Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas break with your families! I’m so excited for the new year and all the fun things I have planned. Lots of new things coming in 2024!
One thing I want to share more of is great chapter book recommendations for kids. My kids are getting older and reading chapter books on their own, so I’m always looking for more great titles for them to read. We have an independent reading time every day for 30 minutes or more and this is when they read these books. We also always read one chapter book together as our read aloud each month.
So, every month this year, I thought I would put together a simple blog post of chapter book recommendations that you could use for your family. These books are many that we have read and loved, plus a few I’ve heard great reviews on or just discovered. Each month the books will be based around the season, holiday, or theme. I’ll give a quick synopsis of each book and group them together by age range.
Let’s start with some great books to read in January that have a winter theme!
**I have not read ALL of these books, but have read most of them or tons of reviews. I am only sharing books we have loved or plan to read in the future. I’ll definitely update this list as we read through them all. 😊
Ages 5-9
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse: Winter’s No Time to Sleep by Poppy Green
Sophie Mouse and her friends are having some winter fun when they accidentally wake a hedgehog named Pippa who has been hibernating all winter. Sophie and her friends show her all the fun things to do in winter like ice skating, sledding, and more. We have loved many of the sweet stories and adventures from the Sophie Mouse series.
Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail by Margorie Weinman Sharmat
A great beginner chapter book that’s uses logical thinking to solve mysteries. “Nate the Great has his work cut out for him. Rosamond has lost his birthday present! But how can Nate find his missing present when Rosamond won’t tell him what it is?” (Amazon)
The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el
Duane is a fun and curious young polar bear who makes many new Arctic friends and every day is a new adventure. We LOVED this book and it has us laughing out loud. It reminds me of Winnie-the-Pooh meets the Arctic. We are reading the sequel Just Beyond the Very Very Far North this month.
Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George
A favorite series of ours that is perfect for the whole family! “Following the festive St. Slumber celebration, most of the guests have settled in to hibernate, and the staff is looking forward to a relaxing winter. But disruptions abound, from a difficult duchess to a mysterious midnight snacker. As the snow stacks higher, Mona the Mouse will have to gather friends both old and new to keep the peace, finding help in some of the most unexpected places.” (Amazon)
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
A house painter who longs to be a polar explorer gets a shipment of penguins. Full of adventure and fun, this is a great book for all ages.
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgaliesh
A classic adventure tale! “People have always told Jonathan that there are no bears on Hemlock Mountain, no bears at all. So he isn’t afraid to set out alone over the mountain. But as Jonathan discovers one cold winter night, people aren’t always right…There are bears on Hemlock Mountain!” (Amazon)
Twelve Kinds of Ice by Barbara McClintock
This book has been on my wish list for a while! “With the first ice—a skim on a sheep pail so thin, it breaks when touched—one family’s winter begins in earnest. Next comes ice like panes of glass. And eventually, skating ice! Take a literary skate over field ice and streams, through sleeping orchards and beyond. The first ice, the second ice, the third ice . . . perfect ice . . . the last ice . . . Twelve kinds of ice are carved into twenty nostalgic vignettes.” (Amazon)
Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions- Blizzard of the Blue Moon by Mary Pope Osborne
My kids always love the Magic Tree House books! “Jack and Annie must rescue a beautiful magical creature—the unicorn. But when they land in New York City during the Depression of the 1930s, Jack and Annie are confused. Where will they find a unicorn in a big city?” (Amazon)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
This is one of my favorite books growing up. We did a full book study on it this past December and it is one I’ll remember for ever. See everything we did HERE, guide & more info on the study HERE. A great book to read together as a family!
Balto and the Great Race by Elizabeth Kimmel
Another book my kids loved reading last winter! The true story of a sled dog who has to race hundreds of miles to deliver medicine to dozens of sick children with diphtheria in Nome, Alaska. We loved watching the animated movie after we read it too! There is a Magic Treehouse Merlin Mission book on this story as well: Balto of the Blue Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne.
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Little House family is hit hard by the brutal winter of 1880-1881. Blizzards have covered the town in snow cutting the town off from supplies and trade. Learn how they survive, brave the conditions, and help save the townspeople.
Ages 8-12
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen
I’ve heard great things about this book. We hope to read it soon! “Marly and her family share many adventures when they move from the city to a farmhouse on Maple Hill.” (Amazon)
The Sea in Winter by Christine Day
A newer book that has great reviews and perfect for my ballet loving daughter. Also gives a lot of history and insight to the Native Americans of the PNW. “It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions.Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up. But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as roiling and cold as the ocean?” (Amazon)
The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club by Alex Bell
A new book series full of adventure I think my kids would love! “Join Stella Starflake Pearl and her three fellow explorers as they trek across the snowy Icelands and come face-to-face with frost fairies, snow queens, outlaw hideouts, unicorns, pygmy dinosaurs and carnivorous cabbages . . . When Stella and three other junior explorers get separated from their expedition can they cross the frozen wilderness and live to tell the tale?” (Amazon)
The Animal Rescue Agency #1 Case File: Little Claw’s by Eliot Schrefer
Super fun book for animal lovers and a great family read aloud! “When an animal is in trouble, there’s only one place to turn: the Animal Rescue Agency! Dashing Esquire Fox used to organize the world’s most elaborate chicken raids until the day she encountered Mr. Pepper. Meeting the blustery old rooster changed her heart, convincing her to turn from a life of crime and instead form the Animal Rescue Agency, which masterminds rescue operations across the globe. Esquire and her unlikely chicken business manager coordinate their far-flung agents to get them to the Arctic. In that frozen land they learn that what happened to the polar bear cub was no accident—and that saving him will pit them against the scariest predator in the world: a human.” (Amazon)
Ages 9-13
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
“Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to care for, and even Winterhouse itself? Mystery, adventure, and beautiful writing combine in this exciting debut richly set in a hotel full of secrets.” (Amazon)
Wildwood by Colin Meloy
“In Wildwood, Prue and her friend Curtis uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval—a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much greater as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness. A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.” I haven’t read this series yet, but I checked it out from the library and it definitely seems my kids would enjoy it. It is a large book (576 pages!) but has great reviews and really beautiful illustrations.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
“The domesticated life of a powerful St. Bernard-Shepherd mix named Buck is quickly turned on end when he is stolen away from his master and put to work as a sled dog in Alaska. His once life of luxury turns into a life of survival and adaptation as he learns the ways of the wilderness.” (Amazon) A classic that I loved reading when I was younger. I know my kids will love this story just as much!
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
This one is for the history lovers! “In the bleak winter of 1940, Nazi troops parachuted into Peter Lundstrom’s tiny Norwegian village and held it captive. Nobody thought the Nazis could be defeated—until Uncle Victor told Peter how the children could fool the enemy. It was a dangerous plan. They had to slip past Nazi guards with nine million dollars in gold hidden on their sleds. It meant risking their country’s treasure—and their lives. This classic story of how a group of children outwitted the Nazis and sent the treasure to America has captivated generations of readers.” (Amazon)
So many great books out there! Please leave your reviews of any of these or more recommendations in the comments below!
Happy Reading!
– Lindsay
Affiliate links are used in this post, which means if you purchase through them, I’ll receive a small commission without any additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!
Related posts:
Beginner Chapter Books for Girls
Beginner Chapter Books for Boys
Congratulations on your website launch! You have always been my go to ❤️