Parents’ book guide

Christmas books for kids

Stories for the holidays, and new books to give, for ages 6–14.

The best Christmas books for 6–14 year olds include A Boy Called Christmas, The Christmas Pig and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. For a gift, a new book in a series they already love is hard to beat: this year that’s Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time or Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight.

Christmas stories

Book	Ages	In a line
A Boy Called Christmas, Matt Haig	8–12	How a boy called Nikolas became Father Christmas. Funny, a little sad, and good to read aloud.
The Christmas Pig, J.K. Rowling	8–12	A boy and a toy pig go into the Land of the Lost on Christmas Eve to find his favourite toy.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson	8–12	The worst-behaved family in town take over the church nativity play. Short and very funny.
Rover Saves Christmas, Roddy Doyle	See its guide	Rudolph is ill, and Rover the dog steps in. Silly and fast.

Rover Saves Christmas has its own age and content guide.

New books to give this Christmas

Book	Ages
Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time (Dog Man 15)	7+
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight (Wimpy Kid 21)	8–12
Camp Half-Blood: The Wild Zone, from the world of Percy Jackson	10–14
Totally True Tales from World War II, Stuart Gibbs	8–12
Codebreakers Club: Solve the Mystery of the Missing Math Trophy	9–12
Earth Tales: Folklore about India’s Nature, Wildlife and Environment	8+

Dates and more new books: New children’s books, out now and coming soon.

A gift tip

The first book of a series makes the best gift, because it gives them a next book to ask for. More ideas: Book gifts for kids.

Questions parents ask

What is a good Christmas book for a 10 year old?

A Boy Called Christmas, The Christmas Pig and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are all for ages 8–12. For a gift, a new book in a series they love works well too.

What are the new kids’ books for Christmas 2026?

The big ones are Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time (out 3 November), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight (20 October) and Camp Half-Blood: The Wild Zone (29 September).

Books that make good gifts

Each starts a series or is a favourite children come back to.

Ages 7–9
Rover Saves Christmas
by Roddy Doyle
On Christmas Eve, Rudolph has a cold, and Santa needs a stand-in fast. Rover the dog and the Mack children step in for a very unusual night of deliveries. Invites children to talk about helping out and their own family traditions.
Age & content guide Get book
Ages 9–14
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling
After living a miserable life with his uncaring aunt and uncle, Harry Potter discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is actually a wizard. He is whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns spells, plays Quidditch, and discovers the warmth of true friendship. Encourages gentle, guided conversations about challenging feelings and experiences.
Age & content guide Get book
Ages 6–11
Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White
On a peaceful farm, a runt piglet named Wilbur is spared from slaughter and finds an extraordinary friend in Charlotte, a wise and caring barn spider. When Wilbur's life is threatened again, Charlotte uses her clever web-spinning to convince the farmers he is too special to lose. Invites older readers to reflect on compassion, courage, and resilience.
Age & content guide Get book
Ages 6–11
The BFG
by Roald Dahl
When young Sophie is snatched from her orphanage bed by a twenty-four-foot giant, she expects to be eaten. Instead, she discovers he is the Big Friendly Giant, a gentle soul who collects sweet dreams and blows them into children's bedrooms. A lovely invitation to stretch the imagination and dream up new worlds.
Age & content guide Get book
Ages 9–14
Wonder
by R.J. Palacio
Ten-year-old August Pullman was born with severe facial differences that kept him out of mainstream school—until now. Entering fifth grade at Beecher Prep, Auggie wants nothing more than to be treated like an ordinary kid, but his new classmates struggle to look past his appearance. Encourages gentle, guided conversations about challenging feelings and experiences.
Age & content guide Get book
Ages 9–11
The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
When Roz the robot opens her eyes for the first time, she finds herself alone on a remote, rugged island. To survive harsh weather and suspicious wildlife, she must observe her surroundings and learn to communicate with the local animals. Her life changes completely when she unexpectedly becomes the adoptive mother to an orphaned gosling. This gentle, engaging survival story explores family, kindness, and community through short, illustrated chapters that keep young readers hooked.
Age & content guide Get book

Find their next favourite book

Get seven free picks based on your child’s age, interests and reading preferences, with a printable list on WhatsApp.

