Thankfully Giving Books--ways to get them to kids who need them, and the books I'm giving for Christmas to my own family, even though they have lots already

So here were are at Thanksgiving.  Although I'm not thankful for the Pilgrims  (if Europeans had to invade New England, I wish Thomas Morton's Merrymount was the colony we were remembering instead of that of the grave-robbing Puritans) there's lots I'm thankful for.

For instance, I am surrounded by books.  And I'm also thankful that I have the ability to give books, both to kids who need them, and to my own family.

It's an immensely gratifying thing to get books to kids in need, and so I thought I'd share some pretty easy ways to do it. 

--If your library has a booksale, ask the Friends if you can box up the good quality kids books left over and take them to your local Headstart, or check to see if your local food pantry can offer them along with the canned goods.   Homeless shelters, children's hospitals, or organizations helping women in need are other thoughts.  (As President, and pretty much only active member, of my own library Friends group, I would love a volunteer who would get bookmarks printed with basic library info. to put in each book donated to the food pantry and Headstart....your Friends group might appreciate this too).

--If you don't actually want to talk to anyone, you can check to see if there's a near-by Little Free Library in a community that might need books.  This is the case in Providence, RI, for instance, and it is easy peasy just to swing by with a load of kids books and leave them there.

--Right now, the thoughts of many of us are with the kids of Ferguson, and supporting the library that serves these kids is something that we can do.  Here's the library's donation page.   Or if you'd rather send a book, the library is on its third wishlist (yay!) here at Powells.  (Angie, who got the library wish-list going, has more information on how it works here at her blog).

--and of course there's always the lovely Reading is Fundamental, which has strong ties to the world of children's book blogging.

Please feel free to share your own suggestions in the comments!


And just because I like sharing my own gift-giving happiness, here's what I have so far (more will probably be added) for various family members for Christmas:

For my 11 year old son (these were all easy, because they are continuations of stories I know he likes):

The Ring of Earth (Young Samari #4), by Chris Bradford

Goblin Quest, by Philip Reeve (the first book of this series, Goblins, is available in the US and is a very fun read)

Mutts: What Now? by Patrick McDonnell


For my 14 year old son (he loves graphic novels and history which also makes things easy)

Sandman Vol. 1--Preludes and Nocturns, by Neil Gaiman

Propaganda Cartoons of World War II, edited by Tony Husband

The Hidden Doors, by Kazu Kibuishi     


For my niece, who is 13 and who lives in Holland and so won't have read them already:

Smile, and Sisters, by Raina Telgemeier


For my big sister (tricky, because she likes books, but doesn't know in advance what books exist that she might like.  Have had previous success with Brief History of Montmarry and Code Name Verity, which gives some idea of her taste....)

The Demon Catchers of Milan, by Kat Beyer (not sure about this one, because she doesn't generally read about demons, but the Italian setting might well appeal)

Maisie Dobbs, and Birds of a Feather, in one volume, by Jacqueline Winspear (got very cheaply at library booksale, so no great loss if she doesn't like them)

and  The Paris Winter, by Imogen Robertson....


For my little sister, who shares my fondness for school stories and English children's books:

Billie Bradley at Three Towers Hall, by Janet Wheeler (a 1920 American school story that I hope is decent)

(this next one is a book you don't know about, Emily, so don't peek)
Impossible, by Michelle Magorian  because Michelle Magorian, and also my sister is a big fan of Arthur Ransom and so after reading this how could I not.


For my husband (because nothing says Merry Christmas like depressing Irish fiction):

Hello and Goodbye, by Patrick McCabe


And finally, a tentative thought for my mother (because she is a mystery fan and is going birdwatching in Japan this January...I have already lent her my own favorite book set in Japan, Hannah's Winter, which she read and enjoyed; she gets to go the very town in which that book is set!  If you have any recommendations for a sort of comfort read type book set in Japan, as opposed to mystical/situational fraughtfulness and unhappy people books, do let me know!)

Rashamon Gate, by I.J. Parker


(I buy UK books via The Book Depository (free shipping, but the time to do it is now, because it can take a while for the books to make it over the ocean), and if you shop there using the link I have in my right hand sidebar I'll get a small commission.....)

