5 BOOK PICKS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Recommendations from Dana Polk, Director of the Chelsea Public Library_____________________________________
This is a busy month for all of us, but make sure to carve out a few minutes daily to read! Dana Polk, the director of Chelsea Public Library, picked five books that will enhance the holiday season for all ages. Christmas cookies, being naughty, Christmas pageants, Christmas ghosts, and a chance to rewrite the past – what will you read next? Stop by the library and check these and other books out!
Naughty Claudine’s Christmas
by Patrick Jennings (Goodreads Author), Suzanne Kaufman (Illustrations) | Children’s Book
Claudine doesn’t think Santa should be allowed to just barge into her house––that’s not polite at all! The only way to keep him out? Get on his Naughty List. If you think about it, Santa is a pretty rude guy. He watches you while you sleep. He withholds presents if he decides you weren’t good this year. And he sneaks into your house! Uninvited! Claudine wants none of it––she is determined to keep Santa away from her house this Christmas! And the only way to do it? Be as naughty as possible. Too bad Claudine’s actually a pretty good kid at heart. This out-of-the-ordinary perspective on the beloved holiday figure will have kids rolling with laughter, while letting them know that it’s okay to have an opinion different from the norm!
A World of Cookies for Santa: Follow Santa’s Tasty Trip Around the World
by M.E. Furman, Susan Gal (Illustrations) | Children’s Book
A World of Cookies for Santa takes readers across the globe to see all the treats that await Santa on Christmas Eve. Head to the Philippines, where children leave out puto seko cookies and ginger tea for Santa; jet to Russia for a honey-spice cookie; then set out for Malawi for a sweet potato cookie! When you’ve returned home, the journey’s still not over—M.E. Furman provides recipes for children to bake some of Santa’s cookies for themselves.
A World of Cookies for Santa is a multicultural celebration that families will return to year after year.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson | Children’s Book
Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.” The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds and six rowdy kids.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase
Contributor(s): Cynthia Hand (Author) | Young Adult
Before I Fall meets “bah, humbug” in this contemporary YA reimagining of A Christmas Carol from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand. On Christmas Eve five years ago, 17-year-old Holly Chase was visited by three Ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn’t. And then she died. Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge––as their latest Ghost of Christmas Past. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable. But this year’s Scrooge is different. This year’s Scrooge might change everything. The Afterlife of Holly Chase is a witty, poignant, and insightful novel about life, love, and seizing second (or third) chances, perfect for readers who loved Before I Fall or Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares.
The Noel Diary: A Novel
by Richard Paul Evans | Fiction
In this new holiday-themed novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mistletoe Promise and The Walk, a man receives the best Christmas present he could ask for: the chance to re-write the past.
