Best Winter Reading for Kids of All Ages 2023
As the temperature drops, nothing warms up the heart quite like a good book! We’ve rounded up some winter reading options for kids of all ages, from preschool to high school. Grab your softest blankets, your comfiest clothes and your favorite hot drink and cozy up for a winter read with your kids!
Psst… Read all about Balancing Sports and Extracurricular Activities This School Year!
If You Were a Penguin by Florence Minor
Ages 2 to 5
This rhyming picture book will teach young readers all about penguins! Little ones can learn about these cold-weather critters and imagine what it would like to be a penguin.
Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee
Ages 2 to 6
Here’s a perfect book for the whole winter, whether there’s snow on the ground or not. After fresh snowfall, a young girl notices tracks in the show. Overwhelmed by curiosity, she follows the tracks to find out who left them and where they lead.
Little Critter: Just a Snowman by Mercer Mayer
Ages 3 to 6
Spend a snow day with the classic and beloved character, Critter! Little Critter wants nothing more than to build a snowman on his day off from school, but first he has to help his sister get her snow boots on, his dad shovel the sidewalk and Gator build a fort. This timeless book is perfect for a snow day story time.
Magic Tree House: Winter of the Ice Wizard by Mary Pope Osborne
Ages 6 to 9
Kids have loved the Magic Tree House series for years, and it’s no surprise that there’s a perfect book in the series for the winter season.
After Merlin the Magician and Morgan le Fay go missing, Jack and Annie go on a journey with their friends to find them through a frozen kingdom of ice and snow. It’s a great fantasy option for your little adventurous readers.
Snow Monsters Do Drink Hot Chocolate by Debbie Dadey Marcia and Thorton Jones
Ages 7 to 9
The Bailey School Kids see an amazing new snowboarder in their town, and Howie thinks it’s a snow monster, who will make winter stick around forever. After all, it hasn’t stopped snowing since this snowboarder showed up… Does this snowboarder have anything to do with it? Will it ever stop snowing?
Frankie Sparks and the Big Sled Challenge by Megan Frazer Blakemore
Ages 7 to 10
Join third-grade inventor Frankie Sparks as she enters her town’s sled design contest! Her and her team have to design the fastest, best-looking sled in town while working together as a team. After reading Frankie’s building adventure, your kids may want to get out in the snow and try sledding for themselves.
Peak by Roland Smith
Ages 8 to 12
Peak Marcello is arrested for climbing up the side of a New York City skyscraper and he has two choices: be sent to juvenile detention or go live with his estranged father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand.
But Peak soon learns that his father has taken an interest in him again because he wants Peak to be the youngest person to reach the summit of Everest. It’s a great story for older kids looking for some adventure in their reading. Plus, it’s the first in a series if your kid wants more stories about Peak.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Ages 8 to 12
This classic story is perfect for the winter season. Mary finds life on her uncle’s manor boring. But in the grounds around the manor, she discovers a secret garden, locked with a missing key. With some new companions, Mary is determined to find a way into the garden and bring it back to life.
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
Ages 10 to 13
In this middle grade urban fantasy series, young orphan Elizabeth Somers finds a home in a hotel full of secrets. She discovers a book of puzzles that reveals a mystery about the hotel’s owner. Kids will be enthralled by the mystery and adventure of this wintry tale.
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Ages 11 to 14
Mona’s magic is a little out of the ordinary: it only works on bread. Her comfortable life working in her aunt’s bakery turns upside down when an assassin turns up on the streets of Mona’s city, and it looks like Mona is his next target. Kids will love this unique magical fantasy story.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Ages 12 to 17
If you have a reader looking for a bit of a challenge, give this classic a try! This timeless coming-of-age story follows four sisters in Civil War-era America and looks at their growth from childhood to adulthood.
It’s a story that readers of all kinds have fallen in love with for generations, so this could be a great option for a parent-child buddy read. Share this timeless classic with your kids!
Whiteout: A Novel by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Wood Folk and Nicola Yoon
Ages 13 to 17
Cozy up with this winter romance by a powerhouse team of authors! While Atlanta grinds to a halt in the wake of a massive snowstorm, a dozen teens come together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life. Will the warmth of young love and friendship be enough to melt the ice?
