Disclosure: I received these books to review. Post contains affiliate links; opinions shared are mine.

Each year, Santa brings my kids books. He must really like to read! The books are always welcome at our house, but especially on Christmas since they are a way to settle in for a quiet afternoon after the frantic paper-ripping on Christmas morning. Here are some Santa-worthy stocking stuffer ideas in book form.

Power Up! is a devotional book specifically for girls. Through vignettes and personal experiences, each page shares a story about a female athlete. I wouldn’t have realized that these were all stories about girls if the cover hadn’t been so obvious. I plan to pass the book along to the FCA sponsor at my school; it’s the perfect resource for those who need a story to share during a moment of reflection. I liked that many sports were represented in the book. From golf to tennis to basketball, there were athletes from every background and experience.

Many of the devotions speak to attitude and determination. These life lessons can be applied to all kinds of settings, not just sports, so don’t hesitate to use this book as a jumping-off point with teens. I’m torn about the title; in my opinion, it perpetuates gender roles that aren’t significant in this situation. Boys AND girls would enjoy this book, so just bypass the whole “girls” thing and enjoy it!

There’s something mysterious about the sewer system.  As repulsive as it might be to adults, the sewer system is a hidden terrain that kids can’t help but wonder about.  After all, think about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  In the book All the Lost Things by Kelly Canby, Olive gets to explore this enigmatic world and makes extraordinary discoveries.  I loved that Olive considered the needs of her family while on her adventure.  The illustrations are beautifully whimsical, with hand lettering and bright watercolor contrasts.  Readers will adore Olive’s spunky personality, too!  If your little reader is feeling inspired by Olive’s experience, download All the Lost Things Activity Kit for more fun.

There are some obvious safety issues that parents should think of while reading this — the fact that Olive traveled the city alone, and that she entered an open manhole would be the first items of concern for me.  Also, Olive opened jars of unknown substances.  I hate that I even have to think of such things, but we live in a different day and time than we did in our childhood. When we’re walking on the school track or in a parking lot, I instruct my children to never touch an abandoned bottle or container.  I’d be tempted to reiterate such reminders while reading All the Lost Things, thus feeling like a helicopter parent.

Older “kids” still enjoy stockings, and an interesting book is the perfect stuffer for those who have a Christmas break from school.  There’s a lot to love about Rain Saga by Riley Barton.  This dystopian novel takes the reader to a world where Earth is reduced to a sludge-covered, stormy planet. The Blister Wart disease looms over Earth’s inhabitants, and travel outside of New Denver is next to a death sentence.  It’s a different world than we’ve seen in other young adult novels, and the storyline is quite unique.  I loved that the novel was very clean while maintaining a high-interest level.  There is no sexual content, and contains only very mild profanity a couple of times.  This makes it great for younger teens who enjoy a deeper plot, but don’t need to be exposed to mature situations.  There’s plenty of action, peril, and surprise found in these pages.  There are a lot of characters to follow, which made it difficult to keep track at some points.  The story is told from several angles, which makes each chapter fairly short.  I could see this becoming a cartoon or TV series once the book takes off.  I look forward to reading more by Riley Barton!