat because it's set on an alpaca farm. And that is Alpaca My Bags by Jenny Goebel. I just want to read this out loud because like you said, that is just... That's delicious in your mouth.

SARAH: Yes, Alpaca My Bags. I've never even heard of this book but that's fun. [LAUGHS]

ANNE: Erin in Alabama is looking for realistic fiction for her 8-year-old who is such an enthusiastic reader, it's hard to keep her handbooks. We know, Erin. We really do.

SARAH: Yeah, we do.

ANNE: Erin is hoping to find charming stories about families in the vein of The Vanderbeekers and The Penderwicks. Two series I know that you love, Sarah.

SARAH: I mean, Love with a capital L. [CHUCKLES]

ANNE: Yes. Also books about kids who love to write like Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire, because her daughter dreams of being an author when she grows up. Okay, I have several that come to mind, including a few serious throwbacks. So I'm going to start there since you just had the ransom book from like 1947.

The All-Of-A-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor and the Tales of Magic series by Edward Eager, beginning with Half Magic. Both of those are published in the 50s. Sound like they may suit your daughter's vibe. And also the Betsy-Tacy books. There are a lot of books in that series by Maud Hart Lovelace.

SARAH: Such a good recommendation. Yeah.

[00:37:17]

ANNE: So there are 10 books in that series. And they start with the girls who are quite young, like five and carry through to when Betsy gets buried. But there's friendship and family and love and travel and romance. Aaron's daughter will not want to read all of these right now and that's fine. But that could be a good series to start with now and you know, she'll know when she's ready to continue in this series.

And for contemporary picks, I really love the Front Desk series by Kelly Yang, the Gaither Sisters Trilogy by Rita Williams-Garcia beginning with One Crazy Summer. They're not readalikes, I don't think, for The Vanderbeekers and The Penderwicks but I feel like those families would all have a good time together and enjoy commingling on the bookshelf as well.

SARAH: I love it. These are such good recommendations.

ANNE: I hope so. I hope you all are finding good stuff as you're listening. Remember, all the books are listed in our show notes. You don't have to pull over to do that. We took care of it for you.

Next we have another Sara, a lifelong reader who loves sci-fi and fantasy... but her 8-year-old daughter prefers realistic fiction to "all that magic and wizard stuff", so she needs help finding giftable contemporary titles. Her daughter doesn't want magic, but doesn't mind a little bit of silliness, like The Questioneers series, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Roald Dahl, and E.B. White.

Sarah, this sounds up your alley. What do you think?

SARAH: Yeah, it is up my alley. This is really fun. Okay, one series that comes to mind for me by Sara Pennypacker are the Clementine books. These are fun, they're contemporary, they're realistic, and they're hilarious.

Clementine is almost kind of like our generation's Ramona, like an updated Ramon, although Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary would also be a really fabulous recommendation.

And then there is a series called In Grandma's Attic written by Arleta Richardson. And I think there's five or six in this series. My oldest daughter who always preferred realistic stories, she was not a big fantasy fan, she loved these. They're not contemporary... Well, they are actually.

What you have as a grandma telling you... They're going through grandma's attic and they're finding all these things and she's telling stories from when she was a girl. So there's a little bit of back and forth in contemporary historical, but they're very realistic. I don't know exactly what it is about them that captures my kids, but my current 10-year-old and my 21-year-old, who used to be a 10-year-old, loved them.

And then the other one is Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. Again, it feels a little Ramona-esque. They're funny, they're realistic, and they're... again there's a whole series of them.

ANNE: Ramona esque. Those are the magic words. [SARAH LAUGHS]

SARAH: That's right.

ANNE: Next we have another Sarah. Sarah's daughters have oversized imaginations, and after a long day of playing together, they love winding down with a book before bed. But Sarah isn't looking for books. She's looking for what she says a bombproof or at least sturdier than average book light to accessorize their nighttime reading.

