EntranceNew Year's books. winter books
Christmas is coming. Many people prefer to create the Christmas spirit by watching Christmas films, but we offer you an excellent alternative - 20 wonderful works with a Christmas atmosphere. Read with pleasure!
1. Charles Dickens – “A Christmas Carol”
There is no more famous work dedicated to Christmas in world literature than “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Its enormous popularity contributed to the fact that Christmas became the main holiday of Victorian England, a time of good fun and charity.
The story of the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation after the mystical visit of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas was written quite quickly, in just six weeks. At the same time, Dickens was working on chapters of Martin Cheselwit. While working on the Song, Dickens pursued ambitious plans, but he could not even imagine what a huge impact this small story would have on all world art, on the worldview of people all over the world, to such an extent that Dickens himself would become associated with Christmas, and the name his hero Ebenezer Scrooge will become both a symbol of Christmas and a synonym for stinginess.
2. O. Henry – “The Gift of the Magi”
The Gift of the Magi is a story by O. Henry (William Sidney Porter) about two newlyweds living in a cramped room and experiencing financial problems. Despite this, they try to do something nice for each other - give gifts. And for this they must sacrifice what is dear to them. Gifts are not the main thing, of course, but the main thing is the attention, care and love that our heroes felt. They understand true happiness.
3. Sharon Owens – “Mulberry Street Tea House”
The destinies of the heroes of this incredible Christmas story are intricately intertwined and converge in an amazing place full of mysteries and miracles - in a teahouse on Mulberry Street, where they serve delicious desserts and where one day, out of the blue, you may receive a message from Nicolas Cage.
A touching and very funny book, in which romance and dreams go hand in hand, will help you while away the long winter evenings, and the delicious cherry cheesecake, whose recipe you will be surprised to find at the end of the book, will be a pleasant addition to your holiday tea party.
4. Esther Emden – “The House with Magic Windows”
1. Main character“The Adventures of a Little Actor” (1958) - the kind and cheerful toy Petrushka is the only friend of the girl Sasha. But sitting in one place is not in his character, he must act, he needs theater, performances, an audience: after all, Petrushka is a born actor...
2. “The House with Magic Windows” (1959) - a fascinating New Year's fairy tale. A lot can happen in this fairy tale. One quiet New Year's evening, the door to the room will suddenly open, and along with a cloud of frosty steam, Granny the Doll will enter and call you to the House with magic windows...
3. In the story “Marina Petrova’s School Year” (1956) we meet the cheerful, sometimes careless and stubborn, but talented Marina, a student at a music school. There is no longer a fairy tale in this story. But how fascinating is this world of music, the world of real art!
5. Fanny Flagg – “Christmas and the Red Cardinal”
Frightened by a doctor's diagnosis, Oswald T. Campbell flees from cold and damp Chicago to the south, to the hospitable Lost Creek, where he plans to celebrate his last Christmas. He doesn’t expect anything good from the outback, but the reality turns out to be completely different from what he imagined it to be. Life in Lost Creek, although measured, is very unusual and even strange. And the inhabitants of the town are also very unusual. A postman delivers mail by boat. The only shop is owned by a little red bird named Jack. The ladies of the town are secretly doing good, uniting in an esoteric society called the Big Peas. And Oswald himself suddenly turns out to be the main figure in local social life. As Christmas approaches, amazing events begin to occur that will change the lives of not only Oswald, but also all the inhabitants of Lost Creek.
Fannie Flagg's novel is a strange, attractive, warm Christmas fairy tale, full of the most ordinary magic that many can do if they really want it. A book for everyone who yearns for a kind word and a beautiful story.
6. Tove Jansson – “Magic Winter”
We continue our journey to fairyland, populated by adorable creatures, the Moomins. We will find out why winter turned out to be magical and how to behave in this case. Amazing creatures inhabit Moomin Valley. Of course, these are not people, but in the Fillyjonk, who believed in catastrophes, and in the Hemulus, who loved silence, you can recognize yourself.
7. Justein Gorder – “The Christmas Mystery”
The book by the famous Norwegian writer Jostein Gorder is structured like an Advent calendar. Every day, starting from December 1, the reader, together with the boy Joachim, gets acquainted with the biblical story, and also travels through time and space to that wonderful day when the baby Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem...
8. John Grisham – “Christmas with the Losers”
The ordinary American Crank family celebrated Christmas every year, but all this pre-Christmas fuss begins to get boring over time, and so, when the daughter of Luther and Nora Crank leaves to study, Luther has the only chance to fly for the entire Christmas holidays Caribbean Islands and save $600. The couple decides that this Christmas there will be no garlands, snowmen, festive dinners and even no... Christmas tree and pack their bags with a clear conscience. Soon one of the Cranks' neighbors finds out about this, and the next morning the whole town finds out. The townspeople begin to organize rallies and protests. Nora was ready to make concessions and install a Christmas tree and a snowman in the yard so that the town residents would calm down, but her husband’s word is law. However, circumstances change; a daughter and her fiancé are expected to unexpectedly come to mom and dad over the Christmas weekend. The Cranks have to urgently run to the store to get almost sold out products and decorate the house before Blair comes home...
9. Rosamund Pilcher – “On Christmas Eve”
Five not very happy people, due to circumstances, find themselves in the same house in the north of Scotland. Rosamund Pilcher talks about her characters with a warm, kind smile, and the reader begins to believe that the approaching Christmas will definitely bring wonderful changes to their lives. The new novel by the famous English writer is distinguished by lyricism, gentle humor and unexpected plot twists.
10. Richard Paul Evans – “The Christmas Box”
The young Evans family, who settled in the old mansion of the wealthy widow Marianne Parkin following an advertisement, discover many surprising things in their new place. Ancient copies of the Bible, paintings in expensive frames, a box with mysterious letters to an unknown recipient. It happens around Christmas. Richard, Keri and their four-year-old daughter Jenna, along with the mistress of the house, are preparing to celebrate the holiday, when suddenly something terrible happens - Marianne dies. But before her death, she reveals a great secret to the Evans, before which even the bitterness of loss pales...
11. John R. R. Tolkien – “Letters from Father Christmas”
“Letters from Father Christmas” is a fairy tale that Tolkien told his children for more than twenty years (the first letter was written to his eldest son in 1920 and the last to his daughter in 1943). The letters arrived at Christmas, and the children answered them. Father Christmas described his home, friends and helpers, events, funny and sometimes disturbing, that happened at the North Pole.
12. Donna Vanleer – “Christmas Shoes”
“The Christmas Shoes” is a wonderful, inspiring book that you can read with pleasure both on a holiday and on a weekday. This is a story about two completely different people, whose destinies crossed only once on Christmas evening. One of them is looking for a way to bring back his long-neglected family, while the other's family is trying to come to terms with the loss of his mother and wife.
