Friends and family text me all the time asking for advice on which book to buy certain people in their lives. It only made sense for me to whip up a list here for those of you who WANT to buy books as gifts but can’t possibly know every book out there.
Since I’m helping you out, please allow me a moment to ask you to help small/independent book stores out if you can. I’m linking to Bookshop below, where each purchase helps all independent bookstores. But you can also use this tool on their website to find a small book shop near you (or that ships to you) to help even more directly.
So if you click through and a book is sold out, do not fret! You can search for it at indie bookstores throughout the country, or any of the places you usually shop for books.
HOT TIP: Still not sure which book to get? Pick up a digital gift card to Bookshop.org here. You can choose the amount and what date the recipient will receive it. Pretty cool, right?
OUT OF TIME? I also included an ebook link with each book so you can gift it to them from the comfort of your couch, no shipping needed. (Bonus: ebooks also tend to be a fraction of the price of physical books.)
Happy reading!
KIDS
ACT by Kayla Miller (Author, Illustrator)
For the 8-12yo kids who are learning to stand up for themselves and others, both in friendships and on a larger scale. For fans of SMILE and other realistic graphic novels.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
ALL BECAUSE YOU MATTER by Tami Charles (Author) and Bryan Collier (Illustrator)
For kids ages 8 and under who don’t always see themselves on the covers of books filled with love, or the parents who are expecting one.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
BOB by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
For kids who need some books filled with heart and happiness right now, and the parents who prefer reading them bedtime stories featuring friendship and magic and family and community and books and patience and so many other lovely things.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
THE STONEKEEPER (Amulet #1) by Kazu Kibuishi (Author, Illustrator)
For the graphic novel fans ages 8-12 who like magic and adventure. (The last one should come out next year, so it’s a great series to start gifting now.)
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
LATKES FOR SANTA CLAUS by Janie Emaus (Author) and Bryan Langdo (Illustrator)
For the family that celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah, or any blended family learning to merge their holiday customs.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TOULANE by Kate DiCamillo (Author) and Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)
For kids who love adventure stories with heart, and the adults who like to read them to their kids. Also a great one to give teachers to read to their students in grades 3-5.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
WOKE: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne (Author), Elizabeth Acevedo (Author), Olivia Gatwood (Author), Jason Reynolds (Contribution by)
For Tweens on down who learn better when they see images and words together, and often ask questions about what’s going on around them or in the news.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
THE LAST HUMAN by Lee Bacon
For the kid obsessed with robots and funny books, with a splash of adventure and surprise.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
PRARIE LOTUS by Linda Sue Park
For the 8-12yo kids who like historical fiction based in the US, the Netflix series “Anne with an E” based on ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, and strong girls with dads who support them.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
GHOST SQUAD by Claribel Ortega
For the kids ages 8-12 who like funny, magical adventures with a Ghostbusters/Stranger Things vibe (and a bit less scare in them).
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
MAYDAY by Karen Harrington
For kids who already own the popular “must-have” books (WONDER, SMILE, RESTART), and could use a hopeful story about a brave 12yo boy with a lot of laugh-out-loud thoughts finding his way around his new life after surviving a plane crash.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
BLACK WINGS BEATING by Alex London
For the kids moving up from middle grade to teen fantasy, and could use one that’s a safe place for all genders and LGBTQIA+ readers. (This is the 1st of a completed trilogy, so feel free to buy the whole set–it’s wonderful.)
