Guide · Gifts
Book gifts for grandkids, ages 4 to 14
Steve DressingUpdated
The best book gift for a grandkid fits their age right now. For ages 4 to 7, try Last Stop on Market Street or Song and Dance Man, both with a grandparent in the story. For 8 to 10, Charlotte's Web or The Wild Robot. For 11 to 14, A Long Way from Chicago. All 16 picks are below, each with its age range.
I'm a grandfather, and I write books for kids 4 to 14. Four of the books in this guide are mine, and they're together in one box below. Every other book here is by another author, and many of them have a grandparent in the story. The age range on each card comes from the publisher or a bookseller, so you can check it against your grandkid.
Gift picks at a glance
- Ages 4 to 7, with a grandparent in the story: Last Stop on Market Street, ages 3–5
- Ages 8 to 10, a classic you may remember: Charlotte's Web, ages 8–12
- Ages 8 to 10, something newer: The Wild Robot, ages 8–12
- Ages 8 to 10, a short read-aloud: My Father's Dragon, ages 8–12
- Ages 11 to 14, with a grandparent in the story: A Long Way from Chicago, ages 10 and up
- Several grandkids at once: all four of my books, ages 4 to 14, $65.80 together
Ages 4 to 7: picture books with a grandparent in them
Four picture books about a kid and a grandparent. Good ones to read together on a visit. For a grandkid who loves birds, see picture books about birds.
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DEL
Last Stop on Market Street
CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across town every Sunday. When he complains about the rain and not having a car, Nana points out the music and the people of the city around them.
It won the 2016 Newbery Medal and a 2016 Caldecott Honor. The publisher lists it for 3 to 5, so it suits the younger end.
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JUS
The Hello, Goodbye Window
A girl's visits to her grandparents, Nanna and Poppy, center on their kitchen window, where she watches the night sky, plays games and practices saying hello and goodbye.
It won the 2006 Caldecott Medal.
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LE
Drawn Together
A boy and his grandfather don't speak the same language, so their visits are quiet. When they sit down to draw, they find they both love art and stories.
It won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for picture books. Some stores show it as backordered, so order early.
E
ACK
Song and Dance Man
Three kids follow their grandpa up to the attic, where he puts on his old bowler hat and tap shoes and performs the songs, dances and jokes from his vaudeville days.
It won the 1989 Caldecott Medal.
My four books cover this whole range. Eleanor the Mockingbird is a picture book for 4 to 7. Game Keepers and Down Home are baseball novels for 8 to 12, and A Complicated Journey is a space novel for 10 to 14. If you're buying for more than one grandkid, you can add all four at once.
Steve wrote these four
Books for ages 4 to 14
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Picture book · Ages 4–7
Eleanor the Mockingbird
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Novel · Ages 8–12
Game Keepers
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Novel · Ages 8–12
Down Home
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Novel · Ages 10–14
A Complicated Journey
Ages 8 to 10: chapter books to read on their own
Two classics you may remember and two newer books. For a baseball fan, see Baseball books for kids 8 to 12.
FIC
WHI
Charlotte's Web
A spider named Charlotte writes words in her web to save Wilbur, a runt pig first rescued by a farm girl named Fern.
A 1953 Newbery Honor book. A main character dies, so be ready to talk about it.
FIC
GAN
My Father's Dragon
Elmer Elevator packs a knapsack with gum, lollipops and rubber bands and sneaks onto Wild Island to rescue a captive baby dragon.
A 1949 Newbery Honor book. It's 96 pages, so it suits a newer reader or a read-aloud.
FIC
BRO
The Wild Robot
A robot named Roz wakes up alone on a wild island. She learns to survive by watching the animals and makes a home there, until her past catches up with her.
Animals die in the story, including the family of the gosling Roz adopts.
FIC
STO
Clean Getaway
Eleven-year-old Scoob goes on an unplanned road trip through the South with his grandmother. They follow her old Green Book past civil rights landmarks, and he starts to learn about her past.
The trip deals with racism and a family secret, so it's a good one to talk about afterward.
Ages 11 to 14: longer novels
Two of these have a grandparent at the center. For a kid who loves space, see Space books for girls 10 to 14.
FIC
PEC
A Long Way from Chicago
Every summer, Joey and his sister Mary Alice leave Chicago to stay with Grandma Dowdel in a small country town. The book tells those summers as a series of stories.
A 1999 Newbery Honor book and a 1998 National Book Award finalist. It's short, at under 200 pages.
FIC
CRE
Walk Two Moons
Thirteen-year-old Sal rides from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents, following her mother's route. Along the way she tells them about her friend Phoebe, whose mother has also disappeared.
It won the 1995 Newbery Medal. It's a sad book about loss. Booksellers list it anywhere from 8 to 12 up to 10 to 14, and Kirkus puts it at 10 to 14.
FIC
CUR
Bud, Not Buddy
In 1936 Michigan, ten-year-old Bud, whose mother has died, sets out to find the man he believes is his father, a bandleader named Herman E. Calloway, using flyers his mother left behind.
It won the 2000 Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Bud is homeless during the Depression and faces racism along the way.
FIC
BAR
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Each year a town leaves a baby in the forest, and a kind witch named Xan rescues it. She accidentally feeds one baby, Luna, moonlight, which fills her with magic. Xan raises Luna, and as Luna nears thirteen, her magic becomes dangerous.
It won the 2017 Newbery Medal. At 400 pages, it's for a strong reader.
Making the gift land
- Write a note inside the front cover with the date and your name.
- If you live far apart, read the first chapter together on a video call.
- Order early. In October, Drawn Together showed as backordered at some stores.
Questions grandparents ask
What's a good book gift for a 5 year old grandchild?
A picture book you can read together. The Hello, Goodbye Window is listed for 4 to 8 and Song and Dance Man for 3 to 7. Both are about visiting grandparents, and both won the Caldecott Medal. My picture book, Eleanor the Mockingbird, is for 4 to 7.
What are good books about grandparents for kids?
For young kids, Last Stop on Market Street, The Hello, Goodbye Window, Drawn Together and Song and Dance Man. For older kids, Clean Getaway, A Long Way from Chicago and Walk Two Moons.
What should I give a 12 year old grandkid who reads a lot?
The Girl Who Drank the Moon, listed for 10 to 14, runs 400 pages. Walk Two Moons won the Newbery Medal and is a sadder book, so it's for a reader ready for that.
Where can I find these books?
Each title above links to its publisher or an independent bookseller. Most libraries carry them too. My four books ship from this site.
