Holiday Gift Guide for Tweens and Teens 2009 » books

Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Adventure

Elizabeth — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:12:51 +0000

Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Novel (#8) feels ripped from the headlines, with a charity broker con artist raising millions of dollars in donations, only to invest them in a form of genetically modified wheat that has the power to release an airborne strain of virus so powerful, it can knock out an entire country in one windy day – a catastrophe so far-reaching that it would raise millions of dollars more in charitable donations, all of which would be embezzled by one man. The antidote? Alex Rider, of course, who survives gunfire, explosions, and hand-to-combat with mercenaries – just another day in the life of an average teen super-spy kid.

The Alex Rider Adventures by Anthony Horowitz have already spent over a year on the New York Times best seller list and sold 12 million copies in English alone, with sales of over 5 million in the US. This past July, Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times included the Alex Rider Adventures on his “The Best Kids’ Books Ever” list. List price is $17.99, but get it through this Amazon link for only $9.71 plus shipping!

Why Don’t Your Eyelashes Grow?

Elizabeth — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:37:53 +0000

Why Don’t Your Eyelashes Grow?: Curious Questions Kids Ask About the Human Body by Beth Ann Ditkoff M.D. is filled with fun trivia and answers to questions kids sometimes ask about their bodies, like what their Adam’s Apple is for and why ears are filled with earwax. There’s also an “Urban Myth” section that covers typical parental warnings like whether it’s really bad to crack your knuckles or if you’ll actually see better if you eat carrots.

Ditkoff wrote this book with the help of her two daughters, and explains in the introduction that these are also questions she gets from her patients as well as family and friends. At only $5.98, this is a great stocking stuffer for kids who like trivia books.

For Tween Girls-Scarlett & Crimson Book Series

Elizabeth — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:47:06 +0000

Scarlett and Crimson are 13 year old best friends who see the world differently than other girls their age. They love the color black; their favorite time is nighttime; and their favorite mood is DARQ – which they define on their website as ‘a way of looking at the world and making sense of it from the inside out’. These girls hold confidence, individuality, love, respect, and friendship at the top of their priority lists. A 16-book series already popular in the U.K., the first three books in the Scarlett & Crimson series have come to the U.S. and are available from Simon & Schuster. Learn more about the world of Darq at http://www.scarlettandcrimson.com, buy the books from Simon & Schuster’s website for$6.99 each.