Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for People Who Love Nancy Drew
If you’ve got a reader who’s always ready for an excuse to hang with the gang from River Heights, one of these gifts might be a fun addition to your holiday wish list.
We think there's no better holiday gift than a good book. But sometimes you want to kick it up a notch, so we've put together a few fun gift lists based around some of our favorite books and authors.
There’s no mystery Nancy Drew can’t solve — except the mystery of how she manages to stay perfectly coiffed and totally calm in even the stickiest situations. I grew up with the intrepid girl detective, and she’s still the coolest teenage investigator I know. If you’ve got a reader who’s always ready for an excuse to hang with the gang from River Heights, one of these gifts might be a fun addition to your holiday wish list.
Juniper Books has this fabulous Nancy Drew boxed set with Nancy’s distinctive silhouette emblazoned across the spines. It’s not cheap, but it’s a great bookshelf addition for long-time Nancy Drew fans.
The Official Nancy Drew Handbook: Skills, Tips, and Life Lessons from Everyone's Favorite Girl Detective is a love letter to the sleuth who had girl power to spare decades before girl power was even a thing. It’s a fun guide to unleashing your inner Nancy.
Wear your love for Nancy Drew on your wrist with an adorable charm bracelet just jingling with nostalgia, including a sporty blue convertible, a flashlight, and a stylish trench. I kind of want one of these for myself.
Store your treasures in a hollow copy of The Mystery of the Glowing Eye. It’s exactly the kind of hidden treasure you’d expect Nancy to uncover in a mysterious library she’s somehow discovered at the end of a secret passage.
These Nancy Drew paper dolls feature outfits from some classic Nancy Drew mysteries, including The Secret at Shadow Ranch and (my fave) The Clue of the Velvet Mask.
Every Nancy Drew fan needs a Mystery Solver patch. (Wouldn’t it be fun to make a Girl Scout-style checklist of Nancy Drew-esque activities to complete to earn your patch?)
The Nancy Drew computer games are surprisingly challenging. You play Nancy in a mystery story that could be taken from one of the classic books: You must solve puzzles, piece together clues, and follow mysterious noises into dangerous situations to get to the root of the mystery in these addictive computer games.
When Nancy’s between mysteries, she keeps her detection skills sharp putting together jigsaw puzzles. This 1,000-piece puzzle includes all the classic Nancy Drew book covers.
If you’re a crafty gift-giver or if you’re giving to a crafty Nancy Drew lover, you are going to want a stack of these Nancy Drew-inspired Get a Clue fabric squares. How cool are they?
This amazing Nancy Drew scarf contains the first 30,000 words of the very first Nancy Drew classic The Secret of the Old Clock.
Every aspiring detective needs a flashlight and a magnifying glass for investigations — this LED magnifier gives you the best of both worlds. For bonus points, stash it in an upcycled purse made from a vintage Nancy Drew book.
Nancy used her fabulous homemade blondies to sweet-talk a little information from someone more than once, so a batch of brown butter-hazelnut blondies seems like the perfect foodie present for a Nancy Drew fanatic.
Add this t-shirt — inspired by the original cover of The Secret of the Old Clock — to a Nancy Drew fanatic’s wardrobe, and you’ll definitely get a spot on her Nice list.
It’s not cheap or easy to track down, but if Nancy Drew hosted a board game night with George and Bess, they would definitely be playing Crack the Case: A Compelling Game of Mini-Mysteries. It’s a great critical thinking game with more than 100 mysteries to solve from the given clues.
You’ve got to stash all that sleuth stuff somewhere — why not in this stylish Nancy Drew tote bag? I think it makes a great library bag upgrade for your favorite mystery reader.
Dress up your wardrobe with this charming Nancy Drew pin. I’m not sure you could pick a lock with it, but there’s sure to be some ingenious detective girl benefit I’m just not thinking of.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Homeschool Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for People Who Love A Wrinkle in Time
Our homeschool gift guide for A Wrinkle in Time readers features gifts inspired by classic literature, from t-shirts to kitchen tools and everything in-between.
We think there's no better holiday gift than a good book. But sometimes you want to kick it up a notch, so we've put together a few fun gift lists based around some of our favorite books and authors.
Like pretty much every other nerdy girl on the planet, I have a deep, abiding love for Meg Murry, the heroine of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time who discovers that her inability to fit into her everyday world is exactly what makes her special. If you, too, have a young reader who’s fallen in love with all things L’Engle, one of these gifts—plus a copy of the imperfect but also awesome in random spots Ava Duvernay-helmed movie —might make a perfect addition to your holiday gift-giving.
Wear your love for L’Engle on your sleeve (or your lapel) with an adorable Wrinkle in Time book cover pin. (I think this might be the cover I got from my Scholastic order form back in the day.)
Obviously a lovely edition of your favorite book is always a welcome gift. The 50th anniversary edition of A Wrinkle in Time is really gorgeous, whether you opt for the hardback or a paperback version. Or, if your obsession with the Murrays is new, consider the Time Quintet collection, which includes A Wrinkle in Time, plus the loose sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time.
