10+ Fun (& Magical) Christmas Books for Your Tweens & Teens
Christmas books for teens are a lot harder to find than books for younger kids. This list will bring some magic to the older crowd.
Walk into any bookstore, and you can walk out with more Christmas storybooks than you can read in a season. But finding Christmas books for teens who are too cool for cutesy holiday stuff?
As a mom, I want to keep that holiday magic going for my big kids. But, boy, does it get harder the older they get. While I tried to keep holiday romance out of these picks, it’s part of the storyline a few times, too. And I’m stretching the definition of a book just a bit in one of these. (Keep reading to find out why.)
Of course, the classics like Gift of the Magi and Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol are classics for a reason. Read them if you want! But there are so many other great books to read this holiday season.
(Don’t forget to use the library extension for your browser before you start shopping for books.)
But first. The Christmas rules.
There are two rules in our homeschool each December.
1. All regular school-time reading gets set aside & Christmas books get picked up. A couple of wooden crates house our Christmas books, which makes it easy to stack as a bookshelf & store away come January.
2. Anything can be read, just as long as it’s Christmas-themed—the catalogs that come in the mail, their favorite picture books, and even Christmas cookbooks.
(Mama, I haven’t forgotten you! Scroll through this list, of course, and check out this one created just for you.
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Books to Read Together
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Oh, the Herdmans. This pack of rough & tumble kids will make even the biggest Grinch crack a smile. By the end of the book, they’ll teach you more about the real spirit of Christmas than nearly any other Christmas story.
Our Christmas tradition for this book is to start it on the way to church on the first Sunday of Advent and each Sunday afterward. It’s not a Biblical story in any traditional sense, but it does take place in a church. And, so, the tradition was born.
While the print version is excellent (and a quick read), the audiobook is absolutely worth grabbing from your library or Audible. It’s one of our very favorite audiobooks ever.
A Christmas Story
From the publisher: “The holiday film A Christmas Story, first released in 1983, has become a bona fide Christmas perennial…Here is young Ralphie Parker’s shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father’s pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; and, most crucially, Ralphie’s unstoppable campaign to get Santa—or anyone else—to give him a Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid”?
Tinsel Tales
Okay, Tinsel Tales aren’t technically books. Rather, they’re a collection of short stories from the radio, more specifically, NPR. The stories range from informational to hilarious family stories to poignant, heartwarming stories.
Since they are radio stories, they are written to quickly engage the listener — perfect for teens who are reluctant to pull out their earbuds! Their short duration makes them great to listen to while you’re out running errands.
When we don’t have another Christmas audiobook going, Tinsel Tales is my big kids’ choice, year after year. With three volumes, you can keep them going all season long. While we used to stream them from NPR’s site for free, I finally purchased them several years back.
Christmas Books for Middle Schoolers to Read Alone
Green Glasshouse
From the publisher: “It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and 12-year-old Milo, the innkeeper’s adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing.
But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon, Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house…”
(This is book #1 in a series of 5 books.)
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
From the publisher: “The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It’s practically another member of the family.
So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are.
And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home.”
(This is book #1 out of 7. Many more if your young teen enjoys this one.)
Bounce
Groundhog’s Day meets Christmas Day in this delightful story.
From the publisher: “Seventh grader Frannie Hudson wonders what it would be like to trade in her family for a new one. Her big brother ignores her. Her mean older sister can’t stand her. And her parents have just announced they’re going on a last-minute vacation – without her.
When Frannie makes one desperate, crazy wish – BOOM! – she magically bounces into a whole new life with a totally different family. And. It. Is. Amazing! There’s only one catch…”
The Girl Who Ruined Christmas
From the publisher: “In this festive tale, imagine being a tween who accidentally destroys a small town’s beloved Christmas tree—the very one destined for the White House!
That’s exactly what happens to Brady Bancroft, who suddenly finds herself the most unpopular kid in Harper Hollow Falls. To make up for her mistake, Brady is sentenced to stay in the Christmas-obsessed town for the entire month of December. At first, she’s miserable, but as the days go by, she begins to uncover the hidden charms of Harper Hollow Falls….”
Christmas Books for High School Teens to Read Alone
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
Did you watch this Netflix series back in 2020? Having watched it first and then read the books, I actually liked the TV series more. Seeing New York City at Christmas, the snow, bookshops, and new love? I’m a sucker!
From the publisher: “Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges.
What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook, and they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?”
If your teen enjoys the first book in the series, good news! There are three books in the series — Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily, and Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily. My favorite was the Book of Dares.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
From the publisher: “Christmas Eve and the Lee family’s reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.
