30 Best Christmas Chapter Books for Tweens (Ages 8 to 12 Years)

Second only to decorating the tree, my girls love the annual appearance of our basket of beloved Christmas books at the beginning of the holiday season. This basket includes lots of holday themed books that we have collected over the years, including board books, picture books and, more recently, Christmas chapter books.

Whether you have a book basket like we do, or count down to Christmas with a book advent calendar, adding a few new Christmas books to your collection each year is a great way to keep your children reading over the holidays. And if you are looking for new Christmas themed chapter books for your tween then this collection includes lots of fabulous possibilities for your holiday reading pile.

This list includes 30 Christmas chapter books for tweens (aged 8 to 12 years) that are humorous, inspiring and super engaging. There are mysteries, short stories, a little non-fiction and even a horror thriller (thanks R.L. Stine!!) I am sure you’ll find a title or two to suit your pre-teen or middle grade class- whatever their reading preference or interests!

RELATED: For more like this, check out our list of Christmas Graphic Novels for Kids, or  if you are on the lookout for older children, check out our list of Christmas Books for Teens!

30 Best Christmas Chapter Books for Tweens (Children Aged 8 to 12)

Each book included on our list is linked to both an Amazon  page – these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Diary of a Christmas Elf by Ben Miller Tog the Elf dreams of becoming a toymaker but when he is finally given the opportunity, Tog is just not up for the job! When toys start disappearing from the workshop, there’s a mystery to solve. Can Tog find the thief and the presents before Santa’s Christmas eve deadline? Age 8+ years. Available: Amazon

The Christmas Carrolls by Mel Taylor-Bessent Wish it could be Christmas every day of the year? Well, for nine-year-old Holly Carroll and her family, it is! Living her merriest life, home-schooled Holly tries to spread cheer wherever she goes but when she is sent to school for the new school year, not everyone appreciates her festive spirit! A sweet story about the importance of spreading cheer, the magic of friendship and what really matters at this most wonderful time of year. Age 8+ years. Available: Amazon

The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle When George stumbles across Marley’s Curiosity Shop at the Christmas fair he finds a mysterious snow globe. Before he knows it, George and his Scrooge of a dad are swept away on a hilarious adventure to Christmases past, present and future. With help from an enthusiastic elf, a grumpy purple reindeer and a mischievous Nan, can George find a way to bring the joy of Christmas home once again? Available: Amazon

The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller Jackson loves Christmas. He knows a lot about Christmas. But there’s one thing he wishes he could ask Santa – how did he become Father Christmas? That Christmas Eve he stays awake, determined to ask Santa the question…but he soon discovers that the answer is nothing like what he expected!  Age 10 + years. Available: Amazon

Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas by Sibeal Pounder What if somewhere along the way we’ve got the Santa story all wrong! Blanche Claus aims to deliver a Christmas gift to every child on Earth, with help from her best friend Rinki and an aspiring chef called Santa, it’s a funny festive sleigh ride you’ll never forget! Age 12+ years. Available: Amazon

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Matt Haig’s Christmas Chapter Books

This fun, festive trilogy by Matt Haig deserves an extra special place on our Christmas chapter books list.

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig You are about to read…THE TRUE STORY OF FATHER CHRISTMAS. If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. (Because this book is FULL of impossible things.) Are you still reading? Good! Great for age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig It is Christmas Eve and all is not well. Amelia Wishart is trapped in Mr Creeper’s workhouse and Christmas is in jeopardy. The magic of Christmas is fading. For Christmas to survive, Father Christmas knows he must find Amelia. With the help of some elves, eight reindeer, the Queen and a man called Charles Dickens, the search for a special girl, and the secret of Christmas, begins. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig Amelia Wishart is now living with her bew adoptive parents, Father Christmas and Mary Christmas in Elfhelm. But she still doesn’t feel like she fits in! Amelia attends elf school, where she is taller than all the other students… and the adults too. Plus Elf school work isn’t at all like human school work! Then there’s the issue of Father Vodol, and his attempts to make the other elves believe that humans are dangerous and shouldn’t even be allowed in Elfhelm. Maybe Amelia should just return to the human world! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

The Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman Christmas vacation is just hours away and Mrs. Walters’ 5th grade class can almost taste it! But then a meteorite crashes through the classroom window and out pops a genie! To prove his gratitude at being set free, the genie grants the class one wish…but, if the class can’t all agree on one wish in one hour, Christmas vacation will be cancelled! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher All ten year old William really wants for Christmas is a dinosaur…even though he knows dinosaurs are extinct. When a mix up in the North Pole lands the Christmasaurus in William’s home on Christmas Eve, the two form an instant friendship and find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime as they attempt to get Christmasaurus home to Santa in the North Pole. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch by Tom Fletcher In this sequel to The Christmasaurus, Santa visits William and his family to invite them all to the North Pole. There they discover how Christmas works. They also meet the mysterious and magical Winter Witch and learn of her power to control time so that Santa can travel all around the world on Christmas Eve. While there William learns that the fate of Christmas hangs in the balance, and now he and the Christmasaurus must risk everything to save it. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

Eddie Versus the Shadow Shifters in the Battle for Christmas by Brandon Stevenson Just days before Christmas Eddie moves to Brockville and curiously finds that no one in town appears aware that Christmas is just days away. His curiosity leads an adventurous Eddie to discover Santa’s Elf Rangers, the protectors of Christmas, and the evil Shadow Shifters – who are behind the mysterious disappearance of Christmas in his new home town. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