Another great book option: A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel is perfectly illustrated by Hope Larson. (It’s especially fun to see how she visualized characters like Aunt Beast and the Happy Medium.)
I actually own this Wrinkle in Time book cover t-shirt and wear it on the regular. It’s the perfect fashionable way to proclaim your love for this genre-blurring sci-fi adventure.
(There’s also a “Stay angry, little Meg” version!)
A Wrinkle in Time is one of the books Andrew DeGraff maps in the gorgeous Plotted: A Literary Atlas. He maps each character’s journey with a different colored line—a process that took him 140 hours to complete. (You can get a peek at it here.) The book also has cool maps for other books, including Pride and Prejudice and Watership Down.
Warm up your late night conversations with a tin of hot chocolate. This old-fashioned sipping chocolate — you melt the chips into milk — is thick and rich. Liverwurst and tomato sandwiches optional. (Bonus points if you serve it in this heat-activated constellation mug.)
Be prepared for wherever dark and stormy nights might take you with an umbrella that maps the constellations. (You might also tuck a handy star map into a stocking — you never know when it will come in handy!)
This chemistry spice set is a nod to Mrs. Murry’s habit of cooking dinner on her Bunsen burner when she’s in the middle of an experiment that needs her steady attention.
Math-loving Meg doesn’t seem like the jewelry type, but I think she might love this math puzzle ring. (It seems easy, but it’s really not!)
We can’t guarantee that the Stormy Night Candle will lead to otherworldly adventure, but it does smell like a rainy fall evening, which is maybe almost as good.
My kids’ Funko Pop! collection didn’t even know it was missing this awesome Mrs. Which figure, but it definitely was! (Mrs. Who and Mrs. Whatsit are also available.)
Meg Murry is one of the inspiring young women featured on the Heroic Girls in Books poster — along with Omakayas from The Birchbark House and Miranda from When You Reach Me. If you’ve got a corner that needs a little awesome artwork, this is a great pick.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for People Who Love The Mysterious Benedict Society
What makes a great gift for your favorite Mysterious Benedict Society fan? Puzzling puzzles, in-case-of-emergency-supplies, and — of course — books.
We think there's no better holiday gift than a good book. But sometimes you want to kick it up a notch, so we've put together a few fun gift lists based around some of our favorite books and authors.
Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance quickly won a place in our hearts when they formed the Mysterious Benedict Society to help Nicholas Benedict save the world. Each smart in a different way, the fab four have combined their individual strengths to tackle brainwashing, kidnapping, and everything in between with impressive aplomb and puzzle-solving skills. If you’ve got a would-be member of the Society, these gifts might be a fun addition to your holiday list.
Obviously every member of the Mysterious Benedict Society has been saved at least once by Kate’s red bucket, so every Mysterious Benedict Society fan should have a red bucket of her own. For bonus points, fill yours with extra-strong magnets, a handy penlight, and a spool of fishing line.
This boxed set includes all three books in the Mysterious Benedict Society series, plus the series prequel The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict and the companion puzzle book The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict’s Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums. It's pretty much a must-have for any Benedict Society fan. (And if you haven't already read it, Trenton Lee Stewart’s new book The Secret Keepers is not about the Benedict gang, but it is a puzzle-filled, fun mystery.)
Put all your puzzle-solving skills to work with a BePuzzled mystery jigsaw puzzle. In this one, you must complete the puzzle in order to find the clues that will help you discover who committed a dinner party poisoning, but I’m also tempted by the Sherlock Holmes option.
Channel your inner Constance in a sturdy red raincoat. You may get damp while you’re saving the world, but you won’t get drenched. (The matching boots are pretty adorable, too.)
Every grouchy preschool poet needs her own rhyming dictionary. Who knows? You might be mailing out a stack of snarky thank-you poems instead of the traditional boring thank-you notes.
This groovy little kaleidoscope doesn’t double as a spyglass, but it’s still a nifty gift for your favorite Kate Wetherall fan.
Every good Mysterious Benedict Society member knows that you don’t leave home without a pencil. This one doubles as a hand-held decoder.
You can put your pencil to work solving the increasingly challenging puzzles in What Is the Name of this Book?, an addictive collection of conundrums. Similarly, Lateral Thinking Puzzlers is a fun choice for logicians who want to practice solving puzzles that require them to think outside the box.
The adventure begins for the Society because each of them reads the newspaper every day. Young fans might enjoy their own subscription to your local newspaper or a classic publication like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal.
You never know when a sling shot might come in handy. Stock this one with a set of colorful marbles, and you’ll be ready for any unexpected adventures. (This can be a dangerous gift, so it may not be the best choice for kids who are still working on impulse control!)
It’s not quite as cool as figuring out the way through the maze under Mr. Benedict’s house, but the Gravity Maze game lets you practice your problem-solving skills in a fun, hands-on way.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Homeschool Gift Guide: Books We Want to Give and Get This Year
Here’s our annual roundup of all the books we want to give and get this holiday season.
A book is my all-time favorite gift to give and get for the holidays, and picking out books for people I love is one of the holiday activities I always look forward to as we roll into the holiday season. These are the books I’m excited to give this year — plus a few I’m hoping to get myself.
