Picture Books
Bunny is going skiing but he needs the help of the reader. Can you help make it snow just right and help Bunny make it down the slopes ok?
Target Readers:
- Interactive Book Fans: This is cuter than the average interactive book. It asks the reader to shake the book to make it snow. Tilt the book to help Bunny build up enough speed on the slopes, etc.
- Skiing Fans/Bunny Fans/Animal Lovers: If you love the thrill of skiing or cute bunnies, you should enjoy this book.
Flora and the Penguin (Flora) by Molly Idle
Flora and the Penguin have a great time ice skating together until there's a little misunderstanding. Not to worry, though, because the two friends quickly work out their misunderstanding.
Target Readers:
- Wordless Book Fans/Art Lovers: Flora and the penguin’s adventures are conveyed entirely through Idle’s amazing illustrations.
- Interactive Book Fans: Readers lift or move flaps that help you better understand the story.
- Ice Skating Fans/Penguin Lovers: Flora and the penguin have a good time skating in the story when they aren’t miscommunicating.
- Miscommunication & Working out Misunderstandings Book Fans: Flora and the penguin have to work out a misunderstanding in here. (The penguin gives Flora a fish which she thinks is disgusting, hurting the penguin’s feelings.) It provides a great opportunity to talk to readers about how actions can be misunderstood for a number of reasons, and how to repair a relationship. You could also talk about how a treasure to one person can seem worthless to another person.
Learning to Ski with Mr Magee (Mr. Magee & Dee) by Chris Van Dusen
Mr. Magee decides that he and Dee should try skiing. He rigs up a basket for Dee to ride in on his back and heads for a small hill near their home to try things out before driving to the mountains. Skiing proves a bit challenging for Mr. Magee, especially when a moose and a ravine get in his way.
Target Readers:
- Skiing Fans/Humor Fans/Art Lovers: Van Dusen's illustrations in this are amazing and hilarious, and it's all about the way he uses perspective. It's artistic comedic genius. And of course, we’d expect nothing less from an adventure with Mr. Magee and Dee. (There are three Mr. Magee and Dee books and they are all fantastically funny.)
Lines by Suzy Lee
What starts as a wordless book featuring a single ice skater making lines on pristine ice turns into something else when the skater falls and the artist gets frustrated.
Target Readers:
- Skating Fans/Creative Picture Book Fans: This is one that is impossible to describe sufficiently. You've just got to read it. Ice skating fans and winter sports fans should enjoy it for the fun with ice skating.
- Perfectionists/Art Lovers: Perfectionists, especially artists who are perfectionists can walk away with a little more from this book as it is a subtle commentary on the potential beauty and even fun in mistakes they may be tempted to throw out.
Lower Grade Fiction
Claude on the Slopes (Claude, #6) by Alex T. Smith
Claude and Sir Bobblysock discover snow and the fun of winter past times...Claude goes in more for the sport activities and Sir Bobblysock explores the snowman arts and the pleasures of a hot drink at the lodge.
Target Readers:
- Skiing Fans/Sledding (or Sledging) Fans/Snow Activity Fans: There’s lots of wintry fun to be had with Claude and Sir Bobblysock.
- Graphic Novel Fans/Humor Fans: This highly illustrated little novel (could be classified a graphic novel) is absolutely hilarious. It’s my personal favorite of Claude’s adventures.
Middle Grade Fiction
The Big Dark by Rodman Philbrick
After solar flares take out all electricity and messes up compasses and such on New Year’s Eve, Charlie and his family are working to survive in their New Hampshire town. There are various factions starting to divide the town, but Charlie’s bigger issue is his mom’s health. She’s run out of medicine and he must ski to the city on his own to get more for her.
Target Readers:
- Survival Fans/Skiing Fans: Those who like to watch people figure out how to survive in the middle of winter without any modern conveniences should enjoy this book. Also a very real application of skiing abilities is showcased.
- Dystopia/Thriller Fans: The town starts to have issues between various factions who want to take over and it is a bit tense at times. Charlie also experiences some exciting and perilous situations as he ventures off on his own to get medicine. Readers who like high action books and light dystopias should give this a try.
