'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' by Dr. Seuss
Age Group [4+]
"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason...
With a heart two sizes too small, the Grinch is the meanest creature you'll ever meet. He hates Christmas and the whole festive season. But when he hatches a dastardly plot to steal Christmas, he's in for a big surprise!
With hilarious rhymes and beautiful illustrations, this classic seasonal story has become a favourite for good reason and teaches readers the true meaning of Christmas."
- Book Depository
The Polar Express' by Chris Van Allsburg
Age Group [4+]
"Late on Christmas Eve, after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives there, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring."
- Book Depository
'The Steadfast Tin Soldier' by Hans Christian Andersen
Age Group [4+]
"Hans Christian Andersen's powerful and haunting tale describes how a one-legged tin soldier falls in love with a proud dancer from the same toy collection. The soldier valiantly endures the various trials inflicted on him because of his love, and remains steadfast until he meets his end."
- Book Depository
'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens
Age Group [8+]
"A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens' most loved books – a true classic and a Christmas time must-read. Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him."
- Book Depository
'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis
Age Group [9+]
"Four adventurous siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie – step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice."
- Book Depository
'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman
Age Group [9-10+]
"When Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon decide to spy on a presentation her uncle, the commanding Lord Asriel, is making to the elders of Jordan College, they have no idea that they will become witnesses to an attempted murder – and even less that they are taking the first steps in a journey that will lead them into danger and adventure unlike anything Lyra's unfettered imagination has conjured up..."
- Book Depository
'The Ice Monster' by David Walliams
Age Group [7-12+]
"David’s magical new masterpiece is the perfect winter’s tale, inviting his readers to journey back to Victorian London in his biggest adventure yet. When Elsie, a young orphan, hears of the arrival of a mysterious Ice Monster – a woolly mammoth discovered at the North Pole – she’s desperate to find out more. A chance encounter brings Elsie face to face with the creature, and sparks the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime – from London to the heart of the Arctic. The Ice Monster is a comedic tale of adventure, possibility and the glorious unlikely friendship of a ten-year-old girl and a 10,000-year-old mammoth. The characters and atmosphere are vividly brought to life by Tony Ross’ stunning line illustrations."
- Book Depository
'Wintersmith' by Terry Pratchett
Age Group [10+]
"When the Spirit of Winter takes a fancy to Tiffany Aching, he wants her to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever. It will take all the young witch's skill and cunning, as well as help from the legendary Granny Weatherwax and the irrepressible Wee Free Men, to survive until Spring.
Because if Tiffany doesn't make it to Spring, Spring won't come for anyone."
- Book Depository
'One Crow Alone' by Sophie Crockett
Age Group [13+]
"... After the death of her grandmother and the evacuation of her village, Magda joins forces with the arrogant, handsome Ivan and smuggles her way on to a truck bound for London, where she hopes to find her mother. But London, when they reach it, is a nightmarish and far-from-welcoming world. Riots are commonplace, and the growing chaos is exploited by criminals and terrorists alike... Together they will need all the cunning they possess to survive in the frozen wilderness of Britain, which has become just as lawless as the city. "
- Book Depository
'Skipping Christmas' by John Grisham
Age Group [13+]
"Imagine a year without Christmas.
No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether.
Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined."
- Book Depository
'Tales of the Peculiar' by Ransom Riggs
Age Group [13+]
"In this collection of fairy tales, Ransom Riggs invites you to uncover hidden legends of the peculiar world. A fork-tongued princess, a girl who talks to ghosts, and wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars are just a few of the characters whose stories will have you hooked.
Featuring stunning illustrations from world-renowned artist Andrew Davidson, this compelling, rich and truly peculiar anthology is the perfect gift for fans – and for all lovers of great storytelling."
- Book Depository
'Murder on the Orient Express' by Agatha Christie
Age Group [15+]
"Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.
Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again."
- Book Depository