For People Who Know the Past Is a Story We’re Still Writing
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
I’m always looking for the stories that SHOULD be part of Western history, and Sidi Mubarak Bombay’s is one of them. Richard Burton and Henry Morton Stanley get all the credit for “discovering” the source of the Nile, but this book shows Bombay as the clear leader of the expedition.
The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family
Sarah and Angelina Grimke were two of the best known abolitionists in the United States, and their work to end slavery gets a lot of coverage in U.S. History. But there’s a darker side to the Grimke family, which includes both Black and white members (and Charlotte Forten, whom you know I love!). This is definitely not a light, fun read, but it is fascinating.
For Your High School Friends Who Are Eying Their (Gulp!) 50s
The Nineties
I love Chuck Klosterman anyway (I used to give a copy of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs — which is apparently a steal for Cyber Monday at the time I’m publishing this — to everyone I liked!), so his book about the decade I grew up in really hit my sweet spot. Weirdly, it also made the 2020s make so much more sense.
For All the Moms Who Made It Through Covid and Then Realized Things Were Not Actually That Much Easier When There’s Not a Pandemic
Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change
For a minute during Covid, the world appreciated the working mother — by which I mean ALL mothers because the unpaid and underpaid domestic labor mostly women do holds our society together even while it doesn’t get much recognition from the world at large. Angela Garbes’ work is the acknowledgement — and the manifesto — we didn’t even know we needed.
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing
I don’t know that I’d give this kinder, gentler guide to cleaning to anyone else, but I would really like it for myself.
Present Tense Machine
Such a weird novel — nobody does weird like Norwegian authors! — but funnier and more delightful than its descriptions make it sound: When a mother misreads a word, she breaks the universe into two, with her daughter in one world and herself in the other. I want to call it a feminist creation myth.
For the People Who Feel Like Home to Me
What Is Home, Mum?
It’s no secret that I am not usually a memoir fan, but the genre-bending graphic novel is a happy exception: Sabba Khan’s deep dive into what home means and how it shapes our identity is powerful, profound, and ultimately joyful.
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things
Home is all about food, and no one makes food feel special better than Yotam Ottolenghi.
A Good Day to Bake: Simple Baking Recipes for Every Mood
Benjamina Ebuehi’s A New Way to Cake (those custard donuts!) was one of my favorite books this year; the follow-up is a must-have.
Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew
PASTRAMI AND COLLARD GREENS SPRING ROLLS, y’all.
For People Who Need a Good Book
Liberation Day: Stories
A George Saunders short story collection may be an obvious choice, but it’s too good to pass up.
Joan Is Okay
Chemistry was one of my favorite Covid book discoveries, so I am excited to unwrap this book — about a Chinese-American doctor monitoring reports of a strange new virus — myself. (Hint, hint.)
Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
Possibly the best book of the year.
For My Activist Friends
Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America
The past political decade has created a whole new crop of feminist heroes, and Dahlia Lithwick celebrates many of them in this chronicle of progressive women’s organization and efforts during the Trump administration. We did make a difference.
For the Teens I Love
You Gotta Be You: How to Embrace This Messy Life and Step Into Who You Really Are
I kinda wish Brandon Kyle Goodman (who is Black, queer, and nonbinary) had been around to talk to me about how to love myself and respect my own boundaries while still being open to the world and the people around me.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
This Korean folk tale retelling was one of my favorite books this year.
Light from Uncommon Stars
Trying to describe this book — there’s a trans violinist who plays video game music and another violinist who made a pact with a devil and a family of aliens who run a donut shop in LA — will always fall short because it’s the connections between characters and defiant hope that runs through it that make this book so amazing.
For the Tween Readers on My List
Attack of the Black Rectangles
What can kids actually do about censorship and book banning? This novel — about a 6th grade teacher who doesn’t want to talk about slavery, stolen land, or the Holocaust and “adjusts” her classroom books accordingly — suggests the answer is “a lot.”
American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South
Hookworms are scarier than zombies! This medical history of the hookworm in the 19th and 20th century South may not sound like an obvious middle school pick, but kids who like creepy and gross will dig it.
Different Kinds of Fruit
I am always looking for books about normal families who don’t fit the 1950s model, and this one is great: Annabelle worries her dad might be homophobic because of the way he treats her nonbinary friend Bailey; she learns her dad is in fact trans and gave birth to her. I love this book because it recognizes that the LGBTQ+ experience is a lot more than just a simple coming out story.
Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler
A free verse biography of Octavia Butler by Ibi Zoboi? Yes, please, and thank you very much!
For Little Readers
The Velveteen Rabbit: 100th Anniversary Edition
Erin Stead’s illustrations make this edition a lovely must-have.
Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky
This book is gorgeous, a visually stunning history of the color blue that also decenters whiteness in a series of visual surprises. It’s beautiful — if you don’t have littles to shop for, you should buy it for yourself.
The Catalogue of Hugs
Fun, silly, and sweet (the “Work from Home” hug is the stealth hug you give off to the side when you’re Zooming), this list of hugs will probably inspire some hug names in your own family.
