10 Nov, 2010
Fishbowl gift guide: this time we’re talkin’ books for tweens
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Oh! Things!
I went to the Pinecrest Chapters last night to take advantage of a “mom’s night out” event. There’s another one tonight too (November 10). Everything was 15% off and 25% for iRewards members. (Let’s just say I became a member on the spot.)
After I was done I treated myself to a decaf-skinny-halfsweet-peppermint-mocha; the most hyphenated beverage I have ever consumed. I ogled Starbucks array of mugs. I am their target market. I love their stuff. (Look at this cute mug. I will buy two next time I am out.)
In terms of books I may or may not have bought the girls:
- The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan
- The Spiderwick Chronicles Box Set, by Holly Black
- The Breadwinner Trilogy, by Deborah Ellis
- The Encyclopedia of Immaturity (Volumes 1 and 2)
Other books we’ve really enjoyed for this age range (9-12) include:
- The Land of Elyon Series
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Harry Potter (I would love this edition)
- Sisters Grimm series
- Dear Canada books
- Anything by Roald Dahl
- The Wild Things, the deluxe furry edition
- Little House series
- The Amulet series– they are kookoo over this graphic novel
- Peter and the Starcatchers
(BTW, links above go to Chapters.ca for the sake of convenience, but do support your local bookstore!)
Other suggestions from the Interwebs:
- @denielsen: “…. My kids 10, 9, 7 like Bone, Narnia, Lord of Rings, Magic Thief, Eragon, Anne of GG, Little House, Black Cauldron/Taran, Sword of Shannara, Magic Tree House, Inkheart, Star Wars. And Calvin & Hobbs.”
- From my friend Katherine, mother of former tween: An Episode of Sparrows
Have you noticed that almost every single book out there right now is part of a series? I find this a bit annoying. It gets so expensive!
Anything to add? What are your tweens enjoying right now? What are you eyeballing for Christmas? Please share! I need to know what great books I’m missing. And if I don’t pick them up for Christmas I will put them on reserve at the library and save myself a bit of money.
Speaking of which, although it doesn’t fall into either book or toy category, have you heard of the Moonjar? I love this idea. It’s a unique way of teaching kids how to manage their money by giving them a place to divvy their little allowances into Saving, Spending, and Sharing. A pretty good lesson to learn, especially around Christmas, isn’t it?
