Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.

Here is a list of suggestions for the tricky children in your life.

THEY DON’T LIKE READING

• The brand-new Bluey books! - They’ve seen the TV show, now they can join Bluey at the beach, or at night, or enjoy some sticker fun. For ages 4 and up.
• Beast Feast - A very charming story about a hungry Beast and a child called Dinner who outsmarts him, told in an engaging format with envelopes and little letters to unfold. For ages 6 and up.
• Steven Universe: The Tale of Steven - Kids who love interactive stories, multiple viewpoints and yes – who also love the TV show Steven Universe – will spend hours with this good-looking hardcover book that documents Pink Diamond’s escape from Homeworld, Rose Quartz’s life on Earth, and the creation of Steven Universe. For ages 8 and up.
• Funny Bones - This chunky book contains over 100 hilarious stories, poems and illustrations from funny and famous Australians like Andy Griffiths, Danny Katz, Sally Rippin and Lawrence Leung. An easy and appealing anthology to dip into for the most reluctant reader. For ages 8 and up.
• The Australia Survival Guide - A breezy illustrated primer on all treacherous and dangerous things to be found in Australia including animals, the weather, reptiles and plants, and, most importantly, what to do when you encounter them. For ages 8 and up.

THEY’VE READ LITERALLY EVERYTHING

Here are some awesome kids books that have impressed us, but flown a little under the radar this year…

• Madame Badobedah - Fanciful Mabel speculates wildly about the Mermaid Hotel’s newest guest, Madame Badobedah in this delightful longer-form picture book which celebrates an unlikely friendship, secrets, fantasies and eccentricities. For ages 4 and up.
• Douglas - A beautifully-illustrated hardcover junior fiction which details the adventures of a sweet, plucky mouse named Douglas, who must overcome obstacles aplenty, from hungry cats to broom-wielding humans, to return across the rooftops to her movie-theatre home. For ages 5 and up.
• Nevertell - A transporting fantasy saga inspired by Russian folklore – Lina and her best friend Bogdan escape a prison camp and are pursued by a powerful sorceress and her invisible wolf pack. For ages 10 and up.
• Lizard’s Tale - A group of four kids take on gangsters, spies and unknown foes in this spirited adventure set in wartime Singapore. For ages 9 and up.
• A gorgeous anthology of myths and legends is a great gift for well-read and imaginative kids. Some recent recommended releases are Nine Worlds in Nine Nights, Mythologica and Myths and Legends of the World.

If they are into reading series, you might also consider the latest instalments in the following popular series:

Spectacular School Trip (Really) (Tom Gates, Book 17)
Dork Diaries: Spectacular Superstar (Dork Diaries, Book 14)
The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, Book 4)
Show Time! (Hotdog, Book 7)
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne (The Girl, the Dog and the Writer, Book 3)
A Bite in the Night (Rabbit and Bear, Book 4)
The Dragon Crown (The Witching Hours, Book 5)

Finally, you might also be interested to browse our collection of kids and YA box-sets. Or if they’re a big Harry Potter fan, we have a wide range of tie-in books and fancy editions on offer – find some of our best suggestions here and here.

THEY ARE SUPER-SPORTY

Despite never having never played soccer in her life, Faith is persuaded to join the Bloodhounds, her school’s soccer squad. She ends up on the C team, a ragtag group with a tendency for drama over teamwork. The Breakaways is a thoroughly charming graphic novel that follows the friendships between a group of diverse kids who don’t find it easy to fit in at school. For ages 8 and up.

Other recommendations include…

Winston and the Wondrous Wooba Gymnastics Club (for ages 8 and up)
Speccy-tacular AFL Stories (for ages 7 and up)
Nice Girls Don’t Play Footy (for ages 10 and up)

You can find all our picks of books for sporty kids here.

THEY ARE INTO FACTS & REAL-LIFE STORIES

• The Flag Book - It’s hard to pin down exactly what’s so satisfying about knowing every flag for every nation of the world, but it’s a real thing. This book will help kids with this task and then offers even more: pirate flags, symbolism, trivia, the International Code of Flag Symbols, coats of arms and so on. For ages 7 and up.
• Rise Up! - Be amazed by these stories of real-life kids that have demonstrated courage, ingenuity and resilience to triumph over immense challenges and change the world. For ages 8 and up.
• Absolutely Everything! - Understand the Earth’s entire history? Yes, please! Discover how science, nature and history connect throughout time, using this highly-illustrated and fascinating book that’s perfect for kids who like deep learning and understanding. For ages 8 and up.
• For kids who are obsessed with space and all space-related things, Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime will satisfy the imagination and the young brain who loves hard science (for ages 6 and up), and luckily there was also a landslide of moon-landing anniversary books this year, including the excellent When We Walked on the Moon (ages 9 and up) and Moonwalkers (ages 4 and up).

