When my children were small, every year we got out our Christmas book collection and the same time as the Christmas decorations and that was nearly as exciting as decorating the tree. While they still enjoy some of their old favourites (Father Christmas Needs a Wee in particular!) at 8 and 10 I realised we need some longer Christmas books to bring back the magic of festive story time on Christmas Eve. Below are the results of my search for Christmas chapter books for older children.
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The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
The Christmasaurus* is a really magical story about a boy called William who loves both dinosaurs and Christmas. He’s having a bit of a hard time in life but he and Father Christmas manage to help each other and solve their problems. It isn’t a short book but great to read to children over about 6 or for older ones to read themselves.
The Christmasauras and the Winter Witch by Tom Fetcher
The Christmasauras and the Winter Witch* Is the follow up to a the Christmasauras and carries on the magic with a new adventure for William.
The Christmasaurus and the Naughty List by Tom Fletcher
The Christmasaurus and the Naughty List* is the third booking in Tom Fletcher’s brilliant Christmasaurus series. It isn’t actually a novel but a series of short stories about children on Santa’s naughty list.
The Christmas Pig by JK Rowling
The Christmas Pig* by JK Rowling marks the author’s long awaited return to children’s fiction. It follows the story of Jack, who loses his beloved toy pig “DP” on Christmas Eve and goes on an adventure to find him.
The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller
The Night I Met Father Christmas* is the story of little boy finding out how Father Christmas became Father Christmas. Ben Miller’s writing style if funny an the book has similarities to A Christmas Carol.
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
A Boy Called Christmas* is about a little boy and how he becomes Father Christmas. It has some sad bits and covers some serious topics but does so in a sensitive way.
The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig
The Girl who saved Christmas* is another offering from Matt Haig and can be read as a follow up to A Boy Called Christmas or as a stand alone book. It is one of a not very large number of Christmas chapter books that has a female protagonist. Amelia Wishart is stuck in a workhouse but with the help of some special friends manages to save Christmas.
Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig
Father Christmas and Me* is the third in Matt Haig’s Christmas trilogy and, while it features Amelia Wishart fromThe Girl Who Saved Christmas as the main character, it could be read as a stand alone novel.
The Miracle of Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle
The Miracle of Ebenezer Street* Is about who little boy whose mum has died 3 years before and how he rediscovers the magic of Christmas through a magic snow globe that takes him on a journey through Vnristmas past, present and future.
Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien
Letters by Father Christmas* is a collection of letters that JRR Tolkien wrote to his own children as if they were from various residents of the North Pole including Father Christmas himself. While not a traditional chapter book, the letters are lovely to read at Christmas to older children.
The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
The Christmas Mystery* tells it story, which features lots of biblical characters, through a little boy’s advent calendar where he finds a new piece of the story each day.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
While A Christmas Carol* might be difficult for some children to read themselves it’s a lovely classic story to read aloud to older children at Christmas.
The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo’s The Snowman* is an extended version of Raymond Brigg’s classic tales. It features the same characters and events but with a more detailed storyline for older children to enjoy.
Santa Gets a Second Job
Santa Gets a Second Job* is a story about Santa falling on hard times and trying out lots of different jobs to try and make ends meet, with hilarious results.
The Santa List by Kieran Crowley
The Santa List* is a fun story about trying to get off Santa’s naughty list after being put there by their mean babysitter.
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