[00:40:15]

SARAH: I mean, I have twin 9-year-old boys. So bombproof is my wheelhouse. [BOTH LAUGHS] This is something I know. Okay, so we have some camping lanterns... not like lanterns that you like, like with real fire, but they're the flashlight kind. I'll send you a link, Anne, so you can put them in the show notes.

They are fabulous. They're fun. So they feel like if you love that, you know, idea of your kid reading under the covers with a flashlight, kind of like that lantern camping kind of feel, they feel like you're using a camping lantern, but they're very sturdy, and they give off enough light to read by and they're fun. It's got a, I don't know, more fun element than just your classic book light.

ANNE: I'm going to be giggling all day about the bombproof [SARAH LAUGHS] but you do know things.

SARAH: I sure do.

ANNE: Okay, speaking of knowing things, those with middle grade readers in their life, what else should they know?

SARAH: I think sometimes we have this tendency to want our kids to read up. Like they're capable of reading higher level or harder books. But kids in this age group they get better at reading and fall more in love with 3d When it's easy and enjoyable, just like we all do. When things are easy and enjoyable, we like to do them more.

So don't be afraid to get books that are easy or too short or that they blow through. This is how our kids I think, you know, they become readers and they self-identify as like, "I am a reader because I'm reading all these books." That feeling that you get as a kid when you're reading the whole baby sitters club, I know a lot of you know what I'm talking about, every time you read another baby sitters club book, and you put it on your stack, it feels like it's another vote for "I'm a reader".

So letting them read easy things, short things, things that they just love that you know they're capable of reading higher, but you're wanting to like just nurture their reading life. I mean, that's what I would keep in mind. Let them read easy, let them read short, let them read something that's just for fun.

ANNE: That's such good advice. I'm so glad you shared it. Especially we're talking about getting what are often holiday book purchases for readers and who doesn't want to crash with a good book that doesn't make them work too hard, feel like they're working too hard over the holiday break.

I would just add that we're talking to a lot of grownups today. And you yourself as a reader would enjoy some of these middle grade books we've talked about so much. I would just invite you to consider that a good book is a good... I mean, a really good book is a good book for any age. You know, keep an open mind as you see the books coming into and out of your house this season.

Now we're going to jump into teens. Okay, a note about teens before we dive in. We're answering specific requests today from our audience. But also, at this age, the bookstore really opens up to young adult, and also like lots of adult books are perfect for teen readers.

So if you're a parent of teenagers, if you're a teacher, if you have kids in your life, if you're giving books to your teenage neighbors, I want to hear that story. I would love to hear this is how you're connecting to the people on your street. But our adult gifting episode is coming up in a few weeks and we will also share many books in that episode that are perfect for teen readers.

Now for your specific requests, we're starting with Kathy. Kathy is an artist with a science-and-math-minded 15-year-old granddaughter who loves reading books with her. She's looking for giftable books that will interest both of them the way A Wrinkle in Time did years ago, so they can keep reading and talking together as her granddaughter grows into YA and adult books. Stories that connect multiple generations are especially welcome. What do you think, Sarah?

SARAH: And what do you think about You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins here?

ANNE: I love it.

SARAH: The multi-generational appeal is a strong one here. I know that Mitali's writing is influenced by Madeleine L'Engle because of her talk about it. So this feels like, you know, if you're looking for a book, Kathy, that sort of lights you up the way A Wrinkle in Time did, that maybe reading somebody else who's inspired by the same kind of writing would be a good way to go. I think You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins would be my suggestion.

ANNE: Since you said Madeleine L'Engle and since we were just talking about how a good book is a good book at any age, I wonder about the Rebecca Stead middle-grade book, When You Reach Me. That is the book built around A Wrinkle in Time. So if you are connected to A Wrinkle in Time, and you have that shared history and vocabulary, that's something that's really beneficial to go into When You Reach Me with.

