'Tis The Season to Give Books

Christmas Book Suggestions for Children Ages 8-12

Tis the season to shop for gifts and no gift haul is complete without a good book or three. I often get asked for book recommendations because (shameless plug) I write books, I read a tonne and I have a 10-year-old avid reader.

The list below is noticeably void of covers where pink is a prominent colour, but I think these are appealing across the board. One series which I LOVE, but I can't get my boy to bite on is The Geek Girl series by Holly Smale. So funny and perfect for 10 and up. Other recommendations:

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard – Rick Riordan (First in a brand new series. Second book will release Autumn 2016)

The Percy Jackson series – Rick Riordan

The Kane Chronicles series – Rick Riordan

The Heros of Olympus series – Rick Riordan

*Middle School series – James Patterson (especially great for those who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

Big Nate series – Lincoln Pierce (also great for Wimpy Kid fans)

Lorien Legacies series – Pittacus Lore (Most famous of these is I Am Number Four, which is also a film starring Alex Pettyfer. Age is 13+, but is accessible to advanced younger readers, although there's some swearing)

Artemis Fowl series – Eoin Colfer

The Iron Trial and The Cooper Gauntlet – Holly Black & Cassandra Clare (Books 1 and 2 in
The Magisterium series. Fab for fans of Harry Potter.)

How to Train Your Dragon series-- Cressida Cowl

The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick

House of Secrets serie – Chris Columbus

Skullduggery Pleasant series – Derek Landy

Treasure Hunters – James Patterson

Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja series-- Marcus Emerson

Star Wars Jedi Academy series-- Jeffrey Brown

The Genius Files – Dan Guttman

Tom Gates series – Liz Pichon

Alex Rider series – Anthony Horowitz

*We gift this series a lot, especially to reluctant readers. It's always a hit and I've had lots of parents say it's been a jumping off point for their kids to get into reading more.

There are so many books and this barely scratches the surface. Any others you'd add to this list that have been a particular hit in your house? Please feel free to drop us a line at editor@tattenhall.org.

By Brenda St John Brown