Get my child’s free book list

A story worth talking about

Want a reading companion for your child? In a free 1:1 session, a trained Bookbuddy reads and discusses a story with them, with space for their own ideas.

Ages 6–14 · 60 minutes · Online

Try a free 1:1 session

No payment details needed to book.

Sources and scope

Publisher information and samples introduce the books. The reading prompts are suggestions to try together. Check the exact edition and your child’s comfort before choosing.

Love books yourself? Get paid to read with kids as a Bookbuddy

Christmas stories

Book	Ages	In a line
A Boy Called Christmas, Matt Haig	8–12	How a boy called Nikolas became Father Christmas. Funny, a little sad, and good to read aloud.
The Christmas Pig, J.K. Rowling	8–12	A boy and a toy pig go into the Land of the Lost on Christmas Eve to find his favourite toy.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson	8–12	The worst-behaved family in town take over the church nativity play. Short and very funny.
Rover Saves Christmas, Roddy Doyle	See its guide	Rudolph is ill, and Rover the dog steps in. Silly and fast.

Rover Saves Christmas has its own age and content guide.

New books to give this Christmas

Book	Ages
Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time (Dog Man 15)	7+
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight (Wimpy Kid 21)	8–12
Camp Half-Blood: The Wild Zone, from the world of Percy Jackson	10–14
Totally True Tales from World War II, Stuart Gibbs	8–12
Codebreakers Club: Solve the Mystery of the Missing Math Trophy	9–12
Earth Tales: Folklore about India’s Nature, Wildlife and Environment	8+

Questions parents ask

What is a good Christmas book for a 10 year old?

A Boy Called Christmas, The Christmas Pig and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are all for ages 8–12. For a gift, a new book in a series they love works well too.

What are the new kids’ books for Christmas 2026?

The big ones are Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time (out 3 November), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight (20 October) and Camp Half-Blood: The Wild Zone (29 September).

Books that make good gifts

Each starts a series or is a favourite children come back to.

Ages 7–9

Rover Saves Christmas

by Roddy Doyle

On Christmas Eve, Rudolph has a cold, and Santa needs a stand-in fast. Rover the dog and the Mack children step in for a very unusual night of deliveries. Invites children to talk about helping out and their own family traditions.

Age & content guide Get book

Ages 9–14

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

by J.K. Rowling

After living a miserable life with his uncaring aunt and uncle, Harry Potter discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is actually a wizard. He is whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns spells, plays Quidditch, and discovers the warmth of true friendship. Encourages gentle, guided conversations about challenging feelings and experiences.

Age & content guide Get book

Ages 6–11

Charlotte's Web

by E.B. White

On a peaceful farm, a runt piglet named Wilbur is spared from slaughter and finds an extraordinary friend in Charlotte, a wise and caring barn spider. When Wilbur's life is threatened again, Charlotte uses her clever web-spinning to convince the farmers he is too special to lose. Invites older readers to reflect on compassion, courage, and resilience.

Age & content guide Get book

Ages 6–11

The BFG

by Roald Dahl

When young Sophie is snatched from her orphanage bed by a twenty-four-foot giant, she expects to be eaten. Instead, she discovers he is the Big Friendly Giant, a gentle soul who collects sweet dreams and blows them into children's bedrooms. A lovely invitation to stretch the imagination and dream up new worlds.

Age & content guide Get book

Ages 9–14

Wonder

by R.J. Palacio

Ten-year-old August Pullman was born with severe facial differences that kept him out of mainstream school—until now. Entering fifth grade at Beecher Prep, Auggie wants nothing more than to be treated like an ordinary kid, but his new classmates struggle to look past his appearance. Encourages gentle, guided conversations about challenging feelings and experiences.

Age & content guide Get book

Ages 9–11

The Wild Robot

by Peter Brown

When Roz the robot opens her eyes for the first time, she finds herself alone on a remote, rugged island. To survive harsh weather and suspicious wildlife, she must observe her surroundings and learn to communicate with the local animals. Her life changes completely when she unexpectedly becomes the adoptive mother to an orphaned gosling. This gentle, engaging survival story explores family, kindness, and community through short, illustrated chapters that keep young readers hooked.

Age & content guide Get book