When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man…”
Scrooge & the Many (Many!) Versions
There are dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of versions of Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol. Between movies, books, stage shows & radio shows, you could watch five every year of your life & I don’t think you’d get through them. (Doubt me? Check out this Wikipedia list — and it isn’t exhaustive!)
These three each spin the Christmas story we all know so well.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase
From the publisher: “On Christmas Eve five years ago, seventeen-year-old Holly Chase was visited by three Ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn’t. And then she died.
Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge—as their latest Ghost of Christmas Past. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable. But this year’s Scrooge is different. This year’s Scrooge might change everything…”
Mr. Timothy
From the publisher: “In Mr. Timothy, we meet a very different Tiny Tim—now all grown up and far from the saintly child we remember. It’s Christmas, and Timothy Cratchit has just buried his father while trying to shake off the shadows of his past and break free from “Uncle” Ebenezer’s financial grip.
Living in a brothel (where he trades reading lessons for rent), Timothy spends his nights scavenging the Thames for treasures among the dead. But his gritty life takes a chilling turn when he stumbles upon the branded bodies of two young girls…”
(As of October 2024, Mr. Timothy is free on Kindle Unlimited.)
Marley
From the publisher: “In Jon Clinch’s novel Marley, the notorious Jacob Marley, best known as Scrooge’s ghostly partner in A Christmas Carol, takes center stage. But here, Marley is very much alive, and his journey from a cunning boy to a ruthless businessman unfolds.
Marley and Scrooge’s dark friendship begins at Professor Drabb’s Academy, where Marley corrupts young Scrooge with lessons in extortion. As they grow, so does their shared ambition, leading them to build a fortune rooted in deception and the shadowy slave trade of London.”
Pick ’em Up & Put ’em Down:
Christmas Books to Read All Season Long
If your Christmas season is a busy one, it may be challenging to sit down and read for very long. A short story, though, might be the perfect length. These books have standalone stories, so your teen can read one every day or two throughout the Christmas season.
My True Love Gave to Me: 12 Holiday Stories
From the publisher: “If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or Kwanzaa, there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.”
Horrible Histories: Horrible Christmas
The Horrible Histories videos have long been a favorite among my boys. So when I saw this book, I knew I had to get it.
In typical Horrible Histories style, this book is a mixture of trivia, jokes & songs, all told in the way that only Horrible Histories can.
Not only is it easy to browse through all season long, but it’s easy to pull out year after year.
Letters from Father Christmas
J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t just delight us (the larger audience) with his magical writing; he also wrote magical stories for his children.
Every year, “Father Christmas” would send the Tolkien children beautifully written & designed letters. They regaled tales of life at the North Pole, the creatures that lived there, like the Polar Bear & the goblins.
Spanning 23 years, these yearly letters are quick reads and have beautiful illustrations — do yourselves a favor and get the hardcopy or read it digitally on a color device.
Christmas Graphic Novels
My youngest loves a good graphic novel. The illustrations keep his attention in a way that most regular books don’t. (Just as I had to do with audiobooks, I had to get over my idea that graphic novels aren’t “real” books.
Reindeer Boy
From the publisher: “Quincy has the same dream every year on Christmas Eve – of finding a little boy holding a special gift for her under the tree – and every Christmas morning, she’s awoken to find a gift wrapped in tinfoil with her name on it…
When school resumes after the winter break, Quincy’s class discovers they have an unusual new transfer student named Cupid. Ridiculously cute and friendly, the new boy has everyone both enamored and confused. Those antlers can’t be real…can they?? With Cupid having seemingly set his sights on Quincy, it seems she’ll be having a memorable year indeed!”
(As of October 2024, this book is currently free on Kindle Unlimited.)
Batman: Noel
From the publisher: “Inspired by Charles Dickens’ immortal classic A Christmas Carol, BATMAN: NOEL features different interpretations of The Dark Knight, along with his enemies and allies, in different eras.
Along the way, Batman must come to terms with his past, present, and future as he battles villains from the campy 1960s to the dark and brooding menaces of today while exploring what it means to be the hero that he is. Members of Batman’s supporting cast enact roles analogous to those from A Christmas Carol.”
Why Bookshop.org?
Half-Price Books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon. They just can’t compete with the feeling of walking into a local bookstore. Their prices may be better, but the experiences just don’t compare.
Shopping on Bookshop.org is the next best thing. You get the convenience of shopping online while supporting your favorite independent bookstores.
When you shop on Bookshop.org, you choose your favorite bookstore & a portion of your purchase goes straight to that little shop that sets aside books they know your kiddos will love, always has quirky & interesting books up front, and the smell that only a bookstore can provide.
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