What books are the kids in your life getting for Christmas this year?

[hedgehog]

I was thinking of a nicely illustrated edition of Heidi for an 8 year old in my life.

[Ian David]

1. I'm buying everyone the Holiday issue of Hustler Magazine with the article by Stephanie Miller! n/t

[hedgehog]

3. Now see, if I spent more time figuring out how to post things on-line

instead of reading, I'd post that smily with the other smily getting hit with the frying pan!

[FSogol]

2. For boys, I recommend the hilarious

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney.

[pnwmom]

4. This is what I would give an eight year old girl: GWINNA

by Barbara Helen Berger.

When my daughter was that age, I tried to get her to read Heidi, because I had loved it -- no interest.

Then I discovered GWINNA, which we both loved. It was the book that turned my daughter into an interested reader.

http://www.amazon.com/Gwinna-Barbara-Helen-Berger/dp/039921738X/ref=sr_1_5/103-7790701-1024617?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194904410&sr=1-5

From Publishers Weekly
In Gwinna, Berger (Grandfather Twilight; The Donkey's Dream; When the Sun Rose) has written and illustrated a magnificent fairy tale of wonder, beauty and power. Gwinna, an en chanted child with wings growing from her back, is given as a fosterling to a childless human couple by the Mother of the Owls. As Gwinna grows, her foster parents try to hide her wings, then refuse to honor their promise to return her, but the Mother of the Owl's magic is too strong for them and Gwinna is summoned to her true home. There she learns to fly and sets off on a mystical quest across the sea to an ice-capped mountain, where she fulfills a lifelong dream by carving herself a harp and learning to play it. No brief recap of Gwinna's plot can do justice to all its subtleties or to its profound imagery. Berger tells her long tale in simple, direct prose that illuminates its allegorical aspects with impressive clarity while keeping the action and adventure flowing smooth ly. . . . Gwinna is graced with 18 full-page paintings, one two- page painting and many smaller in sets and decorations that capture the action's high points. In the realm of children's fantasies, Gwinna com pares with George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin and C. S. Lew is's Chronicles of Narnia. With the publication of this story, Berger takes her place with the best talents in the field, past and present.

[hedgehog]

5. OOOOOO that sounds good!

Thanks!

[pnwmom]

6. It is one of those rare, beautiful books that a girl of ANY age can love.

I noticed that one of the readers commenting on it was a girl who identified herself as "14, going on 15" -- she was objecting to the fact that it's marketed mainly to younger children, because she loved it as a teen.

Now that you've reminded me, I'm going to search through my basement till I find it, and reread it myself!

[jody]

7. "George's Secret Key to the Universe" by Stephen Hawking, Lucy Hawking n/t

[MountainLaurel]

8. "The Night Pirates"

About a raging band of girl pirates (after watching "Pirates of the Caribbean" the niecelet likes to pretend to be a pirate). Haven't decided what else yet.

[yellowdogintexas]

9. 11 year old niece is getting "The Daring Book For Girls"

I have already warned her mother

daughter...don't know...she's 23 and mostly picks out her own stuff

[LWolf]

10. The eight year-old in my life

isn't getting any books. He is in the unique position of having me for a grandmother; a woman who was a school librarian for 12 years, then a teacher for another 12. I have about 2500 children's books. Some he's grown out of, some he hasn't grown into yet, but he's yet to get through everything available to him.

Instead, I'm getting him some books on tape. He wants me to read many books that are beyond his ability and attention level at this point. I can't read them all, having only one voice! He likes to listen to them when he's in bed, or when we are driving places in the car. So far, he has a large collection of "Hank the Cowdog," and a couple of Harry Potters.

This xmas I'm adding "The Hobbit," which I've already read to him, and he keeps asking me to reread. I was also considering "The Secret Garden," possibly "Treasure Island," and "My Side of the Mountain." He's got me locked up for the next year trying to read all of the "dark is rising" sequence series aloud.

[japple]

11. The baby is only 6 mos. old, so he'll be getting Sandra

Boynton's CD and songbook "Philadelphia Chickens," which I hope Mommy and Daddy like as much as I did. I also got a couple of Eric Carle board books, and some antique childrens' books I found recently--Little Golden Books with very sweet illustrations about life on the farm and baby animals.

[tigereye]

12. lots of books about sports and the Steelers

for my 11 year old!

[LWolf]

13. For the 7 yo in my life:

A CD version of "The Hobbit," which I've read to him already. He wants more. A few more "Hank the Cowdog" books, which are a favorite of his. As an ex-school librarian and also former primary teacher (I'm teaching middle school now,) I have about 1500 books that I saved for him, so I don't buy too many new ones.

Tell me a little more about your 8 yo, and I'd be glad to make some recommendations!

[yellowdogintexas]

14. my 11 yr old great niece is getting "The Daring Book for Girls"

she may hate it but she is just the right kid for this book.

apologize for posting without reading the down threads, i already told you this, sorry

[hippywife]

15. I have a ten year old niece and

she doesn't do well in school because she doesn't read well, mostly because I don't think she's been interested, so I've been trying to send her things to stimulate her appetite for reading. For her birthday in September, I sent her National Geographic Kids. She says she really likes it and it has cool stuff in it. I'm sure part of the fascination is getting something periodically in the mail addressed to her.

From reading the reviews of this book on Amazon, it sounds like it really might be good for her, too. I was curious as to why you felt your niece is just the right kid for it. I may also get it for the 12 year old daughter of my best friend.