13. Susan Wojciechowski - “Mr. Toomey's Christmas Miracle”
This is a real New Year's fairy tale. About love, about friendship, about finding yourself and, of course, about hope. Wood carver Jonathan Toomey, having lost his wife and son several years ago, cannot find joy in life. Immersed in grief, all he can do is frown and, avoiding contact with people, go about his business - carving figures from wood. But one day, a widow and her little son knocked on his door to ask Tumi to make them Christmas figurines. Having taken on the order, the master had no idea what would happen.
14. Cleveland Emory – “A Cat for Christmas”
American historian and journalist Cleveland Emory is also known as the founder of the Animal Welfare Fund. His witty and kind book is a tribute to love and admiration for our smaller brothers, who, according to the author, can teach a person a lot.
15. Ernst Hoffmann – “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”
In this book, at the twelfth stroke of the clock, toys come to life, and the brave Nutcracker rushes to battle the treacherous Mouse King. He will definitely win, because a kind heart and devoted love always work miracles.
16. Hans Christian Andersen – “The Little Match Girl”
A little girl sells matches on a cold winter evening. But is it possible to keep warm by burning them one after another?
17. Capote Truman – “Memories of a Christmas”
A strange couple lives in a large old house in a provincial town.
A sixty-year-old woman and a seven-year-old boy, denying themselves everything for a year, collect money to bake several dozen pies for Christmas and send them by mail...
18. Laura Lockington – “Christmas Pie”
Poppy, a saleswoman in an antique trinkets store, is sweet, smart, ironic, but not very happy. On the eve of Christmas, she feels especially lonely, since she will have to spend the holiday in the company of an obnoxious monkey that Poppy has taken care of. This would have happened if not for the invitation to old castle. A few hours on the train - and Poppy finds herself from boring London in a magical land, where one strange event after another happens to her.
19. O. Henry – “Christmas tree with a surprise”
Who said that a recognized master short story Did O. Henry write only for adults? Talk to your children and you will immediately understand that modern life they know better, not worse, than you. What does this have to do with it? But re-read the unusually entertaining and witty stories with your children, and it will become clear to you that all these O. Henry characters: modest saleswomen and stockbrokers, swindlers and bandits, millionaires who believe in the omnipotence of the dollar, and very poor people have long been moved in with us. Well, such eternal values as love and friendship are eternal in order to excite the blood as much as they did 100 years ago...
20. N.V. Gogol - “The Night Before Christmas”
A fantastic story about the life of the Ukrainian people, in which a description of the realistic features of their morals and customs is combined with wonderful fiction. The plot outline of the story is the romantic love of a boy for a beautiful girl.
The bigger, the better! An attentive reader has added a wonderful book to our list - “The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg.
21. Chris Van Allsburg – “The Polar Express”
On Christmas Eve, a magical train arrives at the house where the hero of this fairy tale lives. He takes the boy to the North Pole. This is where Santa Claus is going to give his first Christmas gift.
“The Adventures of New Year's Toys”, E. Rakitina
A wonderful, atmospheric book about Christmas tree decorations that come to life on New Year's Eve and tell their magical adventures. Where did Plasticine Donkey travel? How did the puppy Tyavka stop being a coward? Why is it so important that there is not a speck of dust on the Silver Fairy? And when does the Ball where dreams come true happen? A magical fairy tale woven from childhood memories, fluffy snow, aromas of pine needles, citrus fruits and celebrations will warm you with its warmth all year round!
Publishing house "Rech"
"Christmas tree. One Hundred Years Ago”, compiled by E. Kim
This is not just a book, but a real gift set - buy several copies at once, you won’t regret it! In a book dedicated to the Christmas tree holiday in Russia late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, collected Christmas stories and poems by popular authors with fascinating historical and everyday comments, with descriptions of all kinds of crafts and children's Christmas tree ideas, as well as lively and vivid essays depicting Russian life at the turn of the century and traditions associated with the celebration of the New Year and Christmas. A separate envelope contains cardboard prizes - elegant postcards, a carnival mask and Christmas tree decorations.
Publishing house "Labyrinth Press"
“The True Story of Santa Claus”, A. Zhvalevsky and E. Pasternak
A magical historical fairy tale for adults and children aged 8-9 years, those who have not yet completely given up their faith in the New Year's miracle, but are already ready to learn the truth about the life and history of their country. In 1912, at Christmas time, travel engineer Sergei Ivanovich Morozov, walking with his wife Masha in St. Petersburg, fell under magical snow, which falls once every fifty years. Without knowing it, the couple become Father Frost and Snow Maiden for the next half century.
Publishing house "Time"
“Once upon a time in a winter city”, Ya. Misharin
A Christmas tale in verse with incredibly tender and snowy illustrations by Igor Kuprin. And under the pseudonym Ya. Misharin are hiding two wonderful and beloved poets - Marina Boroditskaya and Mikhail Yasnov. Plot: a lonely woman suddenly has a grandson and... immediately disappears! But of course, everything will end well - it’s a wonderful story!
Publishing house "Pink Giraffe"
“Little Santa Claus”, A. Shtoner
What if Santa Clauses were once little too? What if there is such a little Santa Claus in the world who really wants to quickly become an adult and start working miracles, but none of his adult brothers takes him seriously? Although he is always the first to bring the Christmas tree, bake cookies and prepare the sleigh, the big Santa Clauses still do not take him to deliver gifts. And so on year after year, until one day Little Santa Claus makes a wonderful discovery... There are several stories about the adventures of Little Father Frost - and you can buy the series at once.
Publishing house "CompassGuide"
"The Snow Queen» , H.K. Andresen
One of Andersen's longest and most magical fairy tales is permeated with the Christmas spirit. It begins on a winter evening and ends with the lines of a Protestant hymn: “Roses are blooming, beauty, beauty! Soon we will see the baby Christ." Good fights evil, the kind girl Gerda fights to prevent her Kai from turning into an icy (selfish and evil) person.
"The Little Match Girl", H. C. Andresen
A Yuletide story about a girl selling matches who freezes on New Year's Eve because she is afraid of going home to her cruel father. Trying to warm up, she lights matches one after another, and in their short-lived fire, happy Christmas pictures appear before the girl - a fat baked goose, a decorated Christmas tree, a late grandmother who felt sorry for the girl... A sad story that awakens in us a feeling of compassion and a desire to help the disadvantaged. Very appropriate and correct reading on the eve of Christmas.
“The Boy at Christ’s Christmas Tree”, F. Dostoevsky
Another heart-warming story about a child who is fascinated by the sight of a New Year tree outside the window of a rich house. There are lights, lights, treats and gifts, dressed up children play and dance. And a hungry boy freezes on the streets of St. Petersburg, abandoned to the mercy of fate by his dysfunctional parents. At some point, the boy still finds himself at a New Year's party among children like him, drawn there by an unknown quiet voice...
“Poor Prince”, A. Kuprin
But here it’s the other way around. One “well-bred” boy from a rich family desperately does not want to spend the Christmas holiday among the boring guests of his circle. What is he doing? He runs away and bravely carols with the street boys all evening. Despite the fact that the fugitive is caught and returned to his place, the boy touched real life and experienced a real elation.