Nutcracked by Susan Adrian Georgie has waited to dance the part of Clara in The Nutcracker ballet her whole life. And when she finally gets the part, it’s like a dream come true…literally. Every time Georgie dances with the Nutcracker doll, she leaves the ballet studio and enters a world where everything around her is magical! But when the Nutcracker’s magic seeps into the real world, Georgie must save her friend, the Nutcracker, and herself! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

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The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis When siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia they discover a land frozen in eternal winter thanks to the power of an evil White Witch. Can the four children help the true leader of the land, the great lion Aslan, save the land of Narnia. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

The Naughty List by Michael Fry and Bradley Jackson When Bobbie’s hilariously bumbling efforts to save her brother’s Christmas actually land him on Santa’s Naughty List, she must travel to the North Pole to make things right and save Christmas. Bobbie suddenly finds herself on an epic adventure complete with rogue elves, dysfunctional reindeer, a lazy Santa and more! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

Deck the Halls, We’re Off the Walls by Dan Gutman (My Weird School Special) Santa Claus is coming to town! Or at least to the local mall. But what happens when kid rapper Cray-Z gives a Christmas concert at the same mall and all his fans go bananas? One thing’s for sure—if A.J. and the gang from Ella Mentry School want to save the day, they will need a Christmas miracle. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

Goosebumps Most Wanted: The 12 Screams of Christmas by RL Stine Kate is starring in a scary Christmas play for her school and everyone in the play is staying at a haunted house to rehearse, but Kate is the only one who can actually see the ghosts! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

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The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements When popular sixth grader, Hart Evans is put in charge of the big holiday concert by his exasperated music teacher he soon discovers there’s a big difference between popularity and leadership, and the entire class learn lessons in the importance of working together, democracy, and the true meaning of Christmas. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

Top Elf by Caleb Huett In this hilarious story, Ollie and Celia think they know what the life of an elf is supposed to be like: Make toys. Make more toys. Try out a new ice-cream flavor. Help Santa. But then Santa rocks the North Pole with an announcement-he’s decided this is going to be his last year in the Big Red Suit and he’s opening up the job to any kid who wants to apply! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

Issie and the Christmas Pony by Stacy Gregg Issie had always wanted her very own pony, and perhaps this Christmas her wish would come true. A fabulous story for pony lovers. Age 10+ years. Available: Amazon

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser Twins Isa and Jessie, along with siblings Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney (ranging from ages four-and-three-quarters to 12), plus a dog, a cat, a bunny, and their parents, all live together in a brownstone on 141st Street. Unfortunately, cantankerous landlord Mr. Biederman refuses to renew the lease. They have the five days before Christmas to change his mind or they will have to move out of the only home they have ever known. Age 10+ years Available: Amazon

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Doctor Who: Twelve Doctors of Christmas Inside this festive book of illustrated Doctor Who stories, you’ll find many mysteries, travels in the TARDIS, monster-chasing excitement and plenty of Christmas magic. Age 10+ years. Available: Amazon

Nancy Drew Diaries: A Nancy Drew Christmas by Carolyn Keene Nancy finds herself with a Christmas mystery to solve while spending winter vacation at the most beautiful ski resort in Montana. Everything seems so perfect but, unfortunately, not all is as jolly as it seems! Age 10+ years. Available: Amazon

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson A heartwarming story of a homeless old man, Armand, who lives alone on the streets of Paris and is not ashamed to be termed a hobo or a tramp. His life is changed forever when a small family who have fallen on hard times enter his life. For the first time in such a long time he starts to feel a connection that causes him to realise that he belongs with this family. Age 11+ years. Available: Amazon

WinterFrost by Michelle Houts Bettina and her baby sister are left alone on their family farm when an accident befalls their grandmother. Bettina is resourceful, and does all the chores just so, with the exception of forgetting to leave out a dish of Christmas rice pudding for the nisse (gnomes) who her grandfather always said lived in their barn. But a forgotten nisse is a mischievous nisse, and now Bettina has trouble on her hands! Age 11+ years. Available: Amazon

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Christmas Short Stories

These collections of Christmas short stories include classic tales, hilarious adventures and more!

Enid Blyton’s Christmas Stories There is mystery and magic, laughter and mischief, the joy of shared times and plenty of delicious food – from Santa Claus and his helpers to a family putting up their tree, the characters in these wonderful short stories embrace the true Christmas spirit. Available: Amazon

Enid Blyton’s Christmas Tales 25 more classic Christmas short stories from Enid Blyton that are sure to capture the excitement of anticipating gifts, the pleasures of special food, of singing carols, and coming together to share good times with friends and families. Available: Amazon

A Little House Christmas Treasury by Laura Ingalls Wilder A heartwarming compilation of Christmas stories from the Little House books that remind us all that time spent with loved ones is what makes the holiday season so special. Available: Amazon

The Very Merry Murder Club by various authors A mysterious collection of wintery crime stories by thirteen of the most exciting and diverse authors in children’s books today. Age 10+ years. Available: Amazon

Father Christmas’s Fake Beard by Terry Pratchett A collection of hilarious Christmas themed short stories. If turkey, carols, presents and crackers are all starting to feel a bit samey, mix it up with a huge exploding mince pie, a pet abominable snowman, and a very helpful partridge in a pear tree! What if Father Christmas went to work at a zoo, or caused chaos in a toy store or, was even, arrested for burglary!? Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon

For Christmas picture book suggestions, be sure to check out our other holiday booklists – Funny Christmas Picture Books for Kids, Christmas Picture Books About Santa and the very popular Books Celebrating Christmas Around the World.

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