My Brother Is Away
We don’t talk enough about incarceration, and that can make it really hard for kids to know how to talk about it when someone in their family is in prison. This book is tender and hopeful — and a great conversation starter about an important subject.
Listen to the Language of the Trees: A Story of How Forests Communicate Underground
Kids — and their grownups! — will be fascinated by this scientific deep dive into how trees communicate with each other.
Knight Owl
It’s a little owl, but he’s a knight. Come on, that’s adorable.
The More You Give
Give this book instead of The Giving Tree.
For My Theatre Nerd
Transforming Space Over Time: Set Design and Visual Storytelling with Broadway’s Legendary Directors
Who wouldn’t want a peek behind the scenes at the collaborative process of bringing a Broadway set to life?
For People I Really Love Who Really Love Poetry
Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency
Buy all the Chen Chen. You will not be sorry!
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Holiday Gift Guide: Our Favorite Homeschool Board Games
Be a magical librarian, choose your own adventure, get your Shakespeare on, and more games we want to give and get and (mostly) play this holiday season. These are our favorite homeschool board games.
Board games are an essential part of our holidays, and while we will be playing many old favorites over the break (Adventure Time Munchkin, The Battle for Hogwarts, Castle Panic, Gloom, and King of Tokyo are stacked in the middle of our dining room table right now), we’re also excited to add some new games to our collection (and to the Junior High’s game closet at Jason’s school). The games that made this list are still frequently played in our homeschool, but we’ve updated the list with some new games we can’t wait to play, too.
Trekking Through History
I’m probably not outing us as history nerds since if you read this blog, you already know that we get Very Excited about studying history. But this game, which takes players on a three-day tour of the past where the goal is to visit momentous historical events in chronological order, is definitely for people who get a little too enthusiastic about planning their history curriculum. In fact, if you’ve got some reluctant historians in your homeschool, you may want to see if this is that little boost of fun your secular history curriculum needs.
Ark Nova
My kids would have loved this zoo-building game when they were elementary age homeschoolers: Up to four players compete to acquire the most interesting animals from around the world, build enclosures, and support projects to protect animal habitats. If you have kids who want to learn everything about animals, this game can be a lot of fun.
Planted
OK, sometimes the world is a difficult place, and you just want a soothing game with low stakes and lots of eye candy. Enter Planted, a game that’s all about growing the best collection of houseplants. That’s it. That’s perfect. And if you’re like me and struggle to keep your real life houseplants alive, this game is pure wish fulfillment fantasy. (Maybe 2022 is the Year of Houseplant Board Games because I also enjoyed Verdant.)
Forgotten Waters
I love the choose-your-own-adventure vibe of Forgotten Waters: You (and two to six other players) are pirates on a mission. You each have your own goals and priorities, but you work together on the main quest. It’s lazy, open-ended gaming fun perfect for sleepy winter weekends — and if the five scenarios included with the base game start to get old, you can download a new scenario and more than 100 new events to keep things interesting.
Chameleon
If your homeschool crew loves word games like Codenames or Taboo, you may love Chameleon, too. In this game, one player becomes the Chameleon; every other player gets clued into a “secret word.” The players move around the circle, saying words that relate to the secret word, and the Chameleon has to try to blend in by making educated guesses about what the secret word is when her turn rolls around. It’s quick and fun.
Wingspan
Bird nerds: This is for you! This gorgeous bird game is all about attracting and discovering the best birds for your wildlife preserve. It's also a sneaky way to learn to identify different bird species if your homeschool is doing a birds unit study any time soon.
Get on Board
You're going to have to trust me on this: A game about building bus routes (in Manhattan or London) does not exactly sound exciting, but this little game is totally addictive. You've got objectives, both public and private, to meet, but you have to be careful not to circle back on your route at any point.
** My favorite game of 2022, though, is Cat in the Box. Yes, it's based on Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment, and yes, that's all I’m going to tell you about it. I wouldn’t want to accidentally cause any paradoxes.
Bring Your Own Book
I actually picked this up to perk up my son’s reading log — he gets bored with narrations and mini book reports, and this is a really fun way to mix things up. With a stack of books on the table, you flip through a volume to find rhymes for a rap, dating advice, tabloid headlines, and more based on the requirements of the card you’ve drawn. (It sounds dorky, but it’s a ton of fun.) We’ve enjoyed playing it as a twosome, but it’s even more fun with bigger groups.
Genius Games Cytosis: a Cell Biology Game Board
This game started out as a Kickstarter project and it’s an obvious fun addition to your biology curriculum, but you don't have to be into science to enjoy this fast-paced strategy game. You’re in charge of a human cell, so you’ve got to figure out how to create resources with your available organelles and use those resources to keep your cell healthy. It’s surprisingly addictive.
Munchkin Shakespeare Deluxe
Screw your courage to the sticking place, and get ready for this Bard-themed edition of Munchkin. We are big Munchkin fans here, so this one was a must-get for us. I am looking forward to some treachery, backstabbing, and serious punning in the weeks ahead.