“The Wonderful Doctor”, A. Kuprin
Another touching story by Kuprin is based on very real events. On the eve of Christmas, the daughter of the Mertsalov family became completely ill. And this is on top of other misfortunes that are quite common for a completely poor family. Fortunately, the girl’s father accidentally meets Dr. Pirogov (the same famous, luminary of our medicine) on the street. The doctor immediately goes to the sick child and performs a real Christmas miracle...
"The Polar Express" by K.W. Allsburg
On Christmas Eve, one dreamy boy can't sleep, he keeps hoping to hear the sound of the bell from Santa Claus's reindeer sleigh. But suddenly, instead of the long-awaited chime, the boy heard the hiss of a steam locomotive - the Polar Express had arrived for him, which would take him and other children to the North Pole to the city where Santa and his elf helpers live and work... This book has long become a world classic, it is read not only children, but also adults who believe in miracles and can still hear the bell ringing.
“Christmas Mystery”, Y. Gorder
This unusual calendar book was written by the famous author Jostein Gorder primarily for children. The main character of the book, a boy named Joachim, lives in Norway. And in Norway, as in other Scandinavian countries, there is a tradition of buying calendars called Advent calendars on the eve of Christmas. Every day, starting from December 1, children or their parents open a small window in the calendar, behind which chocolates, figures or pictures are hidden. This continues throughout Advent - that is, the anticipation of Christmas, until December 24, when Christmas Eve is celebrated in the evening, and the next day the great holiday of Christmas begins.
Publishing house "Amphora"
"The Nutcracker", E.T.A.Hoffmann
Well, how can we feel the approach of the New Year without this fairy tale? About a girl who was not afraid to fight the forces of evil and was rewarded for this in the most miraculous way - a meeting with a real prince. The amazingly colorful story has continued to inspire both children and adults for many years.
« Planet of Christmas Trees”, J. Rodari
An Italian boy, Marco, was once given a children's rocking horse for New Year. At first, Marco was angry with his grandfather for such a gift - after all, he considered himself already quite an adult! If only he knew that thanks to this toy he would end up on another planet! Instead of taxis, there are wooden horses driving around here, toys from stores can be taken for free, and every day is New Year's Day! The weather is always beautiful, and if it suddenly rains, it will only be from candies!
Publishing house "Rosman"
"Christmas Stories"» , Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was once told about the monstrous conditions in which English workers, including children, had to work. The writer was so amazed that he decided to write a series of stories - original sermons, in an entertaining form, moving people towards compassion, towards actively improving the lot of the poor, towards the moral “correction of the rich”. All the stories are imbued with the same Christmas spirit - attention and love for your neighbor.
“The Night Before Christmas”, N.V. Gogol
Well what can I say here? A bright, sincere, passionate, funny story, familiar to everyone from childhood, about the obstinate Oksana, her admirer Vakula, the beautiful Solokha and the naive devil whom an ordinary blacksmith was able to beat... And all this is written in such a charming style that you will not find anywhere else and from which you immediately , from the first words - the mood is the same, magical.
“Summer of the Lord”, I. Shmelev
The famous book reviewer Evgenia Shaffert writes about the Christmas chapter of this book: “...You will not find such a poetic description of Russian holidays and traditions anywhere else. I would start my “Christmas reading” with the chapter about Christmas from I. Shmelev’s book: Before Christmas, three days before, in the markets, in the squares, there was a forest of fir trees. And what Christmas trees! There is as much of this goodness in Russia as you want. Not like here - stamens. At our Christmas tree... as soon as it warms up and straightens its paws, there is a thicket. There used to be a forest on Theater Square. They are standing in the snow. And the snow starts falling - I lost my way! Men, in sheepskin coats, like in the forest. People walk and choose. Dogs in Christmas trees are like wolves, really. The fires are burning, warm up. Smoke in pillars. The shooters walk and call in the Christmas trees
« Bible for children. Gospel stories»
Maya Kucherskaya, a famous Orthodox journalist and writer, wonderfully and simply retells New Testament stories for children. One of the stories is dedicated to the birth of the baby Christ. Warm and useful family reading, even if you are not religious, but just want to tell your child about the essence of Christianity and introduce him to the main Christian stories.
"Little Women", L. Alcott
The novel by American writer Louisa May Alcott still remains one of the most popular “books for girls.” XIX century. Small American town. Christmas Eve. Mrs. March sits by the fireplace, surrounded by her four daughters, reading a letter... For Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and their mother, this is the first Christmas they celebrate without their father - at this time he is fighting at the front. But, despite all the difficulties of the war period, constant lack of money, illness, the March family tries to maintain good spirits and support each other in everything. A wonderful, warm book about the lives of four sisters.
“Christmas”, M. Aldashin
The bewitchingly beautiful and touching cartoon “Christmas” by Mikhail Aldashin, which deservedly received many festival prizes, was once published as an album - and it turned out great. The plot is based on the Gospel text about the birth of Christ. The illustrations are organically intertwined with interesting, brief and accessible texts, with the help of which the author warmly talks about this great holiday. The second part of the book contains the maestro’s story about working on the film, sketches, sketches and photographs. Well, just a gift!
Publishing house "Favorite Book"
"Silver Blizzard. Big Book Christmas works»
Carefully collected and published under a wonderful cover, the Christmas collection “Silver Blizzard” includes the best stories, short stories and poems by Russian and foreign authors about the Christmas holiday. Among the authors are Nabokov, Bunin, Chekhov, Pasternak, Brodsky and the not so famous Nikiforov-Volgin, whose modest but touching story gave the title to the entire collection.
Publishing house "Nikeya"
« Book of New Year and Christmas»
And another “winter”, beautifully published gift collection. Twelve tales of different peoples and different times about the main winter holidays - Christmas and New Year.
Publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"
“Secrets of plasticine. Christmas Holiday”, R. Oren
The author of this book is world-famous cartoonist and teacher Roni Oren. In each of his books, he shows in detail the process of creating various characters from plasticine. In this episode, he takes on the Christmas theme and prepares a whole nativity scene with you! Take a book, a couple of boxes of plasticine, and a warm family evening is guaranteed. Very clear and visual explanations, a nice result (even for those who never considered themselves talented in modeling) and, of course, an excellent reason to talk with children about the history of the holiday.
Publishing house "Makhaon"
"Mr. Toomey's Christmas Miracle", S. Wojciechowski
The ultimate Christmas tale of love, redemption and hope. Mr. Toomey is a woodcarver who has lost his family and is grieving for them. But on the eve of the holiday, of course, a miracle happens to him - he finds two close people. “Once upon a time, on the very first Christmas, a baby appeared who brought light and hope to the world. So I decided to write about a child who entered the life of an unhappy person and brought the light of hope into this lonely life,” says the author.
