One of my favorite projects is picking out books for my nieces and nephews for Christmas each year.  I have conversations with my husband about the kids and what they’re into lately (soccer, theater, Halo, art, wilderness, princesses, philosophy).  I talk to my own kids about their cousins.  I have email conversations with some of my sisters about what books their little kids have already read, and I scroll back through my own favorite reads of the year.

The ideal book is a perfect match for the niece’s or nephew’s time of life and personality, a surprise, and something he or she hasn’t discovered yet.

At risk of giving away my surprises, (my nieces and nephews have far better things to do than keep tabs on my blog, but in case they see this, I’m keeping recipients vague), here are the titles my husband and I are giving this year.  If you’re looking for gift ideas, too, maybe one will strike you.
And no, I don’t send them my own books for Christmas.  Where would be the fun in that?

For the college-aged and teens:

Genn Albin, Crewel

Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone

Kate Burak, Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things

Trish Doller, Something Like Normal

David Levithan, Every Day

Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Marie Rutkoski, The Shadow Society

Neal Shusterman, Unwholly

Dan Wells, Partials

For the little ones, ages 2-9:

David A. Carter, Builder Bugs

Ian Falconer, Olivia and the Fairy Princess

Tommy Greenwald and J.P. Coovert, Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading

Irene Latham, Don’t Feed the Boy

Barbara Lehman, The Red Book

Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted

George MacDonald, The Light Princess

Ray Marshall and Wilson Swain, The Castaway Pirates, A Pop-up Tale

Mo Willems, Knuffle Bunny