The fun continues today with more fabulous recommendations for holiday giving from authors we know and love! If you’re stumped on what to give your favorite kidlit reader, here are some suggestions from Kristin Clark Venuti, Greg Leitich Smith, and Lauren Baratz-Logsted!
We were already fans of Kristin Clark Venuti before she graced us with her presence this November, but 
after meeting the woman behind Leaving the Bellweathers, I think I can speak for all of BookKids when I say we’re in love! Not only is she a hysterically funny author, but she plays some mad-crazy ukulele. Come in and pick up a copy of her book, and check out some of her recommended titles as well!
Kristin’s faves for the holidays:
My favorite eight-year-old is receiving the first book in the Klise sisters‘ 43 Old 
Cemetery Road series, Dying to Meet You. Full of bad puns, ghostly capers (of the friendly sort – not the terrifying-Poltergeist-movie sort) and charming illustrations, it’s the perfect gift for any kid with a wacky sense of humor. The story is told in the form of letters, sketches and newspaper articles, so it’s a quick, yet satisfying read.
I was thrilled to discover that Tomi Ungerer’s Moon Man was recently re-released. The copy I have from my childhood is tattered and I am sorry to say, scribbled on. (I was THAT kind of a kid.) I picked up two copies of this now-retro — but always enchanting — picture book. One is for my favorite five-year-old, because I know he’ll enjoy the story of the Moon Man’s visit to earth, and his adventures among the strange and sometimes hostile people he meets here. The other copy is for me, so that I can once again enjoy Ungerer’s inky, dark, yet vibrant illustrations – without having to look at my own early attempts to write a book on those pages.
Finally, my favorite twelve-year-old guy is receiving Allen Zadoff’s Food, Girls and Other Things I Can’t Have. I could go on and on about what a great book I think this is. It’s funny, and although it has a message, it’s not one I feel clubbed over the head by. This tale of a kid who is the second fattest in his high school (which is evidently worse than being the fattest) is the closest thing to Judy Blume for guys that I can think of. Just don’t tell them that – they might not go for it. Zadoff’s book isn’t just for guys, though. Girls will be intrigued by the boy’s-eye view of the teen social hierarchy. Did I mention that it’s funny?
Greg Leitch Smith is one of our favorite Austinites. His most recent contribution to kidlit is a story in one of
our favorite books of the year, Geektastic, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castelucci. If you can find a copy of his middle grade novel Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo, it comes highly recommended. Greg’s blog is a great source of book reviews and kidlit news, so be sure to check it out.
Here are Greg’s ideas for your holiday shopping list:
For middle-graders & tweens:
The Floating Circus by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. Owen’s adventures on an 1850s circus boat as he tries to find his brother. Poignant and hopeful.
Antsy Does Time, by Neal Shusterman. How much is a month of your life worth? Antsy (first seen in The Schwa Was Here) is back, and this time is trying to deal with the terminal illness of a friend. But all is not what it appears in this funny sequel. 
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R.L. Lafevers. Theodosia is back, trying to save her museum in Edwardian museum from Egyptian curses. A fun fantasy with a strong girl protagonist.
For young adults:
Squashed by Joan Bauer. Her first and one of her funniest. Competitions, nefarious deeds, and big giant vegetables.
The Pricker Boy by Reade Scott Whinnem
What is really going amidst the forest of thorns? An intense, creepy tale that’s sort of Stephen King meets On Golden Pond. (Longer review here.)
Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill
How to beat a deal with the devil. And, really, is your soul worth a classic Cadillac Biarritz? (Longer review here.)
Lauren Baratz-Logsted is a prolific author with plenty of fabulous books to her name. Most recently she released a magic-free retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Crazy Beautiful, which captured my heart
instantaneously. Her Sisters 8 series, written with her husband, Greg Logsted, and her daghter, Jackie Logsted, is a fun, exciting early chapter book series. I’m thrilled to have Lauren’s favorite gift-giving books on our blog today!
Here are Lauren’s suggestions:
Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe. I’m giving this, my favorite YA book of 2009, to teens.From the jacket:
No matter how many times Kyle rewrites the scene, he can’t get it right. He tries it in the style of Hitchcock, Tarantino, Eastwood, all of his favorite directors—but regardless of the style, he can’t remember what happened that day in the shed. The day Jason died. And until he can, there is one question that keeps haunting Kyle: Did he kill his best friend on purpose?
My take:
This is just an amazing book about the choices we make and how lives can change in an instant as a result. It’s also an intensely moving exploration of the long road back from tragedy to redemption.
Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted. I’ll be giving this one to all middle grade readers.
From the jacket:
Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has never lived in one place longer than a few weeks, and has never attended a regular school. Growing up on the run with his father, an undercover agent for the CIA, Cody has traveled the entire globe; he speaks five languages, and he has two black belts. What Cody isn’t prepared for is…junior high.
When the danger surrounding Cody’s dad heats up, Cody is sent to stay with the aunt he’s never known, Jenny, in her small Connecticut suburb. Cody has no idea how to fit in with other kids, how to handle his first crush, or how to make it through a day of classes.
As Cody struggles to adapt to the one thing he’s never experienced — a normal life — he starts to fear that his father’s world has followed him and no one he loves is safe. Greg Logsted weaves together action, humor, and heart, building to a surprising revelation about what Cody has always believed to be true.
My take:
Yes, the author is my husband, but if I can’t tell you how wonderful his writing is, who can? Besides, it’s not just me. In fact, this exciting and fun book, which has received far too little notice, has been praised everywhere from School Library Journal to PBS Kids as being an ideal book to draw in reluctant readers. And isn’t getting kids to read something we all want?
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