Christmas Books

These are books about Christmas or that take place at Christmas. Some of them are parts of series.

General Fiction

Christmas Break

Katie’s parents let the other girls join them on their ski vacation over Christmas break, but things go wrong when Katie wants to try a slope that too difficult and convinces Erin to join her. Part of the Camp Sunnyside Friends series.

Crazy Christmas

When Aviva’s father arranges a trip to New York for himself, his girlfriend, and Aviva, Aviva invites her friend Josh along. Josh is almost part of the family already. Part of the Aviva Granger series.

December Secrets

A sort of “Secret Santa” style project among the kids in Ms. Rooney’s class teaches Emily to be a more thoughtful person. She also learns some surprising things about about some of her classmates. Part of the The Kids of the Polk Street School series.

Merry Christmas from Eddie (1986)

The adventures of neighborhood children, leading up to Christmas. One of the Betsy and Eddie books by Haywood.

Rosy Noses, Freezing Toes (1990)

Mrs. Peters’s antique vase disappears, and the kids prepare to earn their music badges before Christmas. Sonny is distressed that his mother is forcing him to learn to play the violin. Part of the Pee Wee Scouts series.

Who’s Afraid of Haggerty House?

After having a fight with her friends, a girl makes friends with a lonely old woman who lives in a house that is supposedly haunted. Part of the Kelly McCoy Series.

Humor

Amelia Bedelia and the Christmas List (2003)

Part of the Amelia Bedelia Series.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The Herdmans, the worst kids in town, unexpectedly show up at Sunday school (mostly to raid the snacks) and become interested in the Christmas pageant. What will happen when the Herdmans decide that they want the starring roles? Part of The Herdmans Series.

Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia

Amelia helps Mr. and Mrs. Rogers get ready for Christmas while they go to pick up Aunt Myra, who will be spending the holiday with them. Part of the Amelia Bedelia Series.

My Crazy Cousin Courtney Comes Back

Cathy goes to visit Courtney in California. This book is mostly for fun, and Courtney teaches Cathy that sometimes life does have happy endings. A California Christmas! Part of the Crazy Cousin Courtney Series.

Mystery

Aunt Eater’s Mystery Christmas (1995)

Part of the Aunt Eater series.

The Christmas Tree Mystery (1969)

Shortly before Christmas, someone steals the ornaments off a family’s Christmas tree. By Wylly Folk St. John.

Ginnie and the Mystery Light (1973)

Ginnie is spending Christmas in South Carolina with a friend, but she keeps seeing strange lights at night. Who, or what, is causing them? Part of the Ginnie and Geneva series.

The Mysterious Christmas Shell (1961)

Two children search for the documents that will prove that land once owned by their family does not belong to a developer at Christmas. By Eleanor Cameron.

The Mystery in Arizona

Trixie and the other Bob-Whites discover a series of mysteries while visiting Di’s uncle on his ranch in Arizona. Part of the Trixie Belden series.

The Mystery of the Golden Reindeer (2000)

The three cousins are going Christmas shopping at the department store downtown when they find a mystery involving a lookalike.

Mystery of the Melted Diamonds (1986)

While spending the winter in Kansas, Kipper and his cousin Larry investigate the theft of diamonds from a local jewelry store. Part of the Kipper and Larry mystery series.

Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas (1996)

Part of the Nate the Great series.

Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf (1999)

Sammy is supposed to be watching a prize-winning dog, but the dog is dog-napped during a Christmas parade. Part of the Sammy Keyes series.

Secrets in the Attic (1991)

Jodie returns to her home town around Christmas, determined to prove that her deceased father didn’t steal his client’s money before he died. By Carol Beach York.

Historical Fiction

The Christmas Doll (2000)

A pair of young orphans in Victorian London and a very special doll lead to marvelous changes in this touching Christmas story. By Elvira Woodruff.

The House Without a Christmas Tree (1974)

In 1946, ten-year-old Addie decides that she wants to have a Christmas tree for Christmas, which her father has forbidden since Addie’s mother died years before. Although he initially resists her efforts to get a Christmas tree, he comes to realize how important it is to her, and it helps him to finally make peace with his wife’s death. Part of the Addie Mills Series.

The Hidden Message (1990)

Papa Nordstrom takes a temporary job at a lumber camp that will keep him away from home for a couple of months. While he’s gone, the children take on more responsibilities and worry what might happen if something goes wrong while Papa is away. Then, strange things start happening, and Kate finds a mysterious note. Part of the Adventures in the Northwoods.

The Light at Tern Rock (1951)

A boy and his aunt agree to tend a lighthouse temporarily while the usual keeper takes a vacation. When the keeper breaks his promise to be back by Christmas, it leads to some revelations about the keeper’s life and the meaning of Christmas and family. By Julia L. Sauer.