Thankfully giving books--what my boys, and other sundry loved ones, are getting for Christmas

I am so thankful that I have a family for whom I can buy books!  Buying books is fun in general, but when you buy a book for yourself, there's always the nagging doubt about whether you will find time to read it or not (my mind always fills with visions of the shoes of Imelda Marcos).   Buying books for others, though, is shear pleasure.    There's the Careful Thought, the requests for wish lists, the scouring of the internet and local shops, new and used, and finally, the wrapping (actually the reason I give books is because I am Challenged by wrapping paper and books are just about the only think I can wrap decently and even then it is a struggle because sometimes I try to Save Paper and it all goes horribly wrong).

Here is what they are getting (just for the record, the books for the boys include ones I've asked other relatives to get for them).  You might notice that the books for the boys are rather graphic novel heavy.  I think graphic novels are safer bets as presents for the young than longer books that require more investment; the two novel length books younger son is getting are safe bets because of being series continuations.

Early present, for sharing on the plane ride to Grandma's:

Rat's Wars, a Pearls Before Swine Collection

For my 10-year-old son:

Warriors, Dawn of the Clans 2: Thunder Rising, by Erin Hunter

The Royal Ranger, by John Flanagan

Zed: a Cosmic Tale, by Michel Gagne

Mouseguard: The Black Axe, by David Petersen

The Saga of Rex, by Michel Gagne

How to Betray a Dragon's Hero, by Cressida Cowell

For my 13-year-old son:

Hyperbole and a Half, by Ally Brosh

Romeo and Juliet, by Gareth Hinds

The Lost Islands, by Kazu Kibuishi

The Onion Book of Known Knowledge

March, by John Lewis

Flight, Vol. 4, ed. by Kazu Kibuishi

For my 10 year old nephew:

Akissi: Feline Inviasion, by Marguerite Abouet 


For my little sister

Gypsy's Sowing and Reaping, by Elizabeth Stuart

Warts and All, by Rodie Sudbery


For my big sister:


Code Name Verity, by ElizabethWein


For my mother:

Fugue in Time, by Rumer Godden

The New Yorker Book of Cartoon Puzzles


For my husband:

Apples of North America:  Exceptional Varieties for Gardeners, Growers, and Cooks, by Tom Burford

World's Best Ciders: Taste, Tradition, and Terroir by Pete Brown

The New Cider Maker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers by Claude Jolicoeur

The Sense of an Ending, by Julien Barnes

For the kids at Ballou High School in Washington D.C. (more info. here at Guys Lit Wire)

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

Aren't these nice books!  Which would you like?  I think of all of these I am most looking forward to reading Hyperbole and a Half (which of course I could read now, since I have it on hand, but it is more fun to read Christmas present books at Christmas).  

The only problem with having done all one's Christmas book shopping is that there are still 27 days left, and it is quite possible that I will find myself buying even more books even though this is Really Enough..

The books my boys are getting for Christmas

Twice in one day I have hit publish post by mischance!!! Argh! So for all those who follow me on google reader (thanks) I am quickly covering up the most recent one, a sneak peak at tomorrow's mg sff round-up, with a post I meant to do later today on the books my boys are getting for Christmas. By way of background: my boys are 11 and 8. The 8 year old is currently reading Battle of the Labyrinth, the 11 year old is reading The Chamber of Secrets (he came late to Harry Potter; I'm not sure why). In a nutshell, they both like reading pretty well (not as well as their mama did when she was their ages); although they like fantasy, they read across genres. Their lists of book presents include very little regular fiction (1 out of 11). Our house is so full of middle grade sci fi/fantasy that they have enough of it to read (lucky children!), and I also find it very difficult to predict what they will actually pick up and read, let alone truly enjoy. So their book presents tend to be random grab bag of non-fiction and graphic novels. For the eleven year old: The Last Dragon, by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Guay (so beautiful!) The Dragon of Hong Kong (Yoko Tsuno book 5) by Roger Leloup (this will make him very happy) The Acme Catalog (Quality is Our #1 Dream) The Way We Work, by David McCauley The Magic of Reality, by Richard Dawkins All of My Friends are Dead (he saw it in a store, and wants it really badly...I think the title is the funniest thing, and it goes downhill from there, but whatever.) For my eight year old: The Mythbusters science fair book A Greyhound of a Girl, by Roddy Doyle (I hope he likes it; I haven't read it myself yet, but he loves The Meanwhile Adventures et seq. so he should be pleased. Unless he's disappointed because it doesn't have Rover in it) Eric, by Shaun Tan (An expended story from Tales from Outer Suburbia. Eric is pictured at right) Gon, Vol. 4 My boy sees a lot of himself in Gon, the dinosaur that time forgot--both are loyal, determined, and very fierce. The Fog Mound book 1-- Travels of Thelonius (a post apocalyptic fantasy with mice that's part graphic novel. I picked this one up used, and haven't read it myself, but I tested it on his brother, and it was approved) If you were to be given one of these books, which would you like?

