Here on the Peninsula and in the Bay Area, we have some amazing local authors who are writing for all ages. So this holiday season, consider these gems – from interactive picture books to murder mysteries – from authors who might live just down the street.
For the wee ones:
“Alphabot” by Vicky Fang, MIT Kids Press, $14.99.
This super fun and informative flip book allows kids – and adults! – to make their own robots while learning what all the different robotics terms mean.
“How this Book Got Red” by Margaret Chiu Greanias, Sourcebooks, $18.99.
A beautiful story about inclusion and visibility. A red panda notices that all the panda books don’t have anyone who looks like her in them – and she decides she can’t let that stand.
For the early readers:
“The Apartment House on Poppy Hill” by Nina LaCour, Chronicle Books, $14.99.
Absolutely delightful chapter book about Ella, who is the expert new tenant greeter of her apartment house in San Francisco, and all the shenanigans she and her neighbors get into. It’s full of joy and heart, and shows us the world as it could be and sometimes even is. This one is for the kids who have just finished up “Mercy Watson” and “Tales of Deckawoo Drive” and are ready for their next adventure.
“Reggie: Kid Penguin” by Jen de Oliveira, Little Brown Ink, $7.99.
Super-fun early graphic novel about the trials and tribulations of being a young kid, as told through the eyes of Reggie. Children will see their experiences reflected back to them and adults will giggle their way through memories from their own childhood and their children’s (I know I appreciated the story about Reggie cutting his own feathers before picture day a little bit more after my nephew’s adventures with the scissors last month) This one is for the kids who are starting to read on their own.
For middle grade readers:
“Hope in the Valley” by Mitali Perkins, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), $17.99.
In National Book Award nominee Mitali Perkins’ middle grade debut, we meet Pandita, who isn’t quite ready to grow up and confront what that means. Set in what will become Silicon Valley in 1980, kids will see their own worries and wants in the pages of a book that is technically historical fiction as they walk with Pandita while she grapples with grief, hope, and the growing housing insecurity of her town. This book is for the kid who loves realistic and/or historical fiction and anyone who wants to be reminded that there’s always a hand to hold when you’re standing up for what’s right.
“Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind” by Misa Sugiura, Labyrinth Road, $18.99.
Momo is having a totally normal day when suddenly she’s attacked by a death hag and rescued by a talking fox. Things get less normal for poor Momo from there, especially when she learns that this is all happening because her mother is a banished Shinto goddess and now Momo and her ex-best friend and the talking fox need to save the world. This book is for the kid who loves mythology, fantastical adventures, and imperfect girls who are also heroes. And probably also foxes.
For the graphic novel fans:
“Super Boba Cafe” by Nidhi Chanani, Amulet Paperbacks, $16.99.
Aria is staying in San Francisco for the summer with her Nainai, helping to run her boba shop and take care of her cat, Bao (and all of Bao’s surprise kittens) when she discovers that her grandma and the prairie dogs in the backyard have been helping keep the city safe from a monster for decades. This one is perfect for kids who are a little serious but also love adventure. And cats. Must love cats.
“Adventuregame Comics: The Beyond” by Jason Shiga, Amulet books, $14.99.
This graphic novel features an innovative, choose-your-own-adventure afterlife. Set up like a game, this fun and interactive book draws readers of all ages right in. Perfect for the kids you’ve probably just dragged away from Minecraft.
For the teenagers:
“Everyone Wants to Know” by Kelly Loy Gilbert, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99.
The latest from multi-award winning author Kelly Loy Gilbert is all about family, and growing up in the “reality” TV spotlight and what that means. Honor and her twin are the youngest in their family of five kids, and their much-older siblings had very different childhoods from hers. And now that their TV show is long over, her parents are getting divorced and she is moving from San Francisco to Los Gatos, everything is changing too much and too fast. Gilbert brilliantly and deftly crafts characters that make you feel like they’re right there with you, talking straight to you. This one is for lovers of realistic fiction and family dramas.
“A Study in Drowning” by Ava Reid, HarperTeen, $19.99.
Achingly atmospheric, this gothic fairy tale will draw you in immediately and keep you hooked until the last page. Effy has always had visions of the Fairy King and has only ever found solace in her favorite book, which is about his destruction. But now she’s at the author of that book’s estate, with a scholar determined to prove him a fraud, when dark forces start to conspire against them. This one is for the fantasy and romance fans, and for the people who want to root for the girls men like to sacrifice.
For the adults:
“Sorry, Bro” by Taleen Voskuni, Berkley, $17.
Sometimes, you just need a really fun romance novel and this one is it. After not finding Mr. Right among the non-Armenians of the Silicon Valley tech bros, Nar agrees to let her mom send her to meet Armenian men and meets … Ms. Right? This one is a gorgeous queer romcom with a big cast that will keep you smiling.
“Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea” by Rita Chang-Eppig, Bloomsbury Publishing, $28.99.
Absolutely gorgeous fictionalized biography of one of the great pirate queens in history – and one of the greatest pirates ever. Shek Yeung must find the power and courage to marry her husband’s second-in-command and bear him a son, all while pursuing vengeance and being as good a mother as she can be. The price women sometimes must pay can be ever-so high and history is riddled with these stories, as is the present, but this is a story that will remind you about how strong women can be in the face of terrible odds and how happiness can yet be found.
“Mother-Daughter Murder Night” by Nina Simon, William Morrow, $30.
Bonus recommendation in this section because all three of these books are too good! Are you a mystery fan or do you know one? This is definitely the book for you. Lana is stuck in a coastal California town while convalescing when her grandson stumbles upon a body and she needs to step in and figure out what happened when the police decide he’s a suspect.
And, because of course it is the holiday season, my favorite Hanukkah and Christmas books from local authors:
“Larry’s Latkes” by Jenna Waldman, Apples & Honey Press, $17.95.
Big Larry wants to have some fun with his Hanukkah latkes this year. But nothing at the farmers market is working, so what’s a gator to do? (Published in 2021.)
“How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?” by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, Candlewick, $18.99.
This iconic and always amazing duo tackles the perennial question: No really, how DOES Santa get down the chimney? This brand-new picture book aims to help you answer that query.
Grace Lane is the store manager of Linden Tree Books in Los Altos. She can be reached at [email protected].