Publishing house "Ripol-Classic"
“Stories about Franz and Christmas”, K. Nestlinger
There are adults who really like to arrange surprises. Everything would be fine, but with such people it is absolutely impossible to make New Year’s wishes! On the eve of the holiday, the main character of the famous series about Franz suffers that again he will not get the desired gift from his mother - there will definitely be something wrong... And Franz decides to take matters into his own hands.
Publishing house "CompassGuide"
“Christmas in the Woods”, W. Stark
Christmas is celebrated not only by people, but also by gnomes and even animals. The grumpy, lonely gnome Buka hung out his mittens to dry. But bad luck - the wind carried them away. And when Buka shook his fist at the wind, the mischievous man tore the red cap off his head. Can you catch them now? Two little rabbits, Nina and Nika, find among the leaves and moss a red cap, blown away by the wind from a gnome who always comes to the forest at Christmas. But what is Christmas? The squirrels and crows said that Christmas is the most joyful holiday. No one knows how to greet him, but everyone is looking forward to him and preparing for the arrival of the gnome: they compose a joyful gnome song, bake goodies, clean the house, prepare gifts and decorate a tree in the forest with all sorts of things...
Publishing house "Samokat"
« Christmas in Petson’s house”, S. Nordqvist
Fans of the artist and storyteller Sven Nordqvist cannot resist! "Christmas in Petson's House" tells about the adventures of two characters beloved by children - the lonely old man Petson and his kitten Findus. On the eve of Christmas, Petson and Findus have a lot to do, but Petson accidentally twisted his ankle. Who will decorate the Christmas tree and prepare the festive dinner?
Publishing house "White Crow"
There are many New Year holidays ahead. Even if you are going on vacation, you can take a book with you so you don’t get bored on the road. And if you are having a party at home, this is a great way to get into a festive mood. After all, how nice it is to sit by the fireplace (even if it’s an imaginary one) under the caress of a plush blanket and read the best Christmas book!
1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The book is a sensation. The book is a parable. The story of Scrooge - a man who loved no one, hated everyone, and legends circulated around the city about his stinginess and callousness. He was treated accordingly. One day, the spirit of Marley's late companion appeared to Scrooge. The author skillfully describes the appearance of this spirit in such a way that the blood in the veins of not only the protagonist, but also the reader, runs cold. Scrooge spent his entire life hoarding, didn’t help anyone, and didn’t respond to requests. And then he completely loses peace.We are witnessing a complete rebirth of man. Cynicism is replaced by bitter regret and repentance. Marley asks the Higher Powers to help his friend change. They send three more spirits to help him. The appearance of everyone is a real test for Scrooge. However, he succeeded. It turns out how wonderful life is when you live for others! Empty and barren, it is filled with quality content.
If this had not happened, then within a year the hero would have died. This is what the spirit of Christmas predicted for him.
The gloom and hopelessness of the plot gradually dissolve, giving way to light, love, and joy.
Attention to each other, responsiveness and kindness are not an empty phrase. You have to learn this. After all, caring, sincere participation changes us in better side, and, therefore, the world around.
4. “The Legend of the Christmas Rose”, Selma Lagerlöf
Be sure to read the book to your children. Be sure to read the book if you are a believer. If you believe in miracles, goodness, love. This is a fairy tale about miracles. Events take place in the Heingen Forest. Allegedly, on a holy winter night, a beautiful flower bloomed there - the Christmas rose. Is it true? And so Abbot John collected roots in the magical forest. And lo and behold! From them grew a rose...5. "Christmas with the Losers," John Grisham
In many families, events occur when a holiday is no longer a holiday. I don’t want fun and feasts, even gifts. One desire is to hide from the bustle. So the Krank family lost its previous meaning in the New Year holidays when their only daughter left. The husband realized that they were spending too much money on having fun. So he suggested that his wife take a cruise. It should be both more fun and cheaper.However, things don't go as planned. An interesting idea turns into a test. After all, no one is allowed to break established traditions! But the Cranks didn’t buy a tree, didn’t donate to charities, didn’t hold their own party. And most importantly, they didn’t put a snowman on their roof! Do you think it’s so easy to disrupt the once good-neighborly close little world? But, reader, don't worry! Everything will end well, because it's a magical Christmas!
6. The Little Match Girl, Hans Christian Andersen
The plot of the fairy tale is classic: an unfortunate orphan wanders through the elegant, beautiful streets on the eve of Christmas. But with a brilliant author, any hackneyed classic takes on an unusual sound. The most important thing is to make a wish on New Year's Eve. Of course, the heroine’s wish came true. After all, this is a magical night. After all, this is a fairy tale...7. “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”, Ernst Hoffmann
The author himself loved and knew how to do miracles. “The Nutcracker” - isn’t it a miracle? Especially when the fairy tale is written specifically for a friend’s children. Hoffman made toys with his own hands. Of course, the children were looking forward to it! He was probably the wizard Santa Claus for them. By the way, the writer took the names of these children for his fairy tale: Marie (that was the name of Hoffmann’s own daughter) and Fritz. The boy later became president of the Berlin Academy of Arts.Hoffman wrote for children. But his works need to be read by adults. With our clear pragmatism and prudence, we have forgotten that there is a place for miracles in life. But it doesn’t happen because we don’t believe. But the children believe it! So maybe it’s worth learning from them?
8. “The Christmas Mystery”, Jostein Gorder
Truly a wonderful story. The boy Joachim chooses a calendar as a Christmas gift. And then the first miracle happens - the calendar turns out to be magical! Every day he opens a new window. But there are not the usual New Year's sweets, but a sheet of paper folded several times.This is how the boy gets acquainted with the story of one girl - Elizabeth. Just imagine that toy lamb from the supermarket... running away into the forest! The girl runs after him. Every day Joachim looks forward to the continuation of the fairy tale. And then the second miracle happens: he doesn’t notice how he gets there!
And Elizabeth meets an Angel on the way to the forest. Together they rush to the Birth of Christ in Jerusalem. An amazing couple travels not only in space, but also in time. They have been traveling thousands of kilometers every day for hundreds of years. On the way, the heroes meet wise men, shepherds, and angels.
This is a very instructive story that tells about the Nativity of Christ in an interesting and accessible language.
9. “The Snow Maiden”, A. Ostrovsky
Can you imagine the New Year without the Snow Maiden? What about Santa Claus without her? So from folk tale about the ice girl, thanks to Alexander Nikolaevich, our favorite image of the New Year’s granddaughter was born. Based on this tale, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a brilliant opera in 1880.It is known that the Russian philanthropist Mamontov staged performances at his estate. In 1882, the play “The Snow Maiden” was also performed on the stage at home. Vasnetsov himself designed the sets and costumes. The great artist played Father Frost in the play! And in 1885, Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Snow Maiden” was also staged at Mamontov’s private opera house. Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was also inspired by this fairy tale and wrote beautiful image Snow Maidens in the winter forest.