Mysterium
I think I’ve had this on my wish list for a couple of years in a row, but telling me that a game plays like a mash-up of Dixit (still my number-one game recommendation for middle school literature classes!) and Clue will pretty much always have me shouting “Take my money.” And we tend to dig cooperative rather than competitive games, so this one is right up our alley.
Rock Me Archimedes
This critical thinking game is surprisingly challenging: You have to get four marbles to your end of the teeter-totter board without tipping it over.
Modern Art
Yes, please, I would like to run an art museum! I love the idea of this game — it’s a lot like those strategy city-building games, only instead of dealing in crops and fortresses, you’re buying and selling modern art. I think I’m going to DIY some cards for other modern artists and call the time we spend playing this game “art appreciation.”
Zooloretto
If you’d rather run a zoo than an art museum (see above), this is the game for you. (For some reason it’s super expensive on Amazon right now, so I would definitely wait for the price to drop again!) My kids used to play “zoo” with their Littlest Pet Shop collection, so I think they might love this one.
Bohnanza
A friend brought this game over for a party earlier this year, and I thought, “Really? Bean trading?” But oh gosh, it’s so much fun — very fast-paced and action-packed as you decide what beans to plant and where and what beans to trade with other players. This is the game my kids both put on their wish lists. Don’t let the weird art put you off trying it.
Anomia
I love word games and am always trying to get people to play with me, but I am kind of a bad winner, so it’s hard to do. This year I am pinning my hopes on this word game because my kids really, really love it when I blank on a word, and there seem to be lots of opportunities to do that. I’m also thinking of snagging an extra copy for the school.
Timeline
I promise this isn’t edutainment! It’s really fun. Players have cards depicting various historical events that they have to put — as the name suggests — into chronological order. It’s challenging —was chewing gum invented before or after the sinking of the Titanic? — but also friendly, since there are plenty of opportunities where a little reasoning and critical thinking will carry you over a card you aren’t sure about.
Sagrada
The point of this game is to create gorgeous stained glass window — which gets challenging as your windows get more and more complex because of the game’s restrictions on what pieces can and can’t go together. It’s like a beautiful puzzle that changes every time you play it.
Magic Maze
Also more complicated than it initially seems, Magic Maze lets players team up for a heist at a labyrinthine shopping mall. Each character has to nab the weapon that matches his color — the catch is that you can move every character but only in specific ways (like, you might be able to open doors or move south), and you can’t talk to the other players while the game is going. It gets pretty intense really fast.
Near and Far
If you were as hooked on Choose Your Own Adventure novels as I was, you will appreciate the fact that this game plays like a Choose Your Own Adventure story — the story is where the action happens. You and your game mates set off on adventure in the mystical land of Arzium, where you run into major choice points that will significantly affect the rest of your gameplay. It’s really fun.
Thames and Kosmos Exit : The Polar Station
Rebecca introduced me to Thames and Kosmos science kits, but apparently they have board games, too! This one hops onto the “escape room” trend — you play as a bunch of climate change researchers locked in an Arctic lab who must solve a series of coded puzzles to get out before you freeze.
Photosynthesis
I promise: This game is as fun as it is scientific — it’s not one of those learning-is-fun games that make the kids groan every tim you pull them out. You’ll need to use your critical thinking and strategic planning skills to plant, grow, and harvest your trees, and the game play is more like chess than Candyland. (I’m giving this one as a gift this year because the board and pieces are so pretty.)
Ex Libris
I feel like all I need to say about this game is that it lets you pretend you are the Grand Librarian of a magical library. I am pretty much all in for that, any time. (I would play this just for the book titles.)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love Good Omens
If you’ve got a kid who finds the humor in this hilarious apocalyptic tale, these gifts may be just the ticket.
The funniest apocalyptic novel of the 20th century pulled in plenty of new fans with its much-anticipated screen adaptation. These gifts have the same apocalyptic appeal.
Something You Need
The full-cast radio production will have you laughing out loud.
SOMETHING YOU WANT
IdealBookshelf Neil Gaiman Print
This gorgeous illustration features Gaiman’s best- loved work, including Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, and The Sandman as well as Good Omens.
Pratchett invented this surprisingly fun strategy game for the eponymous book in the Discworld series, and it’s as weird, complicated, and satisfying as the rest of Pratchett’s work. (And bonus: Pratchett wrote the user manual, which is brilliant.)
Neil Gaiman has penned some of the best-loved episodes of the Doctor Who reboot, but even if he hadn’t, it’s easy to imagine the newest reboot of The Doctor jumping into the action with Crowley and Aziraphale.
SOMETHING TO WEAR
You don’t have to understand it, you just have to wear it.
SOMETHING TO READ
You Don't Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But It Helps by Tom Holt
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones
Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China that Never Was by Barry Hughart
The Gates by John Connolly
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love The Baby-Sitters Club
Give your favorite tween the tools she needs to be a savvy business founder.
Give your favorite tween the tools she needs to be a savvy business founder.
Moonjar Classic Save Spend Share 3-Part Bank
Get your young entrepreneur started on the right financial foot with this modern piggy bank that encourages saving and giving as well as spending.