It's set in 1970s in New York City. There's some kids working through some things. I'm not going to tell you the plot because I don't want to spoil anything for you. Like I'm not even going to tell you a genre description because I don't want to spoil anything for you. But that is such a great book to read together with someone so you can go, "Oh my gosh, did you see that coming? What did you think? Did you figure it out? Like let's talk about this." That could really bring multiple generations or multiple readers together.

SARAH: Yeah, that's a book you won't forget for sure.

[00:45:01]

ANNE: This next reader is looking for book gifts for her dear friends' 14-year-old twin boys. She has gained a reputation for always being able to get a book that the boys will love and she doesn't want to lose the magic touch.

One twin is a quiet teen who is into chess and board gaming and the other is an outgoing theater kid who loves LGBTQ books. Book recommendations that appeal to one or both of them would not go amiss. Also, they both love graphic novels.

SARAH: Oh, graphic novels. Let's do it.

ANNE: I have some ideas. So, first of all, theater kids, there are so many middle grade graphic novels, because these twins both love graphic novels for theater kids. Some of them are a touch young for these 14-year-old twin boys. That doesn't necessarily mean they won't enjoy them, but just having some awareness like, "Hey, I understand you're in high school. These are younger. I'm just giving this a shot that would be fine.

Also, if you're listening and you have middle grade theater kids, like get your pen handy or get ready to visit the show notes. So Raina Telgemeier writes middle grade graphic novels. I have to shout out Drama for the theater kids out there. But you don't have to have that theater connection to enjoy it.

Also, Becky Albertelli’s Kate In Waiting is for just a slightly older set. And it's also about young love, theater, middle school drama, figuring out your identity and your place in the world and your family with the backdrop of a dramatic production.

Also, I would really urge you to consider with 14-year-olds again, like they're old enough that really opens up the bookstore. And you can think about nonfiction books and the area of interest they love. One that I pulled off my own shelves to talk about with you is called The Movie Musical. It's not a coffee table book and that it's like two feet wide. It's just a little bit bigger than a standard hardcover, but it's very thick, and it's illustrated.

The flap copy here is leading film historian Jeanine Basinger reveals with her trademark wit and zest the whole story of the Hollywood musical in the most telling, most incisive, most detailed, most gorgeously illustrated book of her long and remarkable career. I think when NPR reviewed this, they said something like, "Bring on the razzmatazz. It's all inside." So I don't know what specific interests this 14-year-old has in the theater, but that could be a really fun one. And of course there are tons of nonfiction books about this area of interest.

And then for chess and gaming, there are so many options. I'm just gonna rattle off some nonfiction titles that could be interesting. These are all adult books that a 14-year-old can totally handle if their heart's in it because they love the subject being discussed.

Like Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How A Lone American Star Defeated the Soviet Chess Machine. There's Searching for Bobby Fischer: A Father's Story of Love and Ambition, because yes, the excellent movie, it's based on a book. The Immortal Game: A History of Chess by David Shenk, whose sub subtitle reads "A fresh, engaging look at how 32 carved pieces on a Chess board forever changed our understanding of war, art, science, and the human brain."

A.J. Jacobs had a book come out in the spring that you all keep recommending to me because I'm a total crossword nerd. It is called The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. He has a real accessible style when it comes to conveying rather detailed nonfiction information. I would have no hesitations with passing this off to a 14-year-old.

Oh, Sarah, can I keep going? I just have two more.

SARAH: Oh, keep going. [ANNE LAUGHS] I'm all ears. [LAUGHS] That's so good.

[00:48:26]

ANNE: For fiction, finally, we have Slay by Brittney Morris. This is about a girl who feels like she's living two lives. At school, she's an honor roll student, math tutor. She's one of the only black kids in her classes. But she has created this whole world for herself online by developing an online role-playing card game called Slay, which is incredibly popular. There are hundreds of thousands of black gamers on here.

