Are you looking for Christmas gift ideas for middle school kids (ages 10ish -14)? Here are a three book ideas that my 12-year-old enjoyed tremendously this year:
The Green Ember: this series of four books (The Green Ember, Ember Falls, Ember Rising, and Ember’s End) follows a group of valiant rabbits as they fight for their freedom against an evil empire of wolves and raptors. The story follows a line of rabbit rulers as they labor in a world dominated by slavery, but they are motivated by the “hope of the mended wood.” It is hard to give more of a plot overview than that without spoilers, and spoilers would ruin this series because so much of it hinges on suspense driven by unexpected twists in the plot.
My 12-year old plays soccer, and most of the team was hooked on this series, eagerly waiting for the fourth book’s release a few months ago. I read them out-loud to my seven and ten-year-olds, who were both hooked (although parts of the third book were too scary for the seven-year-old). There are battles, betrayals, flying rabbits, and tales of bravery in the face of tyranny. I strongly recommend this series.
Amazon says that the set of four books is not available until January, but you can buy each title individually. You can also buy them from the author’s website here (there are other books in the Natalia universe, so make sure you select the “Green Ember Series 4 book combo”—and not “the starter pack”—otherwise you‘ll end up only giving half of the story!)
The Wilderking Series: This is a series of three books that follow a boy named Aiden as his life is turned upside down when his island nation is invaded. I’ve blogged on this series before, where I described it as “Narnia for 1 Samuel, or How to Train Your Dragon but with a Christian world-view.” Similar to the “Green Ember” series, a typical 12-year-old could read this on his/her own, but younger kids would love having it read out-loud. This series is a few years old (the final book came out in 2014), but has a timeless feel to it.
Like the Green Ember Series, Amazon does not sell a set of all three books, but you can order each one individually.
Echo Island: Jared Wilson, who is affiliated with Spurgeon College as an “author in residence,” recently released a captivating mystery novel. Four high schoolers return from a camping trip to find their home town abandoned. They rule out the rapture, but not much else is off the table. This book reminded me of a more realistic version of Frank Peretti—and I mean that as a compliment!—mixed with Stephen King. It is suspenseful, and despite foreshadowing, it is genuinely surprising. I gave this as a gift to a few middle schoolers I know, and they have already finished it and loved it. It is for a slightly older audience than the first two series above. Most eighth graders would love it, but some more advanced sixth graders might as well.
Do you have any other suggestions for books for this age group? If so, let me know in the comments…preferably before shipping deadlines for Christmas!