Looking for a gift for that hard-to-shop-for young someone? We might be biased but we think books are the perfect gift for anyone! Here are some suggestions from us--of course, you can also just check them out from the library if you want to read any of these yourself. You can also fill out a Giftmatch form to get customized suggestions from our staff.
These books are all recommended gifts for young readers (ages 0-18). Our 2020 adult gift guide is here!
Books for Pre-Schoolers through Elementary Schoolers
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For fans of space and aliens: In this picture book, a boy writes a letter to an imagined alien, explaining all the things he will need to know about Earth and the people who live here--and adding a postscript asking what the alien might look like |
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Florence and Her Fantastic Family Tree explores the idea of what it means to have a big, messy, complicated, and remarkable family as a young girl tries to complete her family tree assignment for school. With adorable drawings and the succinct words of a child, you can't help but love your own family tree, no matter how large or small, simple or chaotic. |
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For those who love a sweet family story: Told in two voices, as a father and son share a nostalgic day, the father reminds his son he has all that it takes to explore and succeed in the world. |
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A celebratory collection by the current Young People’s Poet Laureate complements a selection of her most popular and accessible poems from the past 40 years with several previously unpublished pieces as well as writing tips and striking interior spot art. |
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Convinced that pizza is the best food, Pipo will eat nothing else until her fed-up parents send her on a quest to prove that no dishes in their multicultural neighborhood are better. |
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Visiting the zoo with their humans Buzz and Liz, Fly Guy and Fly Girl observe various animal habitats before fleeing from a particularly scary bullfrog exhibit, in a latest series entry by the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning creator of No Jumping on the Bed! |
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Brains On! Presents It's Alive : From Neurons and Narwhals to the Fungus Among Us by Molly Bloom For young scientists: The creators of the award-winning science podcast present a humorous, fact-filled guide to the world of biology that shares STEM-based explanations for everything from microbes and meat-eating plants to brain tricks and stinky bacteria. |
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A lavishly designed commemorative edition of the Caldecott Honor-winning first book in the classic series includes its five original stories and is complemented by rare bonus material, including archival photos, an early manuscript of “Spring” and a biography of Arnold Lobel. |
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A highly visual tour of every nation in the world shares profile spreads comprised of maps and fun facts that provide at-a-glance insights into each country’s major cities, landscape features, geographical location and cultural traditions, from the cherry-blossom displays of Japan to India’s space program. |
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For a new family read-aloud: Repackaged with an updated look for new readers, a fourth entry in the best-selling series finds the students of Mrs. Jewls’s 30th-floor class busily collecting toenail clippings while preparing for an Ultimate Test in the face of the Cloud of Doom. |
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A sequel to the Newbery Medal-winning The One and Only Ivan finds Bob, helped by friends Ivan and Ruby, searching for his lost sister on a journey that is dangerously complicated by an approaching hurricane. |
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Referring to his late father’s journal for advice on how to be the man of the house, young Isaiah taps the support and ideas of two school friends who help him navigate rules and manage without superpowers. By the award-winning author of Young. |
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S.U.I.T. headquarters is under attack, and Mango and Brash are going undercover and underground disguised as city sewer workers to unclog a sticky situation. But when their search for the criminal Crackerdile backfires, the toilets they travel through back up--and the InvestiGators take the blame for it! Can Mango and Brash restore their good name and put the real culprit behind bars before the whole city is in deep water? |
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A middle grade novel in verse follows the experiences of a deaf child whose impoverished family is forced to send him to a cruel institution, where he receives friendship and teaching from a conscientious war objector. |
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When someone commits robbery and murder aboard the luxurious train on which Myrtle Hardcastle, her Aunt Helena, her governess Miss Judson, and cat Peony are traveling, Myrtle is determined to find the culprit. |
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Transported into a magical world where their pet rabbit can talk, Alex and Emma are enmeshed in the land’s fight against a mysterious sorcerer who wants to claim a powerful object to destroy the magical and human worlds. By the creator of the Dog Eat Doug comic strip. |
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All thirteen : the incredible cave rescue of the Thai boys' soccer team by Christina Soontornvat For young readers looking for a real-life survival story: Combines firsthand interviews with scientific and cultural insights in a middle grade account of the 2018 Thai cave rescue of the Wild Boars soccer team and the critical, sophisticated engineering operation that saved the lives of 13 young people. |
Books for Tweens & Teens
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Featuring graphic art by the illustrator of Edwidge Danticat’s My Mommy Medicine, a series debut by the Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of The Parker Inheritance finds twins Maureen and Francine distinguishing themselves for the first time by pursing separate interests at the beginning of the sixth grade. |