And nobody knows that she created it, even though everybody knows Slay. So no one in her real life knows about the project. Her identity is a secret online. I mean, what can go wrong? There's lots of potential for fictional conflict here. And it's a lot of engaging fun.

And that's a YA book. So unlike those middle grade theater books we talked about, this is more in the section of the bookstore the 14-year-old would probably be drawn to.

I have to share a full circle What Should I Read Next moment here because we had guest Karuna Riazi on and since then her two middle grade books, The Gauntlet and The Battle have come out.

And in The Gauntlet, a group of New York City friends get trapped inside a board game, and they have to save themselves and also the fates of lots of children coming after them. So this is middle grade, but it's action-packed. It's described as "steampunk Jumanji with a Middle Eastern flair." And I just have to shout it for whoever that may sound good to today.

Okay, Sarah, I'm going to pitch one to you. Mary's happy place is books but her 12-going-on-13-year-old twin daughters are not as enthusiastic about reading. She's hoping to find the perfect middle-grade or young-YA book to captivate each of them this holiday season. One twin is a social butterfly who invests lots of time and energy into her friendships. The other is more introverted and a deep thinker who loves learning about history. What sounds good to you?

SARAH: Okay, everything I've read so far by Ruta Sepetys. A book that stays with me, The Fountains of Silence, is the first Ruta Sepetys I ever read. Just as a newer one that took place during the Cold War. Do you know what that one was called?

ANNE: Yes, because it's on my nightstand, Sarah. It's called I Must Betray You. [SARAH LAUGHS]

SARAH: Yes. Have you read it yet?

ANNE: No, but I'm going to. I'm going to. But I will confess it's been on my nightstand probably since the beginning of the year-

SARAH: It's really good. [CHUCKLES]

ANNE: ...patiently waiting for it's turn. And I appreciate it. I'm so glad to hear that.

SARAH: It's really good. And something I really appreciate about Ruta Sepetys' writing is that she does so much research, like really heavy duty research and so her books are... I learned so much as I'm reading them and they feel like you're... They're really immersive I guess is what I'm trying to go for. You feel like you're really there. And when you listen to her talk about her writing process, you find out why it's because her research game is something else.

[00:51:04]

ANNE: I love that recommendation for these girls. This one is from Emily. She wants to help her 13-year-old daughter enrich an upcoming trip across Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and France... Oh, my gosh. Are you so jealous? I'm so jealous.

SARAH: So jealous.

ANNE: ...with a few good books. She loves fantasy and adventure books that feature strong, spunky, sassy women and girls. And I'm glad Emily wanted this because this isn't quite where my brain was going yet.

But some of her favorites series include A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J. Maas, Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce, The Aurora Cycle by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. Emily is hoping to gift her a handful of books with European settings to get her even more excited about her trip.

Okay, the first thing that came to mind was V.E. Schwab’s City of Ghosts series. This stands at three books. I know I've talked about how I jumped in with the one set in Edinburgh before I traveled there. The other books in the series are set in Paris, and—sorry, this isn't going to help you on your trip, even though it's a lot of fun— New Orleans.

Heidi is a classic. I really thought my girls would find it boring when they read it as middle grade readers and they, to my great surprise, loved it.

We've talked about James Ponti today. The City Spy series takes place in Paris and Scotland. All You Need Is Love is such a fun graphic novel that said in Barcelona. Okay, I really like these two for Emily's daughter who is traveling.

Sol Invictus is the second book in The Eye of Ra series by Ben Gardner. I really liked this because it's time traveling fantasy, action-packed adventure, and also the ancient Roman Empire. I think that mix of new and old and fantasy could be really fun for her.

And also Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series is set in the Czech Republic, fantasy series with well-developed really bold female characters, and also completely gorgeous descriptions of the city of Prague and surrounds. Emily, I hope she has an amazing trip. That sounds incredible.

