MotherReader

I am probably much prouder of this gift idea than the idea deserves, but just look at how the silver wrapping paper sets off the gray in the scarf. Masterful!

For the Hanukkah gathering at my aunt’s house, I get gifts for six girls — including my own — and I like them to be coordinated somehow. This year I had the books ready, but not the theme. Not until I ran across the scarves in six colors at Old Navy. Honestly, I am holding myself back from buying twenty more and using this idea for everyone I know.

Here’s the gift list, in case it will help your last minute shopping.

For the college freshman: Everything You Want, by Barbara Shoup
While starting off at college, Emma’s family wins the lottery. Suddenly, with everything a possibility, the choices become too much for Emma — especially with a unresolved friendship and a new crush on the horizon. With family and identity crisis taking the forefront, money is part of the problem. Or a chance to grow up. Or both. Interesting book about finding your own way.

For the tenth grader: Angel, by Cliff McNish
Angel is darker than I usually go in my own reading, but it really gripped me and held on fast. It’s the story of a girl who is so obsessed with angels as a girl that she goes crazy. As a teen, she’s making her way back into the world, only to be confronted with a dark angel, a strange new girl, and her own ultimate destiny. A haunting book that stays with you. Take a look at the Editorial Reviews. Stunning.

For the eighth grader: Beige, by Cecil Castellucci
Nice, orderly Katy is forced to stay with her former-punk-rocker father while her mother goes on a trip. Katy, nicknamed Beige for her bland personality by a new friend, finds herself able to shed some of her self-imposed rules and insecurities as she crashes into the music scene. Fun, fresh, and well-done. Can’t go wrong with Castellucci.

For the seventh grader: Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer
Okay, this was for my daughter, who has been bugging me to get it from the library — but it’s never there. All her friends have read it. Peer pressure rules.

For the sixth grader: The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex
For an essay contest, Gratuity Tucci recounts the story of Earth’s takeover and occupation by the Boov from a personal point of view, which includes her own unlikely friendship, wild cross-country trip, and the eventual saving of mankind. Simply one of the best, funniest books ever written.

For the fourth grader: Jenny and the Cat Club, by Esther Averill
I love this classic book so very much. I gave it to my daughter with a red scarf like Jenny’s and a stuffed black cat. The gentle story follows Jenny, a shy house cat, and her adventures with the neighbor cat club. Absolutely adorable.

And in case you need an adult book, I highly recommend The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, by Eric Weiner
Part travel diary, part self-help book on happiness, and all humor, Eric Weiner takes the reader all over the world to apply the tenets of happiness. Wonderfully done, and would be a perfect gift for any adult. Strangely, it’s only available at Amazon for the paperback pre-order, so I’m linking to Barnes & Noble.

Oh, come back tomorrow for the Annual Airing of the Grievances at Festivus. The things you can’t bitch about on your site because the people involved might read it? You can bitch about it here. Tomorrow.