Extreme Babymouse (Babymouse, #17) by Jennifer L. Holm, ill. by Matthew Holm
Everyone is going snowboarding and Babymouse doesn't want to get left out. Once she does hit the slopes, will she use her head or let peer pressure lead her to do something dangerously stupid?
Target Readers:
- Snowboarding Fans/Humor Fans: The summary isn’t lying. Everyone in Babymouse’s world is snowboarding, even the Locker! And it is so very funny.
- Graphic Novel Fans/Reluctant Readers/Winter Sport Fans: Babymouse books are short, quick graphic novels perfect for reluctant readers. If you want another winter sport with Babymouse, try her skating book, Skater Girl where she has to decide how hard she’s willing to work for her dreams.
- Peer Pressure Lesson Fans: Babymouse of course does learn an important lesson about peer pressure in here.
Spy Ski School (Spy School, #4) by Stuart Gibbs
Ben is being mobilized for another mission, along with a few other kids from Spy School. Ben's mission is to get close to Jessica Shang, daughter of suspected big bad guy Leo Shang from China. The CIA suspects that the Shang's ski trip to Vail, Colorado is a cover for something but they aren't sure what. Jessica has enrolled in ski school the week after Christmas, so Ben is going to be in the same school. He'll hopefully learn to ski while not killing himself, and figure out what Leo Shang's plans are before something bad happens.
Note: Click on title to see content notes.
Target Readers:
- Spy Story Fans/Skiing Fans: A fantastic spy adventure for middle grade readers from Mr. Gibbs. Students LOVE this series. This one combines just the right mix of ski scenes, humor, interpersonal stuff, and epic spy action. And Erica's issues with skiing are hilarious.
- Reluctant Readers: This is one of my go-to non-graphic novel series to get reluctant readers hooked on reading.
Young Adult Fiction
Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson
Victoria sets out with a small sled dog team for what she thinks will be a quick afternoon trip. But then she comes across a guy who wrapped his snowmobile around a tree and needs help. And soon a blizzard is bearing down on them, forcing them to camp for the night. With her map accidentally a victim of the fire, no cell reception, and the snowmobiler new to town, can Victoria and her dogs get them safely back?
Target Readers:
- Survival Story Fans/Dog Sled Fans/Alaska Fans: For those who like survival stories in the wintery wilds of Alaska with some loyal sled dogs, definitely give this one a try. (And if you like sled dog stories, Terry Lynn Johnson has another sled dog book out just last year, Sled Dog School, aimed at middle grade readers.)
- MG or YA Readers/Light, Clean Romance Fans: For some reason many have the interest level of this book listed as middle grade, but it features two 16 year old main characters and there’s a little bit of romance. I think it better fits the YA reader, but there is really no content to prevent middle grade readers from enjoying it either. Usually the cover sucks in both readers.
The Possibility of NOW by Kim Culbertson
Mara is a Junior at an elite private school in San Diego. She was the top of her class, and headed right for being Valedictorian next year. That was until her melt down in calculus. All the stress and perfectionism got to her and she turned her test into confetti along with several others, and it went on YouTube. Now she's headed to Tahoe to spend some time with the biological father she hardly knows and try to figure out how to put her life back together. She's got her lists, and her plans. She's going to take online classes to keep her scholarship at Ranfield while she figures things out and can get back to being Miss Perfect.
Target Readers:
- Skiing & Snowboarding Fans: All the characters in Tahoe have their lives wrapped up in skiing or snowboarding. You get to vicariously live in a world where everyone hits the slopes daily. If you want a good dose of winter and cold, go live in these pages for a little while.
- Contemporary Fiction Fans/Character Development Book Fans: There’s a teensy bit of romance in here (completely clean), but that really takes a back seat to all the character development. There are several characters who have growing to do over the course of the book, and watching them grow is very fulfilling.
- Perfectionists (and Parents of Perfectionists): This is an important read for perfectionists. Perfectionism runs rampant in the hallways at our school, and there are lots of students I hope can learn from Mara's struggle. I really appreciate how Culbertson subtly works in the various ways perfectionism and pressure can play out in people's lives, and healthy and non-healthy responses to it in a non-preachy way. I also recommend parents of perfectionists or stressed teens give this a read so they have a better picture of how their teen is thinking.
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