It's time for our annual holiday shopping list. Happy shopping … and reading.
Best book from North Carolina author:
"My Brother's Shadow," by Monika Schröder, Farrar Straus Giroux, ages 11 and up, 217 pages, $17.99.
Schröder, a new North Carolina resident but a seasoned writer, writes about war-torn Berlin (1918) in her latest book. Families turn against one another and poverty changes their character. It is a well-researched and well-written book. Don't miss this historical treasure.
Longest "picture" book:
"Abarat: Absolute Midnight," written and illustrated by Clive Barker, HarperCollins, ages 13 and up, 569 pages, $24.99.
Readers get their money's worth in this thick work. Vivid illustrations accompany a thrilling plot. This is the third installment in the best-selling series. But since the first was written in 2002 with the second released in 2004, many of the young readers who fell in love with this series are no longer young. That's OK; adults and teens can read this beautiful adventure series together.
Cheekiest rewrite:
"Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children," by Lisa Wheeler, Simon & Schuster, ages 5 and up, $16.99.
Best thrillers:
"Tunnel Vision," by Susan Shaw, Simon & Schuster, ages 12 and up, 255 pages, $16.99.
"Variant," by Robison Wells, HarperCollins, ages 12 and up, 376 pages, $17.99.
Biographies:
"Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played With Puppets," by Kathleen Krull, Random House, ages 7 to 10, $16.99.
"Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea: A Fairly Fabricated Story of a Pair of Pants," by Tony Johnston, Harcourt Mifflin, ages 4 to 8, $16.99.
Best pick for young diva:
"Chamelia," by Ethan Long, Little, Brown, ages 3 to 6, $16.99.
Best graphic novel:
"Mangaman," by Barry Lyga, Houghton Mifflin, ages 12 and up, 126 pages, $19.99.
Old favorite:
"The Phantom Tollbooth: The 50th Anniversary Edition," by Norton Juster, Random House, ages 10 and up, 279 pages, $24.
And don't overlook the "Tollbooth" version with annotations by Leonard S. Marcus ($29.99) or the funny picture book "Neville" (Ages 4 to 8) also by Juster.
Amazing pop-ups (our favorite category):
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," by Roald Dahl, Penguin, ages 4 and up, $29.99.
"Puff the Magic Dragon," by Peter Yarrow, Sterling, all ages, $26.95.
"The Odyssey," adapted by Sam Ita, Sterling, ages 8 and up, $26.95.
Affordable pop-ups:
"Puppies, Kittens and Other Pop-Up Pets" or "Rescue Pop-Up Emergency Vehicles," both by Matthew Reinhart, Random House, ages 3 to 5, $6.99.
Nursery bookshelf:
"You Be You," by Linda Kranz, Taylor Publishing, all ages, $12.95.
Music-to-page adaptations:
"Blowin' in the Wind," by Bob Dylan, Sterling, all ages, $17.95, CD included.
"Bob Marley's One Love," adapted by Cedella Marley, Chronicle, ages 4 to 8, $16.99.
Science and history:
"Why Do I Have to Make My Bed? Or, A History of Messy Rooms," by Wade Bradford, Random House, ages 4 to 7, $16.99.
"11 Experiments That Failed," by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter, Schwartz & Wade, ages 4 to 8, $16.99.
Picture books:
"The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot," by Margaret McNamara and Mark Fearing, Schwartz & Wade, ages 4 to 8, $16.99.
"A Dog Is a Dog," by Stephan Shaskan, Chronicle, ages 2 to 6, $14.99.
"Hide and Sheep," by Andrea Beaty, Simon & Schuster, ages 4 to 8, $15.99.
"Zoozical," by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown (yep, the guy who brought us Arthur), Random House, ages 4 to 8, $17.99.
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