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Librarian-Approved Books to Gift Everyone on Your List

Book covers: Cantoras, Lovely War, Sing a Song, Other Words for Home, The Goldfinch, Saturday

Looking for great gifts for your loved ones this holiday season? Books always make for perfect presents, and librarians have expert reading recommendations for all your friends and family.

Below, you’ll find tons of links to librarian-curated book lists and awards, featuring a wide array of diverse titles for readers of all ages.

(To really spread joy this holiday season, purchase your picks from your local independent bookstore—small businesses need all the support they can get during the pandemic and beyond.)

Books for Adults

Books for Teens

  • The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) recently released their 130-title Outstanding Books for the College Bound List, which features fascinating and thought-provoking picks for older teens.
  • YALSA also released a list of the 71 best recent young adult novels, which includes diverse authors and stories.
  • Earlier this year, librarians from the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table put together a list of their 10 recent favorite feminist books for youth. Some recommendations are for kids as well as teens.
  • Librarians from the Library and Information Technology Association recently assembled an out-of-this-world list of sci-fi books for young people. The list also offers recommendations for children in addition to teens.

Books for Kids

For more great reads at an amazing price, shop the Be The Change collection from Humble Bundle, the American Library Association, and the Freedom to Read Foundation; the set is full of diverse books and proceeds help support library social justice initiatives.

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