10. The Big Book of Christmas Miracles
If you want to become better acquainted with the traditions of celebrating Christmastide, with the New Year’s customs of different nationalities, then read this book. It combined poems, epics, and stories about Christmas. The book is richly illustrated with reproductions of paintings by the best artists of the 19th century. The book will create a feeling of miracle - as if ancient traditions have come to us from time immemorial.
11. Christmas tree
The Christmas tree has long become for us not just a symbol of the Christmas holidays, but a symbol of the coming miracle. We are all waiting for New Year's magic. Installing a Christmas tree in the house is a special ritual in which the whole family takes part. This is especially a great joy for children. It is from this moment that something invisibly changes in the house and in the soul.There is a legend about the Christmas tree. When the Son of God was born, all the trees in the forest came to see the miracle performed. The Christmas tree was behind everyone. She tried in vain to push forward to see Jesus too, but she couldn’t. The angels noticed this and placed a star from heaven on the top of the tree. The entire space around sparkled. The trees parted and gasped: what an elegant Christmas tree!
So this miracle tree became a symbol of the Nativity of Christ.
12. Mr. Toomey's Christmas Miracle by Susan Wojciechowski
If you want to get into the Christmas spirit, read this book with wonderful illustrations by Lynch. You will definitely experience the magic of this holiday for yourself.Woodcarver Tumi lost his wife and son some time ago. Since then, he has avoided communication and experienced no joy in life. But one day there was a knock on his house. A widow and her son asked to cut out holiday figures. The owner didn’t even suspect how it would all end...
13. “The Adventures of New Year’s Toys”, “Land of New Year’s Toys”, Elena Rakitina
When you decorate the Christmas tree, taking toys out of the box, you feel a special thrill. You choose a glass glowing ball and a spruce tree to hang it on. But who said that only people want to have fun on New Year’s Day? A magical night for everyone! Do you want to know where Plasticine Donkey spent it? How did the cowardly puppy Tyavka become a hero? And by the way, why shouldn’t there be a single speck of dust on the Silver Fairy? And most importantly, when will there be that very Ball where dreams come true?
Happy reading and happy holidays!
What to read in winter? Books about winter. Books with a winter mood. Books/stories about magical New Year's miracles. The best New Year and Christmas books for a festive feeling. Yuletide stories. Books for cozy winter evenings. Magical New Year's books, fairy tales and stories.
Reading in winter is an activity like no other. Fluffy snow outside the window, crackling wood in the fireplace, a cozy rocking chair, hot tea and... We offer you books that will help you plunge into the winter atmosphere and tune into an expectantly festive mood.
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There is not a single more joyful holiday than Christmas, when every person expects that a miracle will also happen in his life, the most incredible dreams will come true! A holiday that gave people hope and salvation! The theme of Christmas has not gone unnoticed in Russian literature, and a whole tradition of Christmas and Yuletide stories has developed. These are stories that are good to read on a January winter evening, covered with a warm blanket and brewing a cup of hot chocolate. Perfectly inspires before Christmas and puts you in the mood for the Special Christmas Spirit. Heartwarming stories :)
❄ “A Christmas Carol” became a sensation after its first publication, influencing our Christmas traditions. This is a story-parable about the rebirth of the miser and misanthrope Scrooge, in which the writer, with the help of fantastic images of Christmas Spirits, shows his hero the only way to salvation - to do good to people. One day, the spirit of Marley's late companion appeared to Scrooge. The author skillfully describes the appearance of this spirit in such a way that the blood in the veins of not only the protagonist, but also the reader, runs cold.
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A soulful book in the style of good old England, but modern style. Cozy and warm.A wonderful story from a modern English writer.An amazingly kind, touching novel that will give everyone a feeling of celebration and a real New Year's mood. Five not very happy people, due to circumstances, find themselves in the same house in the north of Scotland. Rosamund Pilcher talks about her characters with a warm, kind smile, and the reader begins to believe that the approaching Christmas will definitely bring wonderful changes to their lives. The novel by the famous English writer is distinguished by lyricism, gentle humor and unexpected plot twists.
❄ 1980. Aaron and Molar have long stopped believing in the existence of Santa Claus, but every year their parents insist that the whole family go to the shopping center, where the boys can give Santa lists of gifts they want to receive for Christmas. While waiting their turn, Aaron and Molar write down on pieces of paper all the toys they can imagine. But Santa Claus invites children to give them something for Christmas that they never even dreamed of, but in return he asks them to help perform a real Christmas miracle.
❄ A wonderful Christmas story for the soul, when you don’t want serious books, but you only want one thing - to rest your heart and get a lost, unique feeling of an approaching miracle. This magical story, designed to become a real antidepressant, is thoroughly saturated with the smells of delicious baked goods, replete with atmospheric New Year's lights and felt with the romantic emotions of the main characters.
❄ The famous story “The Night Before Christmas” about how the devil stole the month and hid it to ruin the holiday is part of the large cycle “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. Bright colors, exciting adventures, a fountain of emotions!❄ Here is a Christmas story to read with your family on New Year's winter evening. An “unchangeable ruble” is a ruble with which you can buy anything, and it will still return to its owner. Only under one condition: all purchases must be made from the heart. This is an old belief. An instructive story for adults.
❄ “God grant that the coming year treats you a little more leniently than this one, and most importantly, do not lose heart,” Dr. Pirogov said to the Mertsalov family. Even in the most hopeless moment, when despair deprives you of the will to live, you must believe in a miracle. “From then on, it was as if a beneficent angel descended into our family. Everything changed.” The story THE WONDERFUL DOCTOR teaches us compassion and responsiveness, teaches us not to remain indifferent to the grief of others.
❄ “Remarkably smart! - nine-year-old Danya Ievlev thinks angrily, lying with his stomach on the skin polar bear and tapping his heel on the heel of his raised legs. - Amazing! Only the big ones can be such pretenders. They locked me in a dark living room, while they themselves amused themselves by hanging the Christmas tree.”
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The tall, evergreen tree of fate is hung with the blessings of life... From bottom to top hang careers, happy occasions, suitable games, winnings, buttered cookies, clicks on the nose, and so on. Adult children crowd around the Christmas tree. Fate gives them gifts...❄ It was Christmas Eve. Marya had been snoring on the stove for a long time, all the kerosene in the light bulb had burned out, and Fyodor Nilov was still sitting and working. He would have quit work long ago and went out into the street, but the customer from Kolokolny Lane, who ordered him the heads two weeks ago, was there yesterday, scolded and ordered the boots to be finished now, before morning.- Life is hard labor! - Fyodor grumbled as he worked. - Some people have been sleeping for a long time, others are walking, but you, like some Cain, sit and kill God knows who...
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In the city of Comainville, which does not shine with cleanliness, nor commercial vivacity, nor all that is the irritating, angular shine of large or feverish cities, the scientist Egmond Drap settled for the sake of peace and quiet.❄ At times, Sashka wanted to stop doing what is called life: not to wash his face in the morning with cold water in which thin sheets of ice float, not to go to the gymnasium, not to listen to everyone scold him there, and not to experience pain in the lower back and throughout the body, when his mother puts him on her knees for the whole evening.
