December 2025 Book Recommendations
Fantasy, Daring Bets, and a Plane Crash!
Happy December! I am currently living out all my literary dreams with a visit to England, including a visit to the house that inspired Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley. I always love browsing bookstores while I’m in the UK, especially when it means I discover British authors that I may not know about back in the States. I look forward to sharing what I find in upcoming newsletters!
My goal is simple: Provide book recommendations you can trust so your 8-12-year-old reader can find their next right book. So, if you are looking for specific book recommendations for the 8-12-year-old reader in your life, let me know in the comments, and I’d love to help out! (Seriously, it makes me so happy to use my detailed database to find books for YOU!)
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Book Scavenger
(Mystery) Emily’s family has moved to San Francisco, which is great news because her literary idol lives in San Francisco. But when Garrison Griswold is attacked it leaves his Book Scavenger game at risk, so Emily and her friend James set out to try and save the game. Will they be able to do it in time or will they be the next victims of the attacker?
Get it from Amazon
The Button War
(Historical Fiction) This book will forever stand out in my mind as the book that changed one of my 4th graders reading trajectories. I recommended this book to him and it was like a flip switched and even as an 8th grader, his mom credited the switch to this book. Set in Poland during World War I, this is the story of the boys in one war-torn village who are determined to prove themselves with a simple dare that spins disastrously out of control.
Get it from Amazon
The Dream Weaver
(Realistic Fiction) Zoey’s whole world gets turned upside down when her dad announces that he’s moving to NYC for a job and Zoey is not coming along. She’ll stay in New Jersey with her Poppy, which means spending time at the bowling alley Poppy has owned longer than Zoey’s been alive. But the bowling alley is in danger of closing, so Zoey sets out to try and save the bowling alley. Will her efforts be enough to prevent the business from closing?
Get it from Amazon
Lost in the Pacific, 1942
(Narrative Nonfiction) A true story of survival during World War II. As a B-17 bomber flies high over the Pacific Ocean things go wrong and after using up the last of their fuel they have only one choice, an emergency landing at sea. If they survive the impact of the bomber hitting the water, they’ll be stranded at sea without food or water on their inflatable rafts. What will it take to make it back alive?
Get it from Amazon
Tilly and the Bookwanderers
(Fantasy) Since I’m in the UK I thought it was only fitting to include a British author in this month’s list! Everything seems normal in Tilly’s life above her grandparent’s bookshop, until one day she realizes that classic children’s characters are appearing in the shop, right out of the pages of their books. With the help of some of these characters, Tilly sets out to find out why her mother disappeared when Tilly was young. But will this quest put Tilly in danger?
Get it from Amazon
The War With Grandpa
(Classic, Intergenerational) If you have grandparents visiting for the holidays, this is a great book for kids to read with their grandparents! Peter’s grandfather has moved in and taken over his room. Peter’s pretty sure the only way to get his room back is to declare war on his grandfather! Will they be able to find peace or will the war drag on?
Get it from Amazon
If you’d like additional recommendations, you can look back at newsletters from previous months HERE.
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