Best Christmas Books for Teens and Middle Schoolers
20 minutes a day! That has been browbeaten into me ever since I was pregnant. I loved it when they were small. But at this busy time of year, it can be tough to carve out even 20 minutes. That’s why I loved doing a Christmas book advent calendar.
When they’re little, it’s easy to read one book a day to them. Now that they’re older, their age-appropriate books take longer than 20 minutes to read.
Still, with sports in full swing and darker nights, the daily reading schedule often goes out the window. A good book or Christmas book for teens can help keep them engaged.
I have a middle schooler and one in high school. We may even stray away from reading Christmas books and into things like Mad Libs and Would You Rather. But you know what? Both of those options still encourage language skills.
Christmas Book Advent Calendar
Have you heard of the trend of a Christmas book advent calendar? I love the idea! It will be such a great memory for your kids, it encourages literacy, and it’s something to do together rather than just a gift.
I just received a new Scholastic book order from my son’s school, so now is the time to look at those $1 books that they sell. If you don’t want to invest in 24 or 25 books right now, you can always do 5 days this year, 10 days next year, and so on.
It’s not about getting a gift each day, it’s about spending time reading each day. Admittedly, this is a tradition that is harder to do as they get older.
- Haig, Matt (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 320 Pages - 10/16/2018 (Publication Date) - Yearling (Publisher)
I also go to used book sales to help with this task. Even when you have 24 or 25 books for a Christmas advent calendar, you may want to update them. As kids grow, they may feel that some of the books are too babyish for a teenage or middle schooler.
- Black, Eldritch (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 246 Pages - 11/17/2016 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
Best Christmas Books for Teens
These books were picked using bestseller lists and teacher recommendation lists.
- Audible Audiobook
- Jack Canfield (Author) - Jean Barrett (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 05/28/2013 (Publication Date) - Audible Studios (Publisher)
All of these links should be clickable. I double-checked all of them (for this update) and they all were working.
- Daly, Lindsey (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 128 Pages - 09/06/2022 (Publication Date) - Z Kids (Publisher)
- Emmons, Abbie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 218 Pages - 11/01/2021 (Publication Date) - Abbie Emmons (Publisher)
Christmas Books for Upper Elementary Students
If your child isn’t quite ready for chapter books, some of these options may work for them.
- Hardcover Book
- Robert Barry (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages - 10/17/2000 (Publication Date) - Doubleday Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
- Moore, Kevin (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 110 Pages - 07/09/2016 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
- Olivia Helps with Christmas by Ian Falconer-Hardback $14.90, Board Book $7.19, Kindle $6.83
- Why We Give Gifts at Christmas Time by Corine Hyman-Paperback $10.34, Kindle $4.99
- Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh-Hardcover $12.02, Kindle $3.99
- Jokester, Jake (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 108 Pages - 10/25/2019 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
- Downing, Sara (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 111 Pages - 10/28/2020 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
Christmas books for Teens and Tweens
- The Christmas Quiet Book: Deborah Underwood–Hardcover $10.33
- A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens–Hardcover $8.96
- Christmas Fun Mad Libs–Paperback only $3.59
Here are the best-selling books for Tweens and Teens on Amazon right now.
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