Holiday gift ideas to give your young readers

(or to hoard for yourself and refuse to share)

Hello, Scuttlebutt readers, and happy holidays!

I hope the end of the year finds you not running around frantically in search of holiday gifts for the loved ones in your life, but as a person who’s often been a panicked last-minute gift giver, I appreciate a good present-related tip, especially when that tip involves buying books. So I’ve put together a few suggestions for books you might enjoy if you like my books. Not coincidentally, most of the books I’ve chosen were written by the wonderful authors who blurbed Wicked Marigold!

First, though, a couple special notes about my own books. If you’d like to buy one of my books for the holidays (and I really hope you would), I’d be happy to mail you a signed bookplate for your gift recipient. Just write to me at caroline [at] carolinecarlsonbooks [dot] com and let me know how you’d like the bookplate made out. I’ll pop it in the mail to you as quickly as I can; I can’t guarantee delivery by a certain date, but I’ll do my best.

And the second note: The audiobook edition of Wicked Marigold is here, narrated by Katherine Anderson! It’s on sale for only $5 over at Libro.fm, a site that supports independent bookstores—and there’s an option for you to purchase it as a gift for someone else. Very cool.

On to the list of book recommendations!

Braided by Leah Cypess—a middle grade retelling of Rapunzel, told from the point of view of Rapunzel’s little sister. Sounds like a perfect match for Marigold lovers, right? It’s part of Leah Cypess’s Sisters Ever After series of fairy tale retellings, so if you love this one, there are plenty more.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis—I love all of Steph’s books for young readers, but this one would be a great wintertime gift paired with a tin of hot chocolate mix or a nice box of fancy chocolates. (I like these.) The story is about a dragon who drinks hot chocolate that turns her into a human; it’s sweet and funny and delightful, and it’s the first in a series.

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff—another fairy tale retelling! Rump is the very fun and clever (fairly) true tale of Rumpelstiltskin, and again, it’s the first in an excellent series. Liesl and I were debut authors together back in 2013, which means that my Magic Marks the Spot and her Rump are basically book siblings. I love this book and everything else Liesl has written since!

The Girl from Earth’s End by Tara Dairman—maybe we could call this one a modern fairy tale? It’s a lovely, lightly magical story about Henna, who grows up with her two papas on a small island and learns all she can about the plants that grow there. When Papa Niall becomes sick, Henna travels to find the one plant that she believes can cure him. You could pair this as a gift with a little succulent, or maybe a LEGO flower kit?

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani—a fairy tale, a school story, the start of a wildly popular series! Soman’s books tackle questions of what it means to be truly good or truly wicked, just like Marigold does. If your young reader hasn’t checked these out already, get them started!

The School for Wicked Witches by Will Taylor—I didn’t badger Will to blurb Wicked Marigold, but I wanted to recommend his latest to you because it is the perfect gift not only for lovers of fractured fairy tales but also for any kid who’s seen the Wicked movie and needs more Oz-related content pronto! Once you’ve read that, be sure to check out Will’s very funny Maggie and Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort and his stunning The Language of Seabirds (which I go around recommending to everyone. Have I recommended it to you already? Oh well, I really mean it!).

The Case Closed series by Lauren Magaziner—my daughter’s favorite author. “I love your stories, Mom,” she says, “but I love Lauren Magaziner’s just a little bit more. They’re so adventurous! So funny!” Friends, she’s not wrong. Our favorites to read together are the Case Closed pick-your-path mysteries, but if fantasy is more your style, check out the Mythics series or Wizardmatch.

The Legends of Lotus Island series by Christina Soontornvat—another magical series our family has loved reading together this year, about a girl named Plum who trains to become a Guardian, one of the powerful beings who protect nature. All four books are out now; they are quick, illustrated reads and lots of fun.

If you missed the recommendations in my latest Lit Hub column, you can find those here! Any one of them would make an excellent gift.

I’ll be back in your inbox in 2025 with more news about my new middle grade novel coming out next fall… but until then, happy reading!

Caroline