Give the Gift of Ghosts--spooky books from 2009 for middle-grade readers

Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like a ghost (well, maybe not, but if ghosts at Christmas were good enough for Dickens, who am I to argue). It's not surprising that after the success of The Graveyard Book last year, there was a slew of fun and entertaining spooky stories for kids published the past year. And here they are.

The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43, by Harriet Goodwin (Stripes Publishing, 2009, 253pp, available in the UK). It has been raining for weeks, and the weather matches the gloom young Finn has felt since the sudden death of his father, and his mother's decline into depression. To escape the tension of his home, Finn sets out for a joy-ride in his mother's car. Out on the moors, in the driving rain, he loses control. By chance, he is flung from the car through the thin veil covering Exit 43, one of the passages through which the dead return to visit the land of the living. There he befriends Jessie, a young Victorian girl, newly aware that she is dead, who grieves for her own lost family.

But the seal protecting the opening to Exit 43 has been dangerously weakened both by the rain and by Finn's passage, and now the water is pouring in, threatening to extinguish the fires that keep the ghosts alive. And it's up to Finn and Jessie to release the Firepearl that is the only thing that can save the spirits of the dead, and Finn's own life.

By turns exciting and poignant, which a cast of great ghosts, this is definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who loved The Graveyard Book!

Spellbinder, by Helen Stringer (2009, Feiwel and Friends, 372pp) is another spooky story from the UK (although it's available here in the US). Young Belladonna can see ghosts, and, even though she has to worry about talking to people her classmates can't see, it's a darn good thing that she can. Because, even though her parents are dead, they are still home, taking loving care of her. Then all the ghosts vanish, dragged out of our world. And Belladonna and Steve (a tricksy boy from school, not yet a friend) are off to find out what has happened...even if it means travelling to the land of the dead, where they are pitted against the ominous forces of darkness raised by a wicked alchemist. Lots of ghostly fun, with a mysterious dark dog, the Wild Hunt, and a plucky Edwardian schoolgirl who has haunted the school since a nasty incident on the tennis court, and who keeps a stiff upper lip throughout.

An enthralling new take on the plot of chosen children facing Evil.

Suddenly Supernatural: Scaredy Kat, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel (Little, Brown, 2009, 256 pp). Like Belladonna, Kat is a school girl who can see dead people. But for Kat this means following in the footsteps of her mother, and helping the ghosts find peace. Not how she wants to spend her life, necessarily, but she has no choice. In this sequel to School Spirit, Kat must help the spirit of a boy trapped in an abandoned old house. And in the meantime, in an engagingly un-spooky sub-plot, her best friend Jac is wrestling with her own demon--her mother's incessant demands that she be a world-famous cello player.

This series is great for the younger end of "middle grade" (4th and 5th), as it's lighter and easier than the two above. I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed these two books (one reason might be my fondness for plots (or, in this case, sub-plots) about musical prodigies).

The Ghost on the Stairs (Haunted), by Chris Eboch (2009, Simon and Schuster, 169 pp) is another one for that age range, but it features a boy, 13 year old Jon, as the central character. His 11 year old sister, Tania, can see ghosts, but Jon is the only one who knows this. The last thing Tania wants is for their mom and stepdad to find out--they run a ghost-hunting reality television show, and Tania wants no part of it. But when the show takes the family to a haunted hotel, Tania begins to get to know the ghost who haunts it, and to know that there is more to her story than meets the eye...and Jon and Tania become involved in a tragedy that ended over a hundred years ago.