Next up we have Kate is looking for intriguing YA books for her 14-year-old son in hopes of nudging him beyond middle grade and towards the wide world of teen and adult books. His past favorites included spy books like the Framed and City Spies series by James Ponti again, I love it, and The Spy series by Stuart Gibbs. So she thinks an action-packed YA spy book or an adult thriller or mystery that is more cozy than gritty might be the direction to go. He listened to the Born a Crime audiobook and loved that, so the door to adult nonfiction might be open as well!

What comes to mind for this young reader?

SARAH: Okay, the first thing that comes to mind is The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix. This is a graphic novel about... Okay, I'm gonna say what it is, and then you're gonna go, "No," but just give me a second. It's a graphic novel about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. So there's like this historical element. It is probably the most page-turning graphic novel I've ever read. It's YA. It's action-packed. It's dangerous. It's very exciting. So I think give that one a try.

[00:54:02]

ANNE: Love it. Sarah is an avid reader who lives in Texas who is struggling to find books her 13-year-old daughter will love. She's at the stage where anything her mom directly recommends is a no-go, but she loves to visit the library and can usually be found curled up reading. Recently she's loved Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On trilogy and the Heartstopper graphic novels. She would love to find a new series her daughter will love, especially if they include an aspect of gender diversity.

Okay, so on the show before I've talked about Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, and that's when I found from our very own Brenna. I think that could be a good fit for your daughter.

And also the What If It's Us two-book series by Becky Albertalli. Adam Silveira actually co-writes the second book. But I think that could be a really good fit, knowing she loved Carry On and Heartstopper.

Finally, oh, gosh, okay, I just... my daughter recently loved the Heartstopper graphic novels. And one of the books that we picked up for her next was You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, which is just so like... I want to describe it as like fun and big-hearted and feel good. But there are hard things in this story. And also, by the end... I mean, you can look at the cover and be like, Yes, that mood is triumphant.

Okay, Dorothy is looking for YA fantasy series recommendations for her 13-year-old daughter who loved Rick Riordan and Marissa Meyer! She loves stories that are immersive, adventurous, and have a touch of romance. This reader is cool with language but not with the sex. What do you think, Sarah?

SARAH: I had to ask my second daughter because this was her 13-year-old reading style. So I asked her, "What would you recommend?" And so she said The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale, and I've read these. They're fabulous. Start with The Goose Girl. They're fairytale retellings but they're fantasy-esque and they're fabulous. And they're YA and great for a 13-year-old.

And then she also recommended The Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. And she said it's a Russian-inspired setting and it's fantasy and it's fantastic. So there are Allison's recommendations for Dorothy. [CHUCKLES]

ANNE: Thank you, Sarah and thank you, Allison. Okay, this one is from Stacie. She wants to gift fantasy books to her 13-year-old daughter, who is an adventurous reader who loves ensemble casts and quest stories with a Dungeons & Dragons feel. A good example of this is This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens, which she loved! She enjoys both graphic novels and "regular novels". She loves series and stand-alones and particularly appreciates stories that are LGBTQ+ friendly.

Brenna has some recommendations here for Stacie's daughter. Brenna says, "If she loves This Is Ever After, she might also really love Lukens' other book In Deeper Waters. Also Vox Machina: Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp is a novelized origin story about two characters, one who is canonically bisexual from popular d&d actual play show Critical Role written for a young adult audience." Brennan says, "This is very d&d because it is literally d&d characters.

Another Marieke Nijkamp book, Even If We Break, is about a group of friends who play tabletop role-playing games together. It might be a little dark for a 13-year-old. That depends on your specific teenager. And also The Disasters by M.K England is sci-fi not fantasy, but it has huge lovable queer d&d ensemble cast quest energy. I love that description.

Our next reader is a mom looking for bookish experiences — not book recommendations — for her 11 and 14-year-old daughters who are voracious readers and don't need much help finding what to read next. They've gotten Owl Crate Junior subscriptions in the past, and they already have My Reading Adventures. What other tween and teen-appropriate book experiences could they try next?