Baby-Sitters Club Book Tribute Tee
Show off your inspiration with this t-shirt that shouts out your favorite business women.
The Babysitters Club Hard Enamel Pin
Flaunt your squad on your backpack as part of your geeky pin collection. This one’s based on the original cover of Kristy’s Great Idea.
There’s no better low-tech way to keep your schedule than a classic kittens and rainbows calendar — bonus points for coordinating stickers.
Keep your clients organized with this cute and practical record keeper that’s right up Mary Anne's alley.
You’ll feel just like Claudia when you answer your cell with this old-fashioned handset in 90s brights.
The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels Collection
Raina Telegemeier's graphic novel adaptations bring the BSC into the 21st century. (Check out the charming Netflix series, too!)
For kids who are serious about turning a great idea into a business, this eight-step guide makes a tangible starting point.
Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love The Martian
Andy Weir’s science fiction has encouraged a whole new generation of readers to aim for the stars.
Andy Weir’s science fiction has encouraged a whole new generation of readers to aim for the stars.
SOMETHING YOU WANT
Once upon a time, we told time by the stars; now you can track the changes in the night sky on your watch. The glowing watch face makes the effect extra-cool for nighttime stargazing.
xkcd’s poster shows “the height you would have to climb upward in constant Earth surface gravity to spend the same amount of energy as it would take to escape the given planet completely.”
Give your lego space cre- ations a healthy boost of girl power with legos, including astronauts like Mae Jemison and engineers like Nancy Roaman (part of the set with the Hubble Space telescope).
SOMETHING YOU NEED
2020 The Year in Space Calendar
Never miss a meteor shower or moon phase.
SOMETHING TO WEAR
Don’t let a little thing like the laws of the universe keep you from your space dreams.
SOMETHING TO READ
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in Space by Mary Roach
Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love Cooking
Foodie kids will love gadgets, gear, and inspiration for their kitchen adventures.
Help grow a lifetime of great meals with these chef-themed gifts.
Foodie kids will love gadgets, gear, and inspiration for their kitchen adventures.
Something You Want
Cute Little Kittens Ceramic Measuring Bowls Set
Upgrade your measuring cup set, and young bakers may be tempted to produce more cupcakes, cookies, and bread.
Fred the Obsessive Chef Bamboo Cutting Board
Practice precise dicing, chopping, and mincing with this cutting board that features handy guiding lines.
The only thing that could make Taco Tuesdays more fun is a triceratops taco holder.
This playful Mad Libs style cookbook is perfect for kitchen improv sessions — and pretty much guarantees a non-boring dinner any weeknight.
Every month brings a new culinary adventure with these kits that provide education, tips, cooking tools, and recipes for a complete meal. (You’ll still have to go grocery shopping, though.)
Give your favorite young baker a fancy spot to display her homemade creations. It will automatically make your bake sale contributions seem like the must-buy option.
Something You Need
Opinel Le Petit 3 Piece Chef’s knife set
Because every chef needs a set of pro knives.
Something to Wear
If you’re going to cook like a pro, you want to dress like one, too.
Something to Read
All Four Stars by Tara Dairman
The World's Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops by Ryan K. Sager
The MasterChef Junior Cookbook by MasterChef Junior
The Forest Feast for Kids by Erin Gleeson
Starting from Scratch by Sarah Elton
ChopChop: The Kids' Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family by Sally Sampson
Gastro Blast: Make Tasty Treats & Learn Great Science by Amanda McNeice
Gift Ideas for Readers Who Love The Way Things Work
Inspire STEM-minded learners with gifts that encourage them to experiment, assemble, and create.
Inspire STEM-minded learners with gifts that encourage them to experiment, assemble, and create.
If you’ve got a kid who’s inspired by The Way Things Work and who loves taking things apart and putting them back together, these hands-on gifts will keep them busy.
SOMETHING YOU WANT
Thames and Kosmos Physics Workshop
With the 64-page manual and 300 building pieces, you can make windmills, two-speed cranes, pinball games, sail-powered cards, hammering machines and more. And that’s just with the manual!
Electro Dough Kit
Genius: If salt conducts electricity, why not salt- based play dough? Kids as young as 4 can mold working race cars and robots out of play dough, then use a mobile app to control their creations.
CanaKit
Put computer power right into your kids’ hands by letting them construct their own working computer running Raspberry Pi 4. This box of parts turns into a usable computer that you can then use to design your own programs.
SOMETHING YOU NEED
Leatherman Charge TTi
This multi-tool means you’re always ready for a little hands-on investigation.
SOMETHING TO WEAR
Forget Lab Safety, I Want Super Powers T-shirt
Wear your passion for lab science on your t-shirt.
SOMETHING TO READ
The Frank Einstein series by Jon Scieszka
Engineer Academy by Steve Martin and Nastia Sleptsova
Rosie Revere's Big Project Book for Bold Engineers by Andrea Beaty
The Nick and Tesla Mystery series by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith
The Secret Coders series by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes
This gift guide was originally published in the fall 2018 issue of HSL.
Gift Ideas for Readers Who Love Raina Telgemeier
Graphic novels that really get it inspire a shopping list of playful presents.