Little House in the Big Woods (1932)

Charles and Caroline Ingalls live with their three daughters Mary, Laura, and little Carrie on a little farm in rural Wisconsin. The book takes place in different seasons, but one of the major scenes is at Christmas.

Two Are Better Than One (1968)

Two imaginative girls growing up in early 1900s Idaho write a story about a pair of dolls that changes their lives. The story takes place over a period of months, but it’s framed around Christmas. By Carol Ryrie Brink.

Series

American Girls Books

A collection of different series of books, each focusing on a girl from a different period of American history. Most of the series in the collection have a Christmas story.

Fantasy

Angels Don’t Know Karate (1996)

Is the new karate instructor really a guardian angel? She always seems to be there at the right time to save people. Part of the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series.

The Box of Delights (1935)

The sequel to The Midnight Folk. A Christmas story. By John Masefield.

The Children of Green Knowe (1954)

Toseland, called Tolly, comes to Green Knowe to spend Christmas with his great-grandmother, learning more about the history of his family and interacting with the spirits of some of his ancestors.

Christmas in Camelot (2009)

Jack and Annie are invited to Camelot on Christmas Eve. Part of The Magic Tree House Series. By Mary Pope Osborne.

Elves Don’t Wear Hard Hats (1995)

Liza thinks that the construction workers building the new playground at school may be Santa’s elves. Part of the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series.

The Fairy Doll (1956)

A young girl builds self-confidence with the help of a special doll. By Rumer Godden.

A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time

Part of The Magic Tree House Series. By Mary Pope Osborne.

Magic Elizabeth (1966)

When Sally goes to stay with an aunt she’s never met before, she finds a portrait of a young girl who looks very much like her wearing old-fashioned clothes and holding a doll. This young girl, also named Sally, used to live in her aunt’s house many years ago, and Sally begins to have visions of her life there and how she lost her beloved doll, Elizabeth, who is a little bit magic and is still in the house, waiting to be found. Part mystery, part fantasy. In the past, the doll disappeared on Christmas, after being placed on the Christmas tree.

Mrs. Claus Doesn’t Climb Telephone Poles (2002)

An unusual woman is helping to repair wires in Bailey City after a blizzard. Part of the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series.

Mrs. Jeepers’ Creepy Christmas (2007)

Under the influence of the new library volunteer, Grandpa Vamps, Eddie suddenly becomes interested in reading. His friends wonder if his newfound interest could be because he’s under the spell of a vampire. Part of the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series.

Santa Claus Doesn’t Mop Floors (1991)

Mr. Jolly, the new janitor at school, shows up shortly before Christmas, and the kids suspect that he might really be Santa Claus. Part of the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series.

Shadow Over Mousehaven Manor (1989)

Minabell Mouse is looking forward to her aunt visiting for Christmas when she gets word that her aunt is very sick. Minabell hurries to go to her, not knowing that she’s heading into danger. By Mary DeBall Kwitz.

The Story of Holly and Ivy (1959)

A doll longs for a home and a little girl for Christmas, while a young orphan girl longs for a home and someone to care for her for Christmas. When the orphan takes matters into her own hands, Christmas ends happily for both of them. By Rumor Godden.

Scary

Christmas ghost stories didn’t just start with Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, although the custom was particularly popular during the Victorian era, when Dickens was writing. The tradition is actually older than that. It’s partly because, in places where it snows, families would spend the long winter evenings gathered around their fireplace, so it was almost a campfire type atmosphere, and that tends to bring out ghost stories. Christmas also falls around the Winter Solstice – the shortest day and longest night of the year – and one of the folk beliefs about that is that the spirits of the dead may be more able to cross over the living at that time, a holdover from pre-Christian traditions. I’ve also heard an explanation that Christmas is a safe time to tell ghost stories because the holiness of the day means that no malevolent spirits can come to harm the living, but I’ve seen fewer sources to back that up, so I’m not sure about how popular that idea was. The custom of telling ghost stories isn’t as popular in the United States as it was in England because we also celebrate Halloween just a couple of months before Christmas, so most people consider the time for ghost stories to be over before Christmas comes, but there are people who would like to see the tradition revived. If you would like to add some spookiness to your holiday, you might try these books.

Mirror of Danger (1973, 1974)

Orphaned Lucy goes to live with her cousins at Christmas and is befriended by a Victorian ghost with malevolent intentions. Alternate title: Come Back, Lucy. By Pamela Sykes.

Picture Books

An Early American Christmas (1987)

Not all Christian groups in the early United States celebrated Christmas. In this book, one family shares their German Christmas traditions with their new neighbors. By Tomie dePaola.