It's a fun one for kids, and it's an interesting take on the challenges of communication with spirits (Cybils review copy gratefully received from the publisher).

The Hotel Under the Sand, by Kage Baker (Tachyon Publications, 2009, 144 pp). Here's one I'd recommend to anyone older than nine. It tells of an orphaned girl and the old hotel that rises up from the sands of a lonely beach to shelter her. It isn't exactly a ghost story, but it does feature the very charming ghost of the hotel's head bell-boy. Here's my full review. (Cybils review copy gratefully received from the publisher).



I So Don't Do Mysteries, by Barrie Summy (Delacorte, 2009, 272 pp). Seventh-grader Sherry is not looking forward to her trip to San Diego. She's being shipped off to stay with her great-aunt while her father and new stepmother are off on their honeymoon, which is bad enough. But the ghost of her mother, a police officer killed in the line of duty, is complicating things. She needs Sherry's help with her efforts to succeed at the Academy of Spirits--her assignment is to solve a mystery at the San Diego animal park. So Sherry has to turn detective, whether she likes it or not...

The twist in Summy's approach to ghosts adds interest to a reasonably pleasant comedy/adventure that ecologically-minded girls might well enjoy lots.

Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road, by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise (Harcourt 2009, 147 pp). This one is an epistolary story, copiously illustrated. It tells of an author with a desperate case of writer's block, the Victorian house he rents for the summer, and the boy and his best friend (the ghost of an author famous for the number of her rejections) who come with it. When the story begins, the author is a grumpy curmudgeon, but by its end, boy, ghost, and author are happily co-authoring best-sellers, and have formed a somewhat unlikely, but charming, family.

I'm not exactly sure how interesting kids would find the relationship between a sixty-something author and a ghost, but I found it a nice read. It would also make an excellent gift for a writer who has just conquered their own writer's block (or who has found new love with a ghost). The sequel, Over My Dead Body, came out this fall, but I haven't read it yet.

Hannah's Winter, by Kierin Meehan (Kane/Miller, 2009, 228 pp). A twelve-year old Australian girl, visiting Japan, finds herself enmeshed in the fantastical mystery surrounding the ghost of a long-dead boy. This was one of my personal favorites of 2009--here's my full review. Give this one to the girl of any age (fantasy reader or not) who loves all things Japanese. (Cybils review copy gratefully received from the publisher)


If I missed any middle-grade 2009 ghost stories, please let me know! And here's the list I compiled of 2008 ghost books last Christmas season...

(any commissions earned through the Amazon links will benefit the Cybils)

Give the Gift of Ghosts

Free shipping for Christmas over at Amazon may have ended, but there is still lots of time to head down to the bookstore to buy more presents. Here are some suggestions for kids and teens who love spooky stories, taken from the books nominated for the 2008 Cybils Awards in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category. I've listed them from youngest to oldest (the last one, in fact, is a perfect gift for a ghost loving grown-up).

First up is The Seer of Shadows, by Avi (Harper Collins, 208 pages). Travel back to 19th-century New York, when photography was young, and spirits were a hot topic, and see what happens when the two meet!

Here's what Avi himself says about this book, from an essay online at the Harper Collins site: "The Seer of Shadows tells the story of young Horace Carpetine, apprenticed to a professional photographer, one who is quite willing to set up a hoax—the taking of ghost photos. But when Horace takes up his camera, he really does capture a ghost in his photographic images. What’s more, the more images he takes, the more the ghost comes back—develops, so to speak—to life. And this ghost is intent upon a murderous revenge.

I added another element to the mix: race in 1870s New York City—complex, volatile, but ultimately moving. After all, I am writing about black-and-white photography.

In short, what I am offering in The Seer of Shadows is an old-fashioned ghost story, but one in which you’ll find new strangeness, new scary stuff, and yes, striking images."

