The best kids books for Christmas
Let Denise be your guide
Backstory’s manager, Denise Wallin, who also reigns supreme over our children’s section, takes over the newsletter this week. Here are her top suggestions for children this Christmas.
BEFORE JOINING BACKSTORY I’d never appreciated that merchandising a bookshop was an almost daily moving feast, especially the kids section.
Our younger customers love to get their hands on the books (which we fully encourage them to do)… and often rearrange the shelves themselves. Or they push the books as far back on the shelves as they can — when I had a go myself, I found this oddly satisfying.
We get new kids titles delivered almost every week, and I’ve loved working out what works, and doesn’t, amongst some of our more discerning customers who are never too shy to let us know what they think.
One of my favourite things is recommending books to children who are reluctant readers, usually instigated by one of their slightly frustrated parents. The children are almost always disarmingly honest about my suggestions. Judging books by covers is one thing, but lots of children definitely judge a book by the number of pages, the length of the chapters or the (lack of) illustrations.
My own 10-year-old is very similar and has been known to declare “books are lame”. But I have finally cracked him by introducing him to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson which is full of adventure and humour. He is currently enjoying the short chapters in R. J. Palacio’s brilliant Wonder.
I love when a parent, or child, returns to the shop raving about a book that we suggested. Our children's book subscriptions, which run in exactly the same way as our adult subscriptions, where a book is chosen each month based on a child’s likes or dislikes, also provides a way for feedback.
We send out a postcard with each subscription book encouraging subscribers to let us know what they think of our choices. I am the only team member whose postcard replies often include lovely drawings, updates on which school year the recipient is now in so I can “up the ante” on the books I send, and scathing character assessments.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for what to buy the children in your life this Christmas, hopefully the following picks from our Gift Guide will help:
Board & Picture Books
Where's Mrs Reindeer? by Nneka Okoye, illustrated by Ingela Arrhenius
A festive felt-flap book with a surprise mirror at the end
Listen To The Nutcracker by Marion Billet
Press the button on each page to hear music from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
The Christmas Bear by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Push, pull and slide the scenes in this fun rhyming adventure
Number Train by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius
A lift-the-flap rhyming counting book with six spinning wheels
Where To Hide A Star by Oliver Jeffers
The long awaited sequel to the popular Boy series
Iron Robin by Rose Tremain, illustrated by Richard Jones
A magical story about a friendship between a boy and a robin
Jonty Gentoo — The Adventures Of A Penguin by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
A plucky little penguin embarks on a journey of a lifetime
Three Little Monkeys and The Grand Hotel by Quentin Blake, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark
A funny and anarchic picture book with three monkeys on holiday
Younger Readers
Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney
A brand new hilarious adventure with Greg spending summer with both sides of the family
How To Train Your Dragon — Dragon Tales Collection by Cressida Cowell
This collection features three stories about Hiccup, with one brand new story
Bunny vs Monkey: The Great Big Glitch by Jamie Smart
The next instalment of this popular series sees life getting crazy when all existence is a virtual reality simulator
The Snowman Code by Simon Stephenson, illustrated by Reggie Brown
A heartwarming story of friendship between ten year old Blessing and 600 year old Albert, a snowman
Isadora Moon Makes A Wish by Harriet Muncaster
A brand new funny adventure with Isadora granting a wish that she is always happy
Michael Rosen's Totally True and Totally Silly Bedtime Stories by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Emily Fox
A beautifully illustrated collection of true bedtime stories
Adventuremice: The Ghostly Galleon by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
The next instalment of this series perfect for new readers
The Land Of Lost Things by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Bill Hope
The first in a new adventure series from the author of the Treehouse series
Older Readers
The Ice Children by M.G. Leonard, illustrated by Penny Neville-Lee
A wintry magical adventure set to be a modern classic
The Clockwork Conspiracy by Sam Sedgman
A thriller for children set in London with Big Ben at its heart
Charlie and the Christmas Factory And Other Stories — inspired by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Rikin Parekh
Twelve brand new short stories from a range of authors including Elle McNicoll, Pamela Butchart, Adam Kay and Hannah Gold based on Roald Dahl's famous creations
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
The first in a brand new fantasy adventure series likened to Tolkien and Pullman
Evenfall: The Golden Linnet by Alexander Armstrong, illustrated by Tom Roberts
A thrilling, magical debut novel with secret societies and ancient foes
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
Percy is about to graduate high school, surely nothing can go wrong?
