Books to Give Your Favorite Teen or Child

It’s the time of year when I am asked to recommend book titles for children and teens. A bonus with these titles is that most of them are also wonderful reads for adults.

For Preschool through First Grade:

Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller follows a child who doesn’t know how to help when a classmate spills grape juice on herself. Showing that giving and empathy can make a difference provides a way for kids to explore those topics. This award winner is a perfect classroom addition so it might be just the right gift for your favorite child’s classroom or just for the child. I haven’t found a kid who didn’t love it. PBJ Ages 3-6 (2018)

For Kids Ages 8-13:

Odder by Katherine Applegate is a delightful tale about Odder, a playful, curious otter bitten by a shark.

Her story was inspired by a program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium that places orphaned pups with surrogate mothers who teach the pups to survive in the wild. The free verse language perfectly encapsulates the joy Odder feels when playing in water and the importance of saving otters. Newbery winner Applegate is a treasure. PBJ/SN Ages 8-12(If the child hasn’t yet read Applegate’s 2012 Newbery winner The One and Only Ivan, buy that as well even if they’ve seen the movie.)

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga is a sweet, comforting, clever, and informative story about Res, short for Resilience, a Mars rover, and the NASA scientists who built him. Res is truly resilient and he displays human emotions that make him care about Fly, the drone helicopter that accompanies him to Mars. This lovely, poignant tale offers both knowledge and a caring story. As always, Jasmine Warga writes just what kids need and want to read. She’s a treasure. Her Other Words for Home, a 2019 Newbury Honor book, is one of my all-time favorites and would also be a great gift.  PBJ/SN Ages 8-13

Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly is another delight from the great Newbery winner.

There are only twelve kids in the seventh grade at Fawn Creek and they’ve known each other all their lives. Nothing changes in their small Louisiana town until Orchid arrives. She’s lived in Paris and New York. What’s she doing in Fawn Creek? This novel exposes bullying and makes self-acceptance contagious. It’s perfect for that hard-to-buy-for tween category especially if they’ve read and enjoyed my favorite Kelly books, Hello Universe and You GoFirst. You can’t go wrong with any of her titles. PBJ Ages 9-13

For Teens:

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer, adapted by Monique Gray Smith with illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt takes the 2013 classic book of “indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teaching of plants” and mixes in questions for contemplation along with illustrations that make it real. It will speak to teens and tweens who want to save the planet and wonder where to start. The statements shown in green circles surrounded by sweetgrass braids offer great discussion starters. I was drawn to several of them including: “To be heard, you must speak the language of the one you want to listen” and “In some Native languages, the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us.’” My adult book club was so impressed with it that we’re reading and discussing it in January. 

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys brings 1989 Romania and the cruelty of the Ceaușescu regime to life.

Cristian is 17 and wants to be a writer but is forced to be an informant to save his family. Later he exposes the truth to the world and works for change with other youth. Brilliant! Sepetys’s Between Shades of Gray has long been one of my favorites and it and this book are wonderful choices for adults and teens. DC/PP/SN Ages 13 and up. 

Passport by Sophia Glock is the true story of Sophia Glock’s transient childhood. Her parents were CIA officers and she went to high school in Central America where struggling to fit in was both unique to her situation and evocative of the universal teen experience. This graphic novel/memoir is gripping in its exploration of secrets, loyalty, and identity. DC/SN Ages 12 and up (2021)

Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice

by Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes with illustrations by Dawud Anayabwile, A finalist for the National Book Award for Young Adults, this inspiring graphic novel/memoir shares the resilient childhood of 1968 Olympic medalist Tommie Smith and his focus on ways to fight against racial injustice in the United States. When he raised his fist on the Olympic podium in Mexico City, everyone saw it. Now teens and adults can learn more about this proud, religious, courageous man and the need to stand up for justice. The powerful illustrations portray his strength and help readers see the inequalities of the 1960s. DC/SF/SN, BC Ages 12 and up