Sarah, what comes to mind for you?

[00:57:50]

SARAH: Yeah, I'm trying to think. I mean, a couple of things come to mind when I think of some of my really bookish friends with their bookish teens and what do they do like to connect around books besides reading together.

One is that we have some friends who have made it a goal, and I can't remember what their goal is, like the exact number, but it's to visit a certain number of indie bookstores. They have like a chart that they keep. Whenever they travel, they're like really excited because they get to knock another one off their list and visit.

So that's been really fun for them, because they will drive out of their way on a road trip or go to the next town over that they don't usually go to just to visit the indie bookstore. So that's kind of fun.

And one of the things I love doing with my kids is watching film adaptations of our favorite books. And of course, we all have like bookish people, we have big opinions about how well or how not well done the film adaptation is or why we like it or why we don't. So that can be really fun, you know, doing like a movie night based on a book that you've loved.

ANNE: That sounds like so much fun. Okay, I've got a few ideas. Cratejoy offers a variety of bookish subscriptions. You could check those out and just tailor it to your kids' interests, see what jumps out at you. You could also get a subscription to an independent bookstore ongoing book subscription. Like we had Abby Glen come on the podcast earlier this summer to talk about her bookstore journey at Shelves bookstore. And they offer a YA subscription.

I always love seeing what her picks were. I signed up for an adult subscription and I was always so excited to see what she picked to send me. Lots of independent bookstores offer subscriptions tailored to different interest levels and different kinds of YA reader. So that could be a really fun gift that keeps on giving.

And finally, you could put together some bookish accessories, like what do your daughters like to do when they're reading? Do they want like a bath-themed set of goodies? Do they want coffee mugs and tea, hot chocolate mix? Do they want a really cozy blanket or a sweatshirt that has the names of all their favorite characters from one particular series? All those are options. And I think you can really have fun with this.

[00:59:51]

SARAH: Yeah. You know, as you're saying that one of the things that we've really liked getting that are bookish are those t-shirts by Out of Print that have contemporary books and lots and lots of classics. And they're kind of fabulous t-shirts. So those would be a great gift idea.

ANNE: All right, Sarah, we did it. Before we go, I have to ask, tell me a book you are especially looking for to reading yourself in this coming holiday season.

SARAH: The Personal Librarian. I really like fictionalized accounts of true people or true events. So this is the story, for anybody who doesn't know, of JP Morgan's personal librarian. I have not heard much about it from anyone else who's read it but it's been sitting on my nightstand and it has a glorious cover. So I'm gonna read it. [CHUCKLES] I'm really looking forward to it.

ANNE: Personally, I think this might be the year I finally read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. But the thing I'm really excited about at this moment in time is all the cookbooks. I want the new Barefoot Contessa, I want the new Smitten Kitchen. I want to sit on my couch with a cup of coffee and read them like novels.

SARAH: So funny. I love it. I love it.

ANNE: Thank you so much for bringing your insight into today's episode and for sharing all your good recommendations with our listeners.

SARAH: Absolutely. Thanks so much for having me. I'll do it anytime.

[CHEERFUL OUTRO MUSIC]

[01:01:05]

ANNE: Hey, readers, I hope you enjoyed my discussion with Sarah, who you'll find online at readaloudrevival.com. Also on Instagram @Readaloudrevival.

I'd love to hear what you'd suggest for the gift givers on today's show. Hop over to our show notes page to tell us what you would recommend. That's at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/352. We have also listed every single title we talked about today on that page. That is whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/352.

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Tune in next week when I'll be talking with a burned-out reader who wants to bring ease and joy back to her reading life.

Thanks to the people who make this show happen! What Should I Read Next? is produced by Brenna Frederick, with production assistance by Holly Wielkoszewski, and sound design by Kellen Pechacek.

Readers, that's it for this episode. Thanks so much for listening.

And as Rainer Maria Rilke said, "Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading." Happy reading, everyone!