The 2023 MMD gift guide for bookish kids

It’s no surprise adult book lovers enjoy giving bookish gifts to everyone, young and old. Thankfully there’s no shortage of great gift ideas for kids who love to read. This year’s gift guide for young readers is geared towards kids aged 5 to 12 and includes gifts my kids have received over the years, gifts I’m planning on giving this year, and gifts I wish I had a reason to give this year. If you’re looking for gift ideas for teens, there’s plenty of inspiration in the 2023 MMD gift guide for book lovers.

Take note: there may be no shortage of options this year, but order now to make sure they arrive on your doorstep before you need them. We’ve included lots of independent shops and creators on this list, so watch those shipping deadlines and do them a favor by getting your orders in early. Shopping early goes a long way towards easing the pressure of both supply chain issues and ordinary seasonal stress for small businesses.

I hope you enjoy perusing this guide, and I hope you’ll share your favorite bookish gifts for kids who love to read in comments.

If you want to give books to young readers, we’re thrilled to hear it! We offered a pile of great suggestions in this focused episode of What Should I Read Next: Bookish gifts to delight kids and teens.

All items featured here were chosen because we love them. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. More info here.

My Little Library – Story Making Box

I would have loved to get the My Little Library Story Making Box when I was a kid! It comes with 10 blank mini-books so kids can create their own stories, along with idea-prompting tokens. Plus, it all comes in a box that doubles as a library nook with bookshelves.

Just One More Story print

Commemorate the phrase that is music to any book lover’s ears with this Just One More Story print.

Out of Print shirts

Out of Print has lots of adorable reading themed shirts that riff popular Disney/Pixar movies; I love this Book Monster one (Monsters Inc.) and this Belle Bibliophile tee.

E-reader

After several years of sharing my Kindle Paperwhite with my youngest two kids (and not always patiently waiting to get it back so I could use it), we got them their own and now everyone is happy.

Finger point bookmark

Silicone Finger Point Bookmarks double as a bookmark or a bookstrap. It couldn’t be easier to save your place in a book!

Reading fort

Every kid needs a cozy reading spot, like this Costway Kids Canvas Play Tent. Wouldn’t you have loved to spend hours in there? Right now this is on huge sale so take advantage while you can.

My Reading Adventures: A Book Journal for Kids

My Reading Adventures is the ideal companion for kids’ reading adventures, especially for the 8-12 year old set, and is designed to help instill a lifelong love of reading. It’s filled with fun lists of book recommendations for different genres and interests, creative reading-related activities, and space to record what they’ve read and what they would like to read next! Buy online or at your local indie, or get signed copies from my local independent bookstore Carmichael’s Bookstore. Order online or call them at 502-896-6950. Just tell them you’d like a signed copy, or put “signed copy” in the order comments, along with the name you’d like it inscribed to, and any other personal message you’d like.

UpWords Board Game

UpWords Board Game (ages 8+) is a high-stacking word game. Tile letters are used to create new words and then players can stack and build on top to change existing words. The higher you stack, the higher you score! Fun for kids and grown-ups alike.

Personalized tote bag

Etsy has plenty of personalized tote bag options. I was drawn to this sweet design from Salty Sea Tees.

Bookends

Scroll Master Designs makes incredible bookends. Girl Reader and RE-AD are pictured here but there are so many more to choose from.  

Personalized Book Lover Necklace

This Book Lover Necklace gets personalized with the birthstone and initial letter of your choice.  

Personal library kit ​​

This Personal Library Kit continues to be a go-to gift for us—we’ve given dozens as presents over the years. It still ranks as one of my kids’ favorite literary gifts, ever.

Word games

With Word Spin (ages 8+), you spin the wheel to create words. The more complex the word, the more points you get! We also really like Word on the Street (ages 10+). Then there’s the Word Magic Mixer Game (ages 8+) that is all about wordplay.

Snoopy bookmarks

The “I love to read” Snoopy bookmarks come in a pack of 36 so you can either give them to many kids in your life or you can keep them on hand for the kid(s) who are prone to losing bookmarks. Or the adult in the house, for that matter.

Tree bookshelf

Picture books will fit perfectly on this Tree bookshelf! A wonderful addition to any room.

Let’s Read t-shirt

With sizes ranging from baby onesie to adult, everyone in the family can get a Let’s Read t-shirt! Available in multiple colors.

Hands-free book light

Free up your hands to keep the pages turning with this hands-free book light. Available in four colors.  

Mad Libs

Talk about nostalgia! Give kids the gift of this classic word game. Best of Mad Libs contains more than 125 of the funniest Mad Libs.

Boxed set

It’s never too early to start building your child’s library with a wonderful collection. With twelve beloved classics, 75 Years of Little Golden Books: 1942-2017 is a great place to start. Tweens will appreciate the Crossover Series collection by Kwame Alexander. And of course, there are the beautiful Everyman’s Library Children’s Classics editions, like Winnie-the-Pooh, Anne of Green Gables, and The Three Musketeers. (Unfortunately, it’s not available as a set but that frees you up to pick and choose your favorites. Here’s the full list.) These are just a few of many beautiful children’s box sets.

P.S. The 2022 MMD gift guide for bookish kids, The 2021 MMD gift guide for bookish kids, 15 gift ideas for kids who love to read, 15 bookish gifts for kids who love to read, and A very bookish Christmas countdown.

P.P.S. 100 stocking stuffers that will actually be appreciated, updated for 2023!