In fifth grade, I once got grounded for reading after midnight. If you have a young reader in your life who just can’t put their books down, we have some new 2024 titles to consider. NPR staffers and critics recommended these (and many, many more) for Books We Love, NPR’s year end book guide.

Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez

The highs and lows of one of the greatest baseball players of all time is told here with a special focus on how Roberto Clemente fought racism throughout his career. The author makes sure not to skimp on fun baseball details, but she also expertly addresses what Clemente had to go through as a professional ballplayer from Puerto Rico, with African roots, living through Jim Crow times. It’s a deft duality. Great writing, beautiful art and worthy of Clemente himself, who said, as captured in the book, “I represent the common people of America. So I am going to be treated like a human being.” (For ages 7 to 10) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison – and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton and Antoine Patton with Kiara Valdez, illustrated by Markia Jenai

Forging a relationship with a parent who is incarcerated is a daunting task, but 9-year-old Jay Jay Patton doesn’t have another choice. Jay Jay’s father is in prison and she’s only been able to visit him twice. Hampered by slow mail, expensive collect calls and extreme distance, Jay Jay and her father decide something has to be done. This graphic novel tells the moving story of one family’s determination to connect, no matter what. Dear Dad not only shines a light on an overlooked problem, but also serves as an inspiration to families everywhere. (For ages 8 to 12) — Juanita Giles, director, Virginia Children’s Book Festival

Deer Run Home by Ann Clare LeZotte

I was unprepared for the power and grace of this remarkable novel in verse. Effie, who is deaf, has no one in her family who uses sign language. When her devastating secret threatens to destroy those closest to her, despair and hope ping-pong back and forth as she endeavors to be heard. This important book, based on a true story, is a testament to friendship, found family and courage. Ann Clare LeZotte’s Deer Run Home stayed with me long after I finished the final sentence. (For ages 10 to 14) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

Faker by Gordon Korman

For Trey, working with his dad doesn’t mean changing the oil or raking leaves; it means running cons and scamming people out of money. Trey, his sister and his father have bounced around from scam to scam for as long as Trey can remember, but he’s tired of running. Finally, Trey is at a new school and feels like a part of things, but his new life comes with questions: Is what his dad is doing really OK? If it’s not, what does that make Trey? Gordon Korman offers another middle grade page-turner that will draw in even the most reluctant reader. (For ages 8 to 12) — Juanita Giles, director, Virginia Children’s Book Festival

Flying Through Water by Mamle Wolo

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Living in rural Ghana, Sena knows his future depends on his schooling and grades. But when a chance to make money for his family arises, he jumps at it – leading to a situation where he’s essentially enslaved and must escape and find a way back home. An adept adventure tale with nail-biting sequences, this book offers an eye-opening view of Ghana’s beauty and ills. By the time the story becomes a survival tale worthy of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, you’ll never be able to forget the book’s writing or the environmental message at its heart. (For ages 8 to 12) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Chanel Miller is well known for her New York Times bestselling memoir, Know My Name, which recounts a life-altering sexual assault and its aftermath, including the trial of Brock Turner. Here, Miller finds joy in moving on to a different and far lighter realm of writing. In this debut children’s book, Magnolia Wu is determined to show her new friend, Iris, the great things about living in NYC, and she has the perfect way to do it: an investigation into finding the owners of every missing sock she has collected at her parents’ laundromat. Along the way, Magnolia herself gets an eye-opening peek into her parents’ lives outside their workplace. A thoroughly original take on seeing your immigrant parents anew through the lens of others. (For ages 7 to 11) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Reviewers and critics typically overuse the term “lyrical” when discussing great books, but there are few better appellatives to apply to this canny verse novel. With multilayered aplomb, the story focuses on Isaiah and his friends Drew and Darius. These three love biking, skating and trying to break all kinds of world records, but when an accident claims the life of Darius, Isaiah feels responsible and hopelessly lost. This deft narrative is capable of delving into serious topics, like what happens when grief is compounded by violence, without dragging the book down or ever feeling too heavy. A tale where your redemption is inextricable from forgiving yourself. (For ages 10 and up) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More by G. Neri, illustrated by Corban Wilkin

Take a trip to the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent in the world. Here, young readers will find answers to every question they’ve ever had about Antarctica – not to mention ones they hadn’t even thought to ask. Who is there now? Why? What do you eat when you’re there? G. Neri’s easygoing narrative reads like a journal, full of cartoons, photos and the occasional mummified seal. Plus, he profiles the many different scientists at work at McMurdo Station with humor, candor and wonder. Just be ready for one inevitable question after reading this book: “Can we go?” (For ages 7 to 10) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Olivetti by Allie Millington

I had a young visitor point to my old typewriter and ask, “What’s that?” In Olivetti, Ernest’s mother goes missing and – are you ready? – he and his mom’s beloved typewriter conspire to find her. So much is at stake in this unique and wholly captivating mystery. Memories are lost, then found, and new ones made along the way in this tender novel. The next time a kid asks me about my typewriter, I will offer them Allie Millington’s book and say, “Here, I’ll let the typewriter tell you all about what it is.” (For ages 8 to 12) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back by Ruth Chan

Thirteen-year-old Ruth Chan isn’t just moving — she’s “moving across the world.” This heartbreaking, funny and insightful memoir captures the angst and apprehension of forging a new life in a new country. With Ruth leaving her beloved Toronto behind and landing in Hong Kong, uncertainties and anxiety threaten to crush her. Uprooted’s expressive art perfectly captures her emotions and wit. This irrepressible graphic novel will have you rooting for Ruth as she eventually embraces her new life, while still cherishing her old one. (For ages 8 to 12) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

This is just a fraction of the 350+ titles we included in Books We Love this year. Click here to check out this year’s titles, or browse nearly 4,000 books from the last 12 years.

What gifts might our Gift Guide pickers pick if they were guided to pick gifts from the lists of the other gift pickers to give? Asking that question aloud might be hard to do (go ahead, we’ll wait), but answering it isn’t. That’s because this year, once our collective of elfin scribes finished sourcing all manner of gifts, goodies, gadgets and gear — organized around the theme of celebrating all that Los Angeles has to offer (and the Golden State at large, too) — we asked them to take one last look at the fruits of one another’s labors and pick some newly discovered bit of holiday wonderment they’d be likely to gift or love to be gifted this year.

Advertisement

On our first-ever list of curated curators’ curations, you’ll find suggestions of tasty treats (think boxes of mole, bottles of maple syrup, a box of pasta fixings), wishing dolls, lucky beans (no cow trade-in required), herb seeds (to grow both mind-altering greenery and not) and even a few local places to go and browse the shelves yourselves. And that’s just for starters.

So read on to discover what other gifts these L.A. Times gift pickers (and some of their editors) picked to give.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Vanilla-tonka bean maple syrup from Destroyer

I have a friend who’s obsessed with maple syrup — “real maple syrup, no additives!” as he says. He used to carry a tiny flask of it in his man purse to dribble onto meals at restaurants. For years, I’d gift him different types of maple syrup for holidays — golden one year, dark another. But then I stopped, because: predictable. Thank you L.A. Times Food team for tipping me off about the vanilla-tonka bean maple syrup available at Destroyer. I plan to resurrect our holiday tradition this year — and might even gift him a bottle of it over the Culver City cafe’s strawberry French toast. — Deborah Vankin

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Goodies

How does a Southern