❄ The Winter's Tale is a cornerstone of New York magical realism, a love story with the power to turn back time and raise the dead. You will see a cloud wall mixing times and peoples, and the mythical Lake Kohirais; you will meet a white horse who can fly, and the beautiful daughter of a newspaper magnate, who is forced to spend the night on the roof in the cold, with the leader of a street gang, who dreams of putting all the gold of the dawn in his pocket, and with a civil engineer, from century to century, building a staircase in sky...
❄ Somewhere in the Universe, like giant airships, arks are floating - fragments of civilization. Twenty-one shelters for people, twenty-one worlds with their own laws and customs. The inhabitants of each ark have unique properties: restoring objects with a touch, creating illusory objects, or even causing pain with the power of thought.
❄ (Empty Day - Tatiana Tolstaya - Girl in Bloom) This morning is unlike anything else, it’s not a morning at all, but a short snippet of the first day: a sample, a free sample, an advance title. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. It makes no sense to start something new, because the old things have not yet been removed: dishes, tablecloths, gift wrappers, pine needles that have fallen on the parquet floor.
❄ The book tells the story of how one Christmas Eve a stray white cat appears in the house of a famous writer and immediately changes his life. The fact that they found each other at Christmas is the best gift that life could give them. A cat will teach its owner a lot.
❄ Frightened by a doctor's diagnosis, Oswald T. Campbell flees from cold and damp Chicago to the south, to the hospitable Lost Creek, where he plans to celebrate his last Christmas. He doesn’t expect anything good from the outback, but the reality turns out to be completely different from what he imagined it to be.
❄ A wonderful, inspirational book that you can read with pleasure both on a holiday and on a weekday. This is a story about two completely different people whose destinies crossed only once on Christmas evening. One of them is looking for a way to bring back his long-neglected family, while the other's family is trying to come to terms with the loss of his mother and wife.
❄ Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her young son good night and leaves for her night job at a local hotel. In the morning, she discovers that the city is buried in snow, and her son has disappeared. Not far from the house, in a snowdrift, Vera finds her beloved teddy bear Daniel, but there are no more traces on the icy road.Seattle, present day. Reporter Claire Aldridge writes a story about the May Day snowstorm that paralyzed the city. It turns out that a similar bad weather happened almost eighty years ago, and a boy disappeared during a snowfall. Claire takes on this case without enthusiasm, but soon discovers that the story of Vera Ray is intertwined with her own destiny in the most unexpected way...
❄ June Andersen inherits the legendary Blue Bird bookstore from Aunt Ruby. She soon discovers unique letters among the books - evidence of a long friendship between Ruby and the famous writer Margaret Wise Brown. Since the store is on the verge of collapse, June decides to save it with the help of her discovery. She turns to Gavin, the owner of the restaurant next door to the Blue Bird, for help. It seems like they have a chance together, but June has a lot of secrets, and trusting Gavin is not so easy.
❄ Agnetha Pleyel is a well-known figure in the cultural life of Scandinavia: author of plays and novels, poet, laureate of literary awards, professor of drama, literary critic, journalist. Her books have been translated into 20 languages. main character in the story “Surviving Winter in Stockholm” (1997), she is going through a painful divorce from her husband and, in order to more easily understand and survive what is happening, begins to keep a diary. Since the heroine is a literary critic, ideas from world culture are organically woven into her everyday life and thoughts about life. Records about the problems that concern the heroine, about her relationships with men, memories are filled with echoes of psychoanalysis and obvious or hidden allusions.
Justijn Gorder "Christmas Mystery"You are holding a real magic book in your hands. Because this is also a book that tells amazing story, and at the same time a calendar. The main character of the book, a boy named Joachim, lives in Norway. And in Norway, as in other Scandinavian countries, there is a tradition of buying calendars called Advent calendars on the eve of Christmas. Every day, starting from December 1, children or their parents open a small window in the calendar, behind which chocolates, figures or pictures are hidden. This continues throughout Advent - that is, the anticipation of Christmas, until December 24, when Christmas Eve is celebrated in the evening, and the next day the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ begins. There was only one real Christmas night, but since then Christmas has been celebrated all over the world. The custom of celebrating this holiday on December 25 is accepted among those who belong to the Catholic faith. In the Orthodox tradition, Christmas is celebrated today on January 7th. But if you count 13 days from December 25 (this is exactly the difference between the old and new styles in the 20th and 11th centuries), you get January 7th. Over many, many generations, church customs and institutions have changed, but the common beginning in Christianity was a significant event: that night two thousand years ago when the baby Jesus was born in the city of David, Bethlehem. Every day, opening new chapter books, you will move deeper into history, to its origins, to the moment of the birth of Jesus Christ, and true miracles will accompany you along this path! This book by the famous writer Jostein Gorder is written primarily for children and is intended for family reading.
Daniel Glattauer "The Christmas Dog"
Max hates Christmas, so he decided to escape the holiday by flying to the Maldives. But his brilliant plan is hindered by his dog Kurt, who has no one to leave with. Kurt is unpretentious and sleeps more than he is awake. A dog's favorite state is a state of absolute peace.
Catherine, whom Max met on the Internet, turns thirty on Christmas Eve. Her mother and father cannot come to terms with the fact that their daughter has not yet found a chosen one: preferably an elegant, intelligent man, from a good family, with good income, good taste and good manners - in general, a real gentleman. And then Kurt appears on the horizon with his strange owner...
John Grisham "Christmas with the Losers"
In many families, events occur when a holiday is no longer a holiday. I don’t want fun and feasts, even gifts. One desire is to hide from the bustle. So the Krank family lost its previous meaning in the New Year holidays when their only daughter left. The husband realized that they were spending too much money on having fun. So he suggested that his wife take a cruise. It should be both more fun and cheaper. However, things don't go as planned. An interesting idea turns into a test. After all, no one is allowed to break established traditions! But the Cranks didn’t buy a tree, didn’t donate to charities, didn’t hold their own party. And most importantly, they didn’t put a snowman on their roof! Do you think it’s so easy to disrupt the once good-neighborly close little world? But, reader, don't worry! Everything will end well, because it's a magical Christmas!
Agatha Christie "The Christmas of Hercule Poirot"
England 20th century. The criminal who committed an absurdly cruel, bloody, Americanized crime must be caught and doubly punished for this. Poirot successfully unravels this mysterious murder.