Graphic novels that really get it inspire a shopping list of playful presents.
If your tween is obsessed with Raina Telgemeier’s smart, witty graphic novels, these Telgemeier-inspired presents will probably be a hit, too. (We’re Amazon associates — see the sidebar on the right for details — so if you make a purchase through these links we may receive a small commission. Prices noted were correct at time of publication but may change at any time.)
Umbra Hangit Photo Display ($20)
Keep your mind open with an easy-to-change photo arrangement that lets you keep what’s inspiring you right in front of you.
The Raina Telgemeier Collection ($43)
If you don't already have a Telgemeier collection on your shelf, this set — which includes Smile, Sisters, Ghosts, and Drama — will get you started.
Raina’s Mini Posters ($13)
These posters — chosen by Telgemeier herself — include favorite scenes from Telgemeier’s books.
Set of Permanent Fabric Markers ($24)
Wrap these with a pair of white Converse, and give your favorite artist permission to get creative.
Small Letter Board ($12)
Make a statement with this fun magnet letter board that lets you share whatever message matters to you.
Mini Instant Camera ($72)
You’ll always be ready to capture the moment with a super-cute mini instant camera.
Anglerfish Reading Light ($16)
Staying up late with a good book is more fun when you have a kawaii fish to keep you company.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Homeschool Gift Guide: Books We Want to Give and Get
All the books we want to give and get in 2019.
All the books we want to give and get in 2019.
You probably already know that I am a little obsessed with books and book-themed holiday presents. (See here, here, and here. Oh, and also here.) We follow the minimalist-ish tradition of giving “something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read” for our family gifts, and the “something to read” is always my favorite part of shopping. I can’t buy all the books for my own family, so here’s a roundup of fabulous titles for many ages and interests.
For Map Lovers
Who knew airline maps could be so cool? This book collects one hundred years of flight routes, from gloriously rendered bird’s-eye views of journeys to sleekly graphic trajectories. It’s a treasure trove for travelers and map lovers.
For Space Lovers
The “100 objects” conceit may be a little trite at this point, but this quirky pop culture history of space exploration is a fun last hurrah to the genre. From a 15th century B.C.E. bronze star disk to the Event Horizon Telescope, the objects in this book reflect the evolution of human understanding of our place in the universe.
For Book-Obsessed People with Blank Walls
I’d hang these postcards of Penguin Classics covers everywhere.
For Your Friend Who Loves the Classics With a Twist
Winterson doubly reimagines Frankenstein — the genesis of the classic romantic novel and the story itself — in this weird and hilarious novel that explores gender constructions, artificial intelligence, and the nature of love. It’s definitely a book for people who like books, but that’s most of the people on my list these days. (This is what I’ll be reading over the holidays!)
For People Who Can’t Get Enough Dickens
Maybe it’s all the Victorian history I read last year, but this historical fiction about Charles Field’s (the real-life inspiration for Dickens’s Inspector Bucket) attempts to unravel the plot behind an attempt to assassinate Queen Victoria is at the top of my holiday reading wish list. (With bonus Karl Marx!)
For Grown-Up Fans of The Westing Game
Suzanne had me at “Westing Game for grown-ups,” and this book doesn’t disappoint: 30-something Tuesday has never totally recovered from the disappearance of her best friend when she was 16, but she realizes that she’s forged a new family-of-friends as she embarks on a challenge set by a recently deceased millionaire obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe and the supernatural.
For People Who Love Think-y Science Fiction
This complex story takes place along two timelines: In one, Nedda is 12 years old, realizing that her father has been conducting a strange experiment to extend her childhood; in the other, grown-up Nedda is part of the crew of the Chawla on a mission to try to save the future of humanity. The two threads tangle together, merging past, present, and the heartbreaking power of human connection in surprising ways.
For Short Story Lovers
This collection is equal parts cautionary tale and dazzling celebration of possibility — which seems about right for speculative fiction about the future of the United States. With stories from writers including N.K. Jemisin (my current writer crush!), Justina Ireland, Charlie Jane Anders, Catherynne Valente (Suzanne’s writer crush!) and Charles Yu, this collection is all over the place — but in the most interesting ways. (“Calendar Girls” would be great to read with The Handmaid’s Tale.)
For Poets and Lovers
Caldecott-winner Brian Selznick provides an artistic backdrop for twelve of Walt Whitman’s most passionate poems in this dreamy, dazzling collection.
For People Who Love Words
Our newest poet laureate here in the States sings of connection to the past and the joys of a land of plenty, a tune that reverberates with the persistent anger and loss that shaped generations of Native American experience. Harjo confronts both her personal stories and tribal histories in this powerhouse collection that should really be on everyone’s shelves.
For History Lovers
I feel like I’ve been looking for this book for a long time: Yes, let’s look at slavery, we absolutely must confront that part of our past, but let’s not reduce the experiences of Black people in U.S. history to the experiences of enslaved people — because there’s a lot more to the story. Historian Proenza-Coles shines a light on men and women of color who “were central to the founding of the Americas, the establishment of New World nations, the dismantling of slavery, and the rise of freedom in the Americas.”