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link (or the entire trilogy here). You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
DRAGON PEARL by Yoon Ha Lee
For the kids moving up from middle grade to teen sci-fi, whose favorite “Teen Wolf” character is Kira Yukimura, or who cannot get enough of outer space reads with just the right amount of scares and thrills for the age and emotional threads to make it relatable.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
TEENS
I’LL BE THE ONE by Lyla Lee
For the teen reader who wants an empowering pick-me-up novel that includes K-pop fandom (who doesn’t love BTS?) and reality dance/singing competitions, with a sweet romance on the side.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
THE VOTING BOOTH by Brandy Colbert
For the teenaged Instagrammer or activist who likes look-at-everything-that-can-happen-in-one-day books that feature respect, drive, being multifaceted, and finding your person.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
TWEET CUTE by Emma Lord
For the teens that can’t resist witnessing a cheeky Twitter war, binge-watching rom-coms with aplomb, and are fans of pen-pals-to-real-feels books.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
FURIA by Yamile Saied Méndez
For the teen who likes realistic reads with a feminist strength, lives for soccer/fútbol, or is on the cusp of adulthood and has decisions to make about who and where they want to be next. For fans of THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
THE GRAVITY OF US by Phil Stamper
For the teen reader who’s into watching space shuttle launches, social media, coming-of-age stories, and LGBTQIA+ rep.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
THE SILENCE BETWEEN US by Alison Gervais
For teens who like books about growing up, being more independent, being true to yourself, and the stumbles along the way when two people with very different experiences (one the new deaf girl, one the star of the school) try to understand one another while falling in love.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
CEMETERY BOYS by Aiden Thomas
For the teen reader who understands what it’s like to know themselves even when others won’t believe them, or have been waiting for a brilliant trans author’s voice in a funny, moving, fast-paced novel that’s original and exciting in how it addresses family, gender, identity, tradition, and magic.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
AN AFFAIR OF POISONS by Addie Thorley
For the teen who likes historical fiction and magic merged, stand-alone books, and main characters with trust issues who complicate everything as they work together to achieve a common goal in tumultuous times.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
OF CURSES AND KISSES by Sandhya Menon
For teen fans who grew up loving Beauty and the Beast, enjoy retellings of classic stories, contemporary romances, and TV shows featuring boarding schools full of socialites and drama.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
WE HUNT THE FLAME (Sands of Arawiya #1) by Hafsah Faizal
For teens who dive into magical fantastical worlds, and dig a good dual-voice story in which you know these two are going to get tangled up in it, big time. (And if they like it, book two comes out in January.)
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
JUST DON’T BE AN ASSH*LE: A Surprisingly Necessary Guide to Being a Good Guy by Kara Kinney Cartwright
For the teen or college student who could use a genuinely loving explanation of how and why to do the right thing in a variety of realistic situations because listening to their parents tell them this stuff? LOLZ.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
ADULTS
SPOILER ALERT by Olivia Dade
For the romance reader who would appreciate a respectful, fun, swoony love story between a plus-sized fanfic writer and a celeb (!!!) with a learning disability.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
YOU HAD ME AT HOLA by Alexis Daria
For the romance readers who would like a fun, telenovela-soapy, steamy read with great consent rep and a big, messy family full of love.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE by Kevin Wilson
For your fiction-loving friend with the quirky sense of humor (no kids required).
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
I JUST WANT TO HANG OUT WITH YOU by Jen Mann, Kim Bongiorno (yes, that’s me), and others
For the parent of teens/tweens who could use a good laugh or cry over what it’s like to raise kids that age right now.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT by Suzanne Park
For the reader who loves women’s fiction with a touch of rom-com, this time featuring an Asian woman working to get her dream job in the gaming world. For millennial gamers with a booknerd hashtag on their IG posts.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse
For the fantasy reader who loves diving into a new trilogy that’s complex, well-written, and full of magic and power.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
AN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
For the history buffs who would appreciate a more accurate, thorough education on American history.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
OUR TIME IS NOW: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
For the activist who not only encouraged everyone on social media to register to vote, but actively wants to help voting rights for all.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
INTIMATIONS: Six Essays by Zadie Smith
For the one who needs to feel understood in their complicated emotions about the year 2020, but doesn’t want to read anything too long (it’s only six perfect essays long).
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
HOW I F*CKING DID IT: From Moving Elves to Making Over Six-Figures on the Internet and You Can Too by Jen Mann
For the aspiring writer who wants to boost their online presence and become a successful author.
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
THE WITCHES ARE COMING by Lindy West
For the feminist who sometimes finds themselves in situations with people who either just don’t get it, or ask them to explain themselves whether out of ignorance or stubborn disagreement (and hoping they won’t be able to articulate what’s up).
Gift the ebook via Kindle with this link. You can choose which date the recipient will get their gift via their regular email address.
And don’t forget: adults can enjoy books made for teens and younger, too. I know I sure do!
Affiliate links were used in this post.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
- My Bookshop store, with lists of books I’ve read and recommend, like Read in 2020, Antiracist & Social Issue Reads, Books for Kids Ages 8-13, Books for Teens: Contemporary Fiction, LGBTQIA+ Books for All Ages, Adult Romance, and others
- The Best Books I Read in 2019
- The Best Books I Read in 2018
- Following me on Goodreads
- My Let Me Start By Saying I Love Books book group on Facebook
Kim Bongiorno is a freelance writer and author who loves reading and talking about books more than most other things. Check out her books here.
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