Christopher Moore "The Dumbest Angel"
Meet Christopher Moore's humorous masterpiece - the best way to lift your spirits. The glorious town of Khvoynaya Bay is buzzing with joyful anticipation of a fast Christmas. And only the unfortunate divorcee Lena does not enjoy the holiday - she is annoyed by her ex-husband, a petty and despicable scoundrel who had the audacity to dress up as Santa Claus and once again pester her. In the scuffle, the poor woman accidentally killed the scoundrel with a shovel. Thinking that Christmas was cancelled, little Josh said a prayer for a miracle to save Christmas. And a miracle was his answer - the blond archangel was sent to Coniferous Bay with a mission to save Christmas. A riot of imagination and a concentration of jokes, the faint of heart should refrain from reading, but for the rest, welcome to the Christmas chaos!
Susan Wojciechowski "Mr. Toomey's Christmas Miracle"This is a real New Year's fairy tale. About love, about friendship, about finding yourself and, of course, about hope. “Once upon a time, on the very first Christmas, a baby appeared who brought light and hope to the world. So I decided to write about a child who entered the life of an unhappy person and brought the light of hope into this lonely life,” says the author.
If you want to get into the Christmas spirit, read this book with wonderful illustrations by Lynch. You will definitely experience the magic of this holiday for yourself. Woodcarver Tumi lost his wife and son some time ago. Since then, he has avoided communication and experienced no joy in life. But one day there was a knock on his house. A widow and her son asked to cut out holiday figures. The owner didn’t even suspect how it would all end...
“Your sheep, of course, is beautiful, but my sheep was also happy... After all, they were next to the baby Jesus, and this is such happiness for them!” Mr Toomey makes his living as a wood carver. Once upon a time he smiled and was happy. But after the loss of his wife and son, he became gloomy and was nicknamed Mr. Gloomy by the neighborhood children. One Christmas Eve, a widow with her little son came knocking and asked him to make them Christmas figurines, since they had lost theirs after moving. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with an ordinary order, but gradually this work changes Mr. Toomey...
Richard Paul Evans "The Christmas Box"The young Evans family, who settled in the old mansion of the wealthy widow Marianne Parkin following an advertisement, discover many surprising things in their new place. Ancient copies of the Bible, paintings in expensive frames, a box with mysterious letters to an unknown recipient. It happens around Christmas, Richard, Keri and their four-year-old daughter Jenny, together with the mistress of the house, are preparing to celebrate the holiday, when suddenly something terrible happens - Marianne dies. But before her death, she reveals a great secret to the Evanses, before which even the bitterness of loss pales...
Richard Paul Evans wrote this story exclusively for himself, his family and his circle of friends. Wrote and published at his own expense in 20 copies. The book went from hand to hand, and then the calls started. Acquaintances and strangers called the author and thanked him for the “Christmas Box.” Then booksellers began calling asking if they could order copies for sale, because they were asking for this book. Thus began the worldwide march of Richard Paul Evans' story, and soon its author became one of the leading and sought-after writers of our time.
O"Henry "The Gift of the Magi"
On the eve of Christmas, a young married couple - Jim and Della Dillingham - discover that they do not have enough money to buy holiday gifts for each other. Della decides to sell her luxurious chestnut locks (part of the “treasures that were their pride”) and buy her husband a platinum chain for his gold watch (the second “treasure”).
G. Joyce “As if fairy tale" This is a literal magical novel from the master of British magical realism. The 16-year-old heroine went for a walk in the forest and went missing. Relatives, neighbors and the police searched for her for a long time, but did not find the slightest trace of the girl. 20 years pass after her disappearance, when suddenly... she returns. The girl had not changed at all, as if she had not aged a day. And the stories she tells cannot be called anything other than fairy tales.
A. Vargo “Ice”. How fun it is to race through the snowy taiga on fast snowmobiles! Young people are not at all afraid of the dense shadows of trees, and deep snow drifts, and pitch darkness around, and even the fact that the road has suddenly disappeared somewhere, but mobile phone can't find the network. And even when the engines stalled, the boys and girls did not lose their presence of mind and walked through the gloomy forest. But what kind of hut did they come across on their way? Forester's house? Shelter? Whatever it is, you can spend the night here, fortunately, there was a stove and even firewood in the house. Who would dare to offend such healthy, cheerful and brave young people? You can find out about this by reading this exciting book.
S.E. Allen "Sugar Queen" Josie lives in a small resort town with her tyrannical mother and dreams of travel and adventure. She is painfully shy, she has no friends, and the only thing that somehow brightens up her drab life is reading romance novels and sweets, which she secretly consumes in incredible quantities from her mother, hidden in her dressing room. One fine day, looking into my hiding place behind another portion sweets, she discovers there a local brawler and troublemaker. And from that moment on, Josie’s measured life turns into a dizzying series of incredible events, some of which can only be explained by magic...
Susan Wiggs, "Recipe for Happiness"
That winter night, Jenny Majeski lost everything. Her house burned down, and the fire destroyed photographs, diaries and, most sadly, her grandmother's old recipes. For many years, Jenny owned a bakery in Avalon and wrote a food column for the local newspaper, dreaming of one day writing a book. Police Chief Rourke McKnight sheltered her in his home. Jenny was once engaged to his best friend. All these years, there was a mutual attraction between her and Rourke, but according to an unspoken rule, they tried to avoid each other. It was as if fate itself was telling Jenny that it was time to part with the past and then her dreams of a writing career and a happy family could become a reality.
Neil Gaiman, "Odd and the Ice Giants"
A new fairy tale for children and teenagers (which adults will certainly enjoy) from the famous writer Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline, The Sons of Anansi and Stardust, is being published for the first time in Russian.
If you like to wander through worlds so similar to ours, but in which ancient magic has been preserved and where young hero, leaving the threshold of the house, you find yourself straight into Adventure - this book is for you.
It has an exciting plot, depth, subtlety, humor, evil witchcraft and good charms, talking animals and a world that awaits spring. The strange boy Odd will guide you through the most amazing places of the fabulous North, so similar to the Scandinavian myth...
Shane Jones, "We're Staying for the Winter"
This book was initially published in a tiny edition of 500 copies by a small publishing house that produces arthouse literature.
Unexpectedly, she created a literary sensation.
Critics who have written dozens of rave reviews of Shane Jones's instantly iconic novel Staying Over the Winter compare it to the works of Italo Calvino, Gabriel García Márquez and Neil Gaiman.
"The Legend of the Christmas Rose" by Selma Lagerlöf
Be sure to read the book to your children. Be sure to read the book if you are a believer. If you believe in miracles, goodness, love. This is a fairy tale about miracles. Events take place in the Heingen Forest. Allegedly, on a holy winter night, a beautiful flower bloomed there - the Christmas rose. Is it true? And so Abbot John collected roots in the magical forest. And lo and behold! From them grew a rose...
The Big Book of Christmas Miracles
If you want to become more familiar with the traditions of celebrating Christmastide, with the New Year's customs of different nationalities, then read this book. It combined poems, epics, and stories about Christmas. The book is richly illustrated with reproductions of paintings by the best artists of the 19th century. The book will create a feeling of miracle - as if ancient traditions have come to us from time immemorial.