It's a pretty creepy, fascinating read, although the prose style might be a tad off putting to some younger readers, because it has a bit of an "olden times" tone to it. Because it deals with the techniques of early photography, this might be a good one to give to the young camera buff who likes an exciting story.

Here's another ghost story marketed for younger readers, although it's a book that I think most anyone will like--The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. I can't believe I left it off the first version of the list, because all but two of the main characters are, in fact, ghosts. In my defense, they are the most alive dead people I've ever met in a book. These ghosts take on the responsibility for raising an orphaned baby boy in the cemetery that is their final resting place, protecting him from dangerous forces that mean him ill. The result is a moving, engrossing, and original story that tells how young Bod (short for Nobody) grows up in the graveyard, and how, in the end, he must face what waits outside...



Next up is The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1), by Kelley Armstrong (Harper Collins, 400 pages). Don't be fooled by the cover, which makes this look a bit like a steamy vampire book. It's not. Fifteen-year old Chloe saw dead people as a child, but for many years her life has been free of ghosts. But when the terribly burned janitor (who happens to be dead) accosts her at high school one day, her natural hysteria lands her in a group home for kids with mental problems. Pleasant and homey though the home might appear, it harbours dark secrets about both the living and the dead, and soon Chloe realizes that ghosts are the least of her problems...

This has moments of spookiness (although the dead people never quite convinced me), but what most interested me was the relationships that develop among the teenagers, all of whom are "special" in unusual ways, and the gradual revelation of the true nature of the home where they have been confined. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Bliss, by Lauren Myracle (Amulet Books, 464 pages, but lots of empty space)

When you've been home schooled at a commune all your life, high school can seem strange. But imagine if your new high school comes complete not only with the regular crowd of jocks, geeks, and Beautiful Girls, but a really nasty teenaged ghost as well, whose voice only you can hear. A ghost who wants out, who wants to taste blood again. The setting of the book, way back in the 1960s, adds interest to a truly toe-squirming story.

The Ghosts of Kerfol, by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick Books, 176 pages)

This is the scariest of all these four books. It is a series of five stories, moving forward in time from Edith Wharton's classic ghost story, "Kerfol," which tells of a young Frenchwoman accused of murdering her jealous husband. His body was found at the bottom of the stairs, savaged by dogs. But there were no dogs alive at the manor house of Kerfol that day...Gothic horror combined with great writing makes this one a page turner. I am not at all sure why this is marketed as a Young Adult book, because I think it is a better fit for grown ups. Although certainly many teenagers, in particular those who like their books dark and Gothic, will enjoy it as well. Not a book to read on a cold, dark night, especially if you are staying by yourself in an old French mansion.

As well as being a great ghost book, this is a Perfect Gift for the Edith Wharton fan on your list.

The books my boys are getting as presents

What books are you buying your children for Christmas? Here's what my two boys are getting.

For my 8-year-old, almost taking off into reading, history loving boy:


The Vikings (Lost Worlds), by J.M Clements. I haven't actually read it myself yet, but it sure is handsome.




Moomin, the Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Book Two. I myself find the comics strange, but he likes volume one very much.






Harry the Poisonous Centipede Goes to Sea, by Lynne Reid Banks. For him to read to himself.






For my five-year old, who likes birds and mythical creatures:



The United Tweets of America. Educational bird fun for the whole family.









Monsterology, by Dr. E. Drake So they are each getting a beautiful big book.










And finally, Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett. He loves Gingerbread Baby--partly because, like the boy in the book, he is named Mattie, and he looks so much like the book boy that he could have been Jan Brett's model.


My list of books seems a rather short to me, but they get so many books throughout the year--borrowed from our book sale sorting work at the library, books that I get here from publishers, books I buy when we walk up the hill to the bookstore as a treat (we also like our chocolate chip cookies). So I don't want to overwhelm them.

And I am getting them new journals, so they can write their own.

I would also list the seven books I've bought for my husband, but he reads this so I shan't. I don't, quite, trust him not to peak...

So, what are your kids getting?????

Give the gift of a very different New York

Maybe you have a someone on your present buying list who just happens to be from New York City. Maybe they might like to look at their home in a whole new way...and here are three 2008 books, all excellent reads in their own ways, that do just that.