For Somebody’s First (or Fiftieth!) Hanukkah
“In the small blue room there was a bubbala, and a little shmatta, and then—oy vey!—came the whole mishpacha!” This riff on Good Night Moon is full of playful Yiddish vocabulary and tells a story of a Hanukkah celebration where whispering “hush” is secondary to dancing and noshing.
For Your Winter Solstice Shelf
This dreamy little book based on a poem by Newbery medalist Susan Cooper and gorgeously illustrated by the amazing Carson Ellis follows the solstice from its mythical past to its modern day present. It’s warm and hopeful and full of much-needed light.
For Lovers of Beautiful Books
You can judge this book by its cover: There is no bad copy of the subversive fairy tale Howl’s Moving Castle, but this extravagantly rendered version from the Folio Society is just plain spectacular. (Hint, hint, Jason! :))
For Doctor Who Fans
Ted Chiang considers the material consequences of time travel in this elegant collection of short stories, each of which poses — and explores — a specific philosophical question connected to time travel.
For People Who Are Serious about Television
If you, too, watch television through a series of critical lenses and find yourself digging into an episode of The Good Place the same way you’d dig into Moby Dick, you will appreciate Nussbaum’s essay collection about the wonderful and surprisingly rich world of modern television.
For People Who Appreciate Food for Thought
From “reality” television to scammer culture, Telentino unflinchingly examines the lies we tell ourselves and the selves we project for other people — and how the Internet has changed the ways in which we do both of those things.
For Your Friend Who Is Obsessed with True Crime Podcasts
What is it about real-life murders that makes them feel like must-see TV? Monroe answers the question by presenting four women whose lives were shaped by prime time murders as touchpoints for a bigger conversation about darkness, power, and finding our place in the world. (I’m actually a little creeped out by the whole true crime genre, but I found this book fascinating, so it may also be a good gift for your friend who doesn’t get your obsession with true crime podcasts!)
For People Who Still Can’t Get Enough Hamilton
Historian Atkinson kicks off his new trilogy about the American Revolution with a close-up look at the conflict’s early years, from 1775 to 1777. Hamilton lurks in the background, but Atkinson’s takes on Washington (not an ounce of cockiness in him) and Benedict Arnold (a valiant hero) make this a worthy companion to the musical.
For Kids Who Love History
Wow, this graphic novel hit all my sweet spots: In this alternate history (which you’ll quickly pick up is set during the childhood and succession of Queen Elizabeth I), a young girl’s life on an island of nuns is upended when a deposed queen comes to stay at the convent. It’s the lovingly detailed historical nuance (all the different kinds of stitches!) that makes this novel shine.
For Kids Who Need a New Series
Rick Riordan's imprint has been a series of near-misses for me, but Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a solid hit. Taking its cue from West African mythology and African-American folk tales, the book focuses on a boy who discovers his powers as a Storyteller when he accidentally tears a hole into the world of legendary heroes that he must join the fight to save. I’m already counting down the days until the next installment.
For Teens Who Need a Judy Blume-ish Book about Love
Laura Dean is the worst girlfriend, and Freddy knows it — but what can you do when you’re really in love? Freddy navigates the complex waters of almost-grown-up relationships with help from her diverse group of friends and community in this graphic novel about the jagged edges of love.
For Someone Who Needs a Fluffy Book for a Flight
This retelling of Pride and Prejudice is set in Toronto’s Indian-Muslim community, and while it tackles some modern-day concerns, it’s pure Austen romance at its heart.
For People Just Getting into Probability
This is definitely an introductory exploration of probability — but it’s such a fun one! I especially love how it explains probability in everyday terms, like how we can be sure about climate change while never really being sure about what the weather will be like tomorrow.
For Creative Tweens
Telgemeier’s books are delightful, but this interactive journal encourages kids to remember that they have great stories to tell, too.
For People Who Need a Reminder that Every Day Matters
I’m so in love with everything about this book, so bias alert: Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gene Weingarten picked a date — December 28, 1986 — out of a hat and proceeded to turn his investigative efforts toward ferreting out the ordinary stories of people’s lives on that date — and how unordinary so many of them turned out to be. With bonus 80s nostalgia!
For Your New-to-Cooking Kid
Once you've mastered the cooking basics and want to feed other people, this cookbook is just the ticket. It’s officially part of my new Welcome to College Box.
For the Windmill-Tilters
Rushie's satirical genius illuminates this modern-day version of Don Quixote, which follows a traveling salesman determined on a quest (with his imaginary son) to prove himself worthy of his at-first-sight love.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Holiday Gift Guide: Something to Wear
As I’ve said before, we follow the “something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read” guide for holiday giving, and nerdy t-shirts are our favorites for something to wear. All of these witty tees made my short list this year.
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As I’ve said before, we follow the “something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read” guide for holiday giving, and nerdy t-shirts are our favorites for something to wear. All of these witty tees made my short list this year.
If you’ve got a reader who’s always ready for an excuse to hang with the gang from River Heights, one of these gifts might be a fun addition to your holiday wish list.