The Snarf Holiday Gift Guide
Merry Snarf-day to you and to all a good snarf
Hello Snarfs,
It being the season, I thought I would take a week to look back at some of my favorite series I’ve reviewed with guidance on what sort of gift certain series would be good for. (Okay, I ended up listing nearly every series I’ve reviewed, but at least they’re organized into categories!) Each one is linked to its longer review in the archives.
Enjoy!
The Best
Let’s start with the series that go a level above your charming, well-written chapter books. I’d be comfortable recommending these to just about anyone old enough to handle them.
The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes
These are two masterfully told stories with a third on the way. It’s a thought experiment about a robot in the wild that quickly turns into a touching and gripping narrative. There is some amount of death — most of which happens offstage — so beware of that for more sensitive readers.
Start with the first one — the second will be much richer if you go in order.
There may be some recency bias here, but the Growly books are great. I’ve only reviewed the first, but we’re midway through the third now and what I said for that largely holds true: These are touching, carefully paced stories. It gets almost comical how warm and loving every character is, but there is enough in the stories to keep them tense and dramatic.
Again, start with book one (“Begin”). These require more patience than some books — the type where crazy stuff is happening in the first chapter and you’re in a dragon battle by chapter three — but if you can get through 30ish pages of setup, you’ll be on your way.
Great series with female leads
All of these are great options for anyone in the market for 10ish chapter chapter books. There are almost no bad guys in any of them (and where they pop up, there is usually at least the suggestion of redemption instead of bad guys who are bad forever).
Zoey solves magical creature issues using the scientific method. Experimentation and persistence are themes throughout and all of the characters are pretty fun.
The Questioneers (except for the Iggy Peck book, but his two best friends are both girls)
These ambitious books take on civic engagement in a way that goes beyond the standard messages that kids get. The characters are good-natured and resilient, but these also get into topics like voting and historical preservation.
They also go an extra step on diversity. There is good racial/ethnic representation, but there are also disabled and gay characters, who are simply part of the story like anyone else.
Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue
These are a lot of fun, beautifully illustrated and perfect for any kid who loves cats. Cat lovers should also check out Jenny and the Cat Club.
The Magical Animal Adoption Agency
These are great for anyone who loves animals or mythical creatures. They also have a different plot arc from your standard chapter book with lots of medium-weight subplots. They center on a caring and competent but inexperienced girl taking care of a bunch of magical creatures, mostly by herself. I like these a lot and wish there were more of them.
Dreamy tails in the Peter Pan world with more weight than you might expect from a story about friends in fairyland.
Action Required
Here are a few selections for kids that want quick action. Plenty of mixed feelings on these, so read the reviews for details, but these can be great for getting kids excited about books that are a step up from picture books. Lots of boy protagonists and dragons here.
There are all kinds of giant plot holes in these, but they’re not the kind that kids tend to care about.
It can take most of a book for kids to get the hang of these, but they go quick and mysteries are almost inherently engaging. These are fun with likable characters, but do require tolerance for crime-based stories (usually robberies).
These are really good at entertaining kids. Apologies to parents that end up having to plough through a dozen or more. They have their moments, and they go pretty fast.
Just reread what the blurb for Dragon Masters. This series has a broader range of magical creatures and a more prominent female character, but was often a less satisfying read than Dragon Masters.
Not yet mentioned, but still great
These blend real and imaginary as well as any book out there, and they are about as funny for the grownups as the kids.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
These books are nutty, inventive, and quietly subversive. Two quick warnings: there is lots of name-calling in all of them and a succession of mean teachers in the third one (“Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger”). Still, they’re all pretty fun, and the second one, I realize in retrospect, had a huge creative impact on me.
Small town mayhem centered around a much-loved pig. The Mercy Watson books are full of big smiley pictures and can appeal to pretty young ages, while the companion chapter book series, “Tales from Deckawoo Drive” are more contemplative with a more muted aesthetic, while still being driven by big characters.
A random and delightful tale from a Monty Python writer. It gets a little confusing at times, but is a rollicking good time if you can manage to find a copy.
Graphic Novels
In ascending levels of intensity: Bird and Squirrel, Poptropica, Hilda.
That’s also ascending levels of quality, but Hilda will be too intense for some kids. Poptropica has some violence too, so be aware of that. These all have something to offer, though for the grownups involved it will take the longest to find that something in Bird and Squirrel, which is the most slapstick-driven.
For older kids
These books are bananas, but a great fit for kids who can take in at least some of the nuance. They handle some big real-world issues like immigration and natural resource extraction, while mixing in some lesser-known mythological creatures.
Masterfully told stories by someone who has used her immense public platform to promote transphobia. We still read them, and the books largely hold up, but I won’t fault you for passing on these. I get more into all of that in the review. Here’s the review of the second book.
Also, The Wild Robot and Hilda are both good options here.
Happy holidays! I’ll be traveling for the next two weeks and might not get around to another post until January. In case I don’t, I recommend taking a moment to appreciate the winter solstice on Wednesday the 21st. Every day for six months after will be a little brighter than the last.