The Internet is full of all sorts of lists of winter-New Year-Christmas-themed books for children. But all of them are designed to be read for up to 10 years. And what next? What should teenagers aged 12-14 read? I’ve been studying lists on this topic for the second year now and somehow I don’t find much. I understand that teenagers are not easy people :))) They have all sorts of quirks, they already have their own opinions, sometimes you can’t force them to read anything at all, let alone on a given topic. But can I suggest you try it? Well, suddenly :))) Suddenly they want a New Year's mood or something like that.
In general, I tried to generalize my knowledge on the topic raised above. What books have I found that could be offered to a grown-up child from 11-12 years old and that would have an atmosphere of winter, anticipation of the New Year and Christmas. It is clear that by this age the Nutcrackers and the Snow Queens have already been read. What else do you have? Let’s not forget that we have a teenager (and I also have a boy, he is not interested in girls’ crushes yet, he would like action, adventures, riddles).
I would first suggest Pratchett. He has it right here interesting book Christmas themed
Briefly about the content, I took it from reviews in Ozone:
"The children stopped believing in Santa Hryakus, and he disappeared. His role was played by... (who do you think? No, not the Magic Rabbit). Death. Believe it or not, the most adequate entity throughout the book."
Yes Yes. In the magical Discworld, invented by Pratchett, there is also a winter holiday - Fright Day. And now he is under threat. And Death undertakes to save him (Pratchett’s character, who doesn’t know, is very adequate and wise). Death is helped by his granddaughter (well, yes, Death has a granddaughter, but what’s wrong? That’s all Pratchett).
In general, your teenager is guaranteed a sea of positive emotions, an unusual plot, unusual characters and, as always, a sea of life wisdom. Unless of course you are confused by such characters (I am absolutely not). And those who are confused, but don’t have time to read it themselves, and at the same time want to find out approximately what is there and how it is in the book - you can watch the film adaptation of this work, it is there. And then decide whether to give it to your child or not. Personally, I have never found anything scary in Pratchett’s books for teenagers, but I have read them a little. Moreover - Pratchett in this case, from MY point of view, is simply a very excellent alternative to the already boring Nutcrackers and Snow queens. By this time, children often want something more adult.
Another Pratchett series. About Tiffany Bolen. No, no, it’s not about the New Year or Christmas at all. But there is winter here. Oh, what a wonderful winter world there is here. He's not here all the time, but when Tiffany hits him it's so cold. In general, it seems to me that this series is good to start reading in the winter. Very atmospheric. I don’t know if there is winter in the second book, I haven’t read it yet, I’ve only read the first of the series so far (unlike my son). But I am sure that your child will not stop at the first book, but will devour the entire series of five books. By the way, this series was originally designed specifically for teenagers. And in the third book the summary itself is winter, so you have to take everything :))) I can’t help but give the summary of the third book (I really wanted to read it myself):
"A This is the dark morris, a mysterious dance that is danced in the forest at night in late autumn to welcome the onset of winter. Only creepy misty creatures come to look at him... and witches. But one day, twelve-year-old Tiffany Bolen didn't want to just stand and watch. It seemed to her that there was a free space in the dance, just for her, and Tiffany started dancing. So she attracted the attention of Zimovey, a powerful ancient spirit. He is the one who freezes the rivers, brings down snowfalls on the earth and brings with him a fierce cold. Previously, he didn’t even care about people, but now Zimovey fell in love with a girl who dared to dance with him. For her sake, he decided to become a man himself. And I’m ready to present Tiffany with a royal gift: eternal winter..."
Overall, I think this is a good series for winter reading for teenagers. There are only 5 books in it.
Probably, many children by the age of 12 had already read A Christmas Carol, The Night Before Christmas, and The Unchangeable Ruble. But in principle, it seems to me that a teenager will re-read these books with pleasure again (if he hasn’t read them). At least my child loves all three of these stories very much.
Both I myself and Svyatoslav, in principle, love the stories of O. Henry. And these two - Gifts of the Magi and Christmas tree with a surprise - also have a Christmas theme. Best for grown up children.
With "The Givers" the story turns out to be almost the same as with Pratchett's Tiffany Bolen series. There is no direct reference to Christmas, but the book begins in winter and clearly in the days before Christmas. And it’s winter all the way in the first part. There will be an extraordinary winter forest and ice monsters. In general, it is so, very atmospheric, just winter. The very beginning already creates such a magical pre-Christmas atmosphere. The remaining parts will be about a different time, but here again it is unlikely that the child will refuse to continue. But it would be quite a good idea to start reading the series to a teenager before New Year’s.
Well, everything is clear about the Wonderful Doctor. And I also looked for Dickens’s “Holly” for my child. I myself am not familiar with the work, my son has not read it either. According to the abstract, it’s quite on topic:
Christmas Eve. In a small snow-covered hotel "Holly" a lonely traveler is waiting out the bad weather. He keeps a secret and prefers to spend all his days alone with his memories. Horrible stories from the past are dispelled only by the touching story of the bellhop. However, an unexpected meeting with an old friend prevents the hero from making a fatal mistake.
In general, I’ll take “Holly” and read it.
Collections of stories. I watched and studied many. I settled on these three.
We already have a “New Year tree”. We read it. It is good because there are many stories suitable for 12-14 year olds. That year we read Stanyukovich and something else, I don’t remember. This year I’ll get it, maybe some more will be venerated.
But for now I’m just thinking about taking the other two collections or not. I'm inclined to take scary stories, the selection seems interesting. And in other ways it’s not bad, there’s a lot of Christmas stuff from the classics - Chekhov, Dostoevsky. In general, it should be good for 12-14 year olds.
I can't say that I'm an ardent fan." True story Santa Claus." On the other hand, I won’t say that I don’t like it. And I’ve had it at home for many years :))) Probably, it’s time to get it. I don’t know, but it seems to me that at the age of 13 you should read it It's just right. Still, it's not for children, it's already thinking about destinies, very early on. I personally wouldn't read it with a child. But it's quite suitable for a teenager.
I found another one today - House of Green Glass. This is something new. Judging by the annotation, it is quite suitable for winter and New Year's reading:
The main character is twelve-year-old Milo Pine, the adopted son of the owners of an inn in Nagspeak, a city of smugglers. The establishment, called the House of Green Glass, is located in a huge, dilapidated estate that looks like it was hastily cobbled together from ill-matched houses collected in a dozen different cities.
The hotel is usually empty at the start of the Christmas holidays, so Milo hopes to get some rest. But the silence of the first frosty night is broken by the persistent ringing of a bell. And one after another, five guests check into the hotel. The appearance of each of them is shrouded in some mystery, which turns out to be intertwined with the history of the “House of Green Glass”. Milo is also puzzled by his accidental discovery - a fragment of a navigation map. And meeting Maddie, the cook’s youngest daughter, spurs the young man to start a detective game, the goal of which is to find out why all these people came and where this strange map leads. He does not yet know what a difficult task awaits him, and what he will learn about the mysterious guests, about the house and about himself.