Masterpiece by Elise Broach, is a lovely book about a young beetle who shares a New York apartment with a lonely boy. On his birthday, the boy gets a pen and ink set, but has no interest in drawing...not so the beetle, whose new found artistic talent leads not only to friendship with the boy, but to an exiting adventure in the dangerous world of art theft! For the younger reader (say, 6th grade-ish), this would make a lovely present, an even better one paired with a pen and ink set, with possible add-ons including a book of Old Master etchings, a promise of a trip to the local gallery, an original pen and ink sketch by Da Vinci, etc. Or perhaps a book about beetles!

Maybe you think you know Manhattan. But this book, by Scott Mebus, offers a New York that will knock your socks off, because it is filled with gods--hence the title, Gods of Manhattan! Small gods, like the God of the Good China, and big gods, like seventeenth-century Dutch governors, 19th-century socialites, and the spirits of the Native Americans, cruelly imprisoned as part of the plot of one particularly nasty divinity to take total control of the city...and standing against that evil god is a young boy, who can see things most kids can't. Like small warriors disguised as cockroaches. Great fun, and a very good one for the 12+ year old who likes action-packed fantasy.

Maybe you've wondered what New York City would be like if there were fewer people in it. Maybe, after you read this book--The Dead and the Gone, by Susan Beth Pfeffer, you will be glad for all the people whose shoulders you bump on your morning subway ride. Because (as the title, um, subtly hints at) most of the folks are not there anymore. Leaving one teenage boy struggling to look after his sisters and to stay alive in a post apocalyptic nightmare. This is a follow up to Life as We Knew It, but since it tells of different characters in a different place, it is a true stand alone. Not exactly festive reading (Young Adult rated, on account of death, disease, and destruction), but it should make your giftee appreciate having family, which is, after all, one of the points of the holiday season.

And here is a Free Wrapping Tip, Worthy of Martha Stewart, if I say so who shouldn't--you could use an old tourist map of the city, with an apple ornament tied festively to the ribbon! Or not.

All three of these books have been nominated for the Cybils in Science Fiction and Fantasy--please feel free to use the Amazon link thingy at right, to support these wonderful blog-given awards.

Give the Gift of Demon Lovers

This holiday season, why not give the gift of a demon lover? (or more accurately, wanna-be lover). It's been a great year for them! Here are four that I enjoyed. Please note: none of the people described as "fairies" in these books are in any way "pink" or "glittery." Or "nice." Any of these would make a great gift for a teenage girl who likes Twilight, but is perhaps ready to more on...Forget about vampires--bad-ass fairy books are much cooler.

Impossible, by Nancy Werlin (Here's are reviews from my co-Cybilians at The Puck In the Midden, and at The Compulsive Reader).

I loved this novelization of the lyrics of Scarborough Fair. Lucy must complete three impossible tasks (as given in the song), or go mad and end up enslaved to a vengeful fairy lover...


Lament, by Maggie Stiefvater (reviewed by me, and The Compulsive Reader)

The people who published this story of a teen-aged girl becoming entangled with the fairy realm called it the "soulless fairy assassin book." But the assassin has much more to offer than his ability to kill...



Ink Exchange, by Melissa Marr (reviewed at Em's Bookshelf, and at Becky's Book Reviews)

Another fairy entanglement, with complexity of plot and character that impressed me. This is the sequel, in a way, to Wicked Lovely, but it focuses on a different character and is, after a first bit of awkwardness, a stand alone read.


Need, by Carrie Jones (here are a few reviews--by Kate Messner, by The Story Siren, and me)

And finally, here's one that isn't even quite out yet, but you can still get it in time for Christmas. I especially recommend this one for gift giving because of the festive gold sparkle lip gloss. The setting--cold snowy woods of Maine--is also seasonally appropriate, and provides an interesting background to the scheming of a baaddd pixie...

Did I miss any 2008 demon lovers? Let me know!

All these books but Need have been nominated for the Cybils in the Science Fiction/Fantasy Category (Need has to wait till next year). I'll be offering more gift recommendations from our list of nominees in the next week or so...