The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll (2007)

A set of sisters receive a doll at Christmas. One girl wants to keep the doll all to herself, but she comes to realize that even having the best doll in the world isn’t much fun when you’re playing alone. By Patricia McKissack.

You can watch a reading of this book online through YouTube.

Apple Tree Christmas (1984)

A farm family loses their apple tree during a terrible storm, but they manage to turn the remains of the tree into special Christmas presents. By Trinka Hakes Noble.

Arthur’s Christmas (1984)

Arthur wants to think of a special present to leave for Santa. Part of the Arthur Adventure series. By Marc Brown.

The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree (1980)

The Bigest Most Beautiful Christmas Tree

Part of the Berenstain Bears series.

The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear (1984)

Part of the Berenstain Bears series.

The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree (1985)

The chipmunk children are disappointed because Santa has trouble finding their house among the other trees in the forest, so the animals decide to turn their home into a big, decorated Christmas tree. A Little Golden Book.

Christmas Farm (2008)

A woman decides to start a Christmas tree farm with some help from a neighbor boy. By Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Barry Root.

Christmas Trolls (1993)

Some mischievous trolls steal a family’s Christmas decorations until young Treva teaches them how to celebrate Christmas themselves. By Jan Brett.

Clifford’s Christmas (1984)

Clifford the Big Red Dog and Emily Elizabeth celebrate Christmas and meet Santa Claus.

The Clown of God (1978)

A legendary Italian juggler becomes famous, but in his old age, when he has been forgotten, gives the best performance of his life for the Christ Child. By Tomie dePaola.

Corduroy’s Christmas (1992)

Corduroy gets ready for Christmas. A lift-the-flap book. By B.G. Hennessy.

Corduroy’s Christmas Surprise (2000)

Corduroy learns that friendship is more important at Christmas than presents.

Cranberry Christmas

Mr. Whiskers’s neighbor tries to claim ownership of the pond between their houses, keeping skaters away while Mr. Whiskers struggles to prove that the pond is actually his. Meanwhile, Mr. Whiskers’s sister is trying to convince him to come live with her. Part of the Cranberry Books series.

The Gift of the Christmas Cookie (2008)

A boy during the Great Depression learns about the origins of Christmas cookies and a lesson in generosity. By Dandi Daley Mackall, illustrated by Deborah Chabrian.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957)

By Dr. Seuss.

The Legend of Old Befana (1980)

An old woman is given the chance to accompany the Wise Men to see the Christ Child, but she is late leaving. An Italian Christmas folktale. By Tomie dePaola.

The Legend of the Christmas Rose (1999)

A young shepherd girl wants to give a gift to baby Jesus. When she has nothing to bring, an angel gives her a special flower. By William H. Hooks, paintings by Richard A. Williams.

The Little Fir Tree (1954, 2005)

A small fir tree is chosen to be a living Christmas tree for a little boy who cannot walk. By Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Jim Lamarche.

Madeline’s Christmas (1985)

When everyone else is sick, Madeline has to take care of the school.

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (1963)

When Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree arrives, he realizes that it’s too tall for his parlor. The obvious solution is to cut the top off the tree, but that creates the perfect Christmas tree for someone else … and several others! By Robert Barry.

The Night Before Christmas (1949)

A Little Golden Book version of the classic Christmas poem.

Noel (2005)

This lovely Christmas picture book reads like a Christmas carol with beautiful art and poetry about the Christmas season. By Tony Johnston, art by Cheng-Khee Chee.

The Nutcracker (1816, 1987)

A young girl receives a magical nutcracker for Christmas and learns how to break the spell that has changed him from a human prince. By E.T.A. Hoffmann, retold by Anthea Bell.

The Polar Express (1985)

A boy rides a magical train on Christmas Eve and goes to the North Pole to meet Santa and receive the first gift of Christmas.

The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy (1985)

A puppy wants a boy of his own for Christmas and sets out to find one, finding a very special home with more boys than he dreamed! Reprint of a book from 1958 with different illustrations.

Starlight in Tourrone

Children in a small village in France revive an old Christmas tradition that brings life back to their town.

The Tiny Angel (1994)

A little girl is given a special charm to encourage her as she nervously takes a lead role in the Christmas pageant. Came with angel charm. One of the Magic Charm Books.

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree (1988)

Ruthie and her mother wait for her father to return home from WWI, wondering if he will make it in time for Christmas. By Gloria Houston, pictures by Barbara Cooney.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1992)

A girl who wants to know whether or not there is a Santa Claus writes a letter to the editor. By Francis Pharcellus Church.