Sprouts by Sibeal Pounder
This fun story asks if Christmas was every day, would we want it to be?
Lottie Brooks’s Essential Guide To Life by Katie Kirby
A brand new Lottie Brooks book but this time the reader helps to write it too
Teen & Non Fiction
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
A dark, action-packed intoxicating brew of vampires, secrets and romance
Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll
A big-hearted small town romance, perfect for fans of Alice Oseman
Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross
An epic fantasy adventure with a sisterly bond at the heart of it
The Champions by Kara Thomas
A dark YA thriller with mystery deaths in the school football team
A Really Short History of Words by Bill Bryson
A gorgeously illustrated exploration of the English language
The Incredible Pop-Up Bug by Ben Hoare, illustrated by Jasmine Floyd
This is a fact-packed gorgeous pop-up book showing the true beauty of the insect kingdom
Flight by David Long, illustrated by Terri Po
Astonishing true stories of aviation full of courage and ingenuity
The Bedtime Book of Even More Impossible Questions by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Margarida Esteves
The perfect book for inquisitive children
— Denise
Need ideas for grown-ups?
Browse our Christmas gift guide, or pick one up in the shop. Packed with gift ideas, the team’s favourite books of the year — and lots of information about our Backstory book subscriptions, which make brilliant presents.
Remember that you can order anything in the guide (and lots more) from our website with free delivery anywhere in the UK.
Upcoming events
Winter Sessions: Come to a music night at Backstory for just £5. Coming up:
6 December, 6 for 7pm Winter Session 3: HerOrangeCoat
20 December, 6 for 7pm Winter Session 4: Average Ginger
28 November, 7.30pm Tim Shipman, Out SOLD OUT
4 December, 7.30pm Dan Keeling, Who’s Afraid of Romanee Conti?
SOLD OUT
5 December, 7.15pm Jay Rayner, Nights Out At Home SOLD OUT
The Backstory chart
Click on the links to order any of these books from our website with free UK delivery
Hardback
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden Our Backstory novel of the year - a stunning debut set in the Dutch countryside in the 1960s.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Megan loves this book about two brilliant brothers, a treat for people who know a thing or two about chess, weird siblings, grief, and thinking deep thoughts but sometimes struggling to express them to the people you love the most.
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout A hopeful novel about new friends, old loves, and how we all want to leave a mark on the world we inhabit.
Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst Our non-fiction book of the year - a beautiful, gripping story of nature and love.
The Proof of my Innocence by Jonathan Coe A funny and clever new novel from the bestselling British novelist.
Paperback
Orbital by Samantha Harvey A luminous novel about six astronauts orbiting the Earth and observing its beauty and fragility. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
Kala by Colin Walsh One of my favourite books of last year. A dark, twisty tale of friendship and suspicion set on the Irish coast.
Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan Winner of this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang This novel about an ambitious novelist who steals her dying frenemy’s manuscript and attempts to pass it off as her own was a lot of fun to read.
Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess A delightful rom com about two people from very different backgrounds.
Join our club
Want to have more Backstory in your life? Why not:
Join our fiction or non-fiction book clubs, which meet every month on Zoom with each book’s author. We’ve heard from winners of the Pulitzer, Nobel and Women’s prizes, and big names like Patrick Radden Keefe, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Christina Lamb. Join for £15 a month or come to a one-off session for £16.
Take out a Backstory book subscription, tailored to each individual recipient. These start from £60 for three months (or £45 for kids) and make brilliant presents.
Happy reading!
Tom