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Flamer
by Mike Curato For the tween trying to figure themselves out: In the summer between middle school and high school, Aiden Navarro navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and finds himself drawn to Elias, a boy he can't stop thinking about. |
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Class act
by Jerry Craft For the New Kids and all looking to belong somewhere: Eighth grader Drew Ellis recognizes that he is't afforded the same opportunities, no matter how hard he works, that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted, and to make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids and is finding it hard not to withdraw, even as their mutual friend Jordan tries to keep their group of friends together |
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A young half-Asian girl arriving in 1880s America struggles to adjust to new surroundings while navigating the almost unanimous prejudice of the townspeople in her heartland community. By the Newbery Medal-winning author of A Single Shard. |
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For tween detectives who like to bake (or tween bakers who like to solve crimes): Receiving an unexpected letter on her 12th birthday from the incarcerated father she has never met, a courageous young baker prepares for a cooking-show competition while scrambling to determine her father’s innocence. |
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Told in alternating past and present chapters, a latest series entry finds brainy Bri wondering if she has taken on too much when she agrees to learn a new language, give a speech and organize a party for her bat mitzvah while juggling drama at school and home. |
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Carefully avoiding a local river where a schoolmate drowned a year earlier, a space-loving 12-year-old and her best friends organize a night of telescope stargazing before spotting a being who superstitious locals believe to be a malevolent ghost. |
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Glitch : To Save the Future, They Have to Protect the Past by Laura Martin For future past historians: Training to become time travelers who prevent others from altering important historical events, rival Glitchers Regan and Elliot are forced to set aside their animosity when a dire prediction from the future requires them to work together and break every rule they have ever been taught. |
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Even If We Break
by Marieke Nijkamp For Dungeon Masters and Player Characters: A group of friends, bound together by years of history, embark on a visit to a cabin before dangerous secrets and unknown threats reveal a sinister plot that compromises their safety. By the best-selling author of This Is Where It Ends. |
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A song below water
by Bethany C. Morrow For those who believe in the magic of the everyday: A metaphorical tale follows the experiences of a Black teen siren and her haunted best friend, who find themselves targeted by violence when they are unable to hide their supernatural identities in an alternate world that discriminates against magic. |
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For the K-Pop obsessed: |
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For the young adult who's already read Twilight 5 times: Featuring contributions by such leading young-adult authors as Samira Ahmed, Natalie C. Parker and Tessa Gratton, a diverse collection of vampire tales features supernatural characters engaged in social-justice movements, attempting to take selfies without reflections and avoiding family matchmaking. |
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The voting booth
by Brandy Colbert For the teen who can't wait to be eligible to vote: Preparing to vote for the first time, Marva is indignant when she observes a fellow teen turned away from the voting booth and teams up with him to fight a corrupt system and search for a missing cat. By the award-winning author of Finding Yvonne. |
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I hope you're listening
by Tom Ryan For the Nancy Drew-wannabes: Seventeen-year-old Dee secretly hosts a popular true-crime podcast but when a missing child seems linked to the disappearance of her best friend ten years ago, she considers revealing her identity to uncover the truth. |
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Running by Natalia Sylvester For the young adult who wants their voice to be heard: Seeing her father with new eyes when he launches a presidential campaign, a sheltered Cuban-American teen is exposed to unwanted media attention, scandals and devastating truths before finding the courage to speak out. By the award-winning author of Everyone Knows You Go Home. |
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Check, Please! : sticks & scones
by Ngozi Ukazu For baking fans and hockey bros: A conclusion to the graphic-novel story that began with Check, Please! finds figure skater-turned-college hockey player Bitty navigating tough athletic training and his new relationship with Jack while the latter is on a major-league road trip. |
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A song of wraiths and ruin by Roseanne A. Brown For fans of epic fantasy who aren't quite ready for A Song of Ice and Fire: A first entry in a planned duology inspired by West African folklore finds a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee on a collision course to destroy each other despite their growing attraction. |
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Returning to Gotham City after being kicked out of boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne investigates a local kidnapping that implicates teen queen bee Selina Kyle and class clown, Jack Napier. By the award-winning author of The Witches of East End. |
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When her impoverished family is forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, Sarah is surprised by the dragon’s protective nature before learning about a prophecy that links her to a deadly assassin, a dragon-worshipping cult and two FBI agents. |