THEY’RE ONE OF A KIND

• The Fate of Fausto - This strange and charming picture book fable shows the acquisitive Fausto stamp his claim over everything in nature, only to come up against the indomitable sea, who will not be owned. For ages 4 and up.
• The House of Madame M - A creepy, kooky, spooky, large-format pop-up book by an exceptional French illustrator. Explore the rooms of a strange house; lift the flaps, pull the tabs, and be surprised by the macabre details! For ages 6 and up.
• The Year We Fell From Space - Twelve-year-old astronomy-obsessed Liberty loves to draw her own star maps and make new constellations, but she struggles with her new family reality when her parents separate. This empathetic novel captures the turmoil of family and school well, with King’s trademark quirkiness and magic realism. For ages 8 and up.
• Strange but True - For children who love urban myths, hauntings, curses, cryptozoology and conspiracies, this is a dream book about some of the world’s most famous mysteries, that also espouses rational investigation and exploration. For ages 9 and up.
• Playing With Collage - Legendary Australian picture book creator Jeannie Baker generously shares her collage-making secrets. Dried flowers, shells, pasta, stamps, stones, leaves, paper and spices all take on beauty and life in her hands, as she shows young readers in clear, approachable steps how to play with these materials. For ages 5 and up.

Also check out our list of books to inspire young imaginative folk, with suggestions for pint-sized writers, designers, filmmakers, musicians, artists and other creative types.

THEY ARE LEARNING TO READ

• Charlie & Mouse - Brothers Charlie and Mouse are lively and inventive throughout these four gentle and playful short stories: they organise a party, they try to make money selling rocks and they do their best to creatively avoid bedtime. Short, grammatically simple sentences, clear spaced-out font, and sweet colour illustrations make this very suitable for beginner readers.
• Super Sidekicks: No Adults Allowed - JJ is sick of being a mere sidekick to Captain Perfect, so he forms his own squad with other sidekicks Flygirl, Dinomite and Goo, hoping they can get some superhero credit for themselves! The clear comic-book format with expressive illustrations and short text bubbles makes this an easy read with a funny, pacey and satisfying plot.
• Fabio The World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective: Mystery on the Ostrich Express - Fabio, the world’s greatest flamingo detective, and his associate Gilbert the giraffe chase down the thief who stole a ruby necklace on-board their train. Captivating illustrations, lots of action and large font make this a manageable and highly entertaining read.
• The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare - We are long-time fans of the The Princess in Black series, for their hilarious plots, the not-too-scary adventures, the fun wordplay, and the gorgeous colour illustrations. A goo monster at the Interkingdom science fair requires Princess Magnolia to once more go undercover as the Princess in Black and save the day – with a little help from her friends.
• Ask Hercules Quick - When Hercules spies a very desirable magic tricks box in a shop window he is inspired to raise funds doing odd jobs for all the unusual residents in his building. These lively stories, where Hercules has to throw things, find things, sing and babysit, use short sentences with fantastic dialogue, constant action and vibrant colour illustrations.

YOU DON’T KNOW WHO THEY ARE

You really can’t go wrong with one of these crowd-pleasing picks.

• Don’t Worry, Little Crab - Author-illustrator Chris Haughton is a favourite of many for very good reasons! This story about a Little Crab reluctant to swim in the sea has his trademark pared-back language, retro illustrations and sweet humour. For ages 2 and up.

• The Treehouse Joke Book - It’s a scientifically-proven fact that kids love Treehouse books and jokes in equal measure, so you can’t fail this hilarious book full of jokes, puns, cartoons and Griffiths-Denton goodness. For ages 7 and up.

• How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days - It is literally impossible not to be thoroughly swept away by the charismatic Hayley Whelan and her ambitious school holiday film project, the horror film Rosebud. For ages 9 and up.

Still stumped? We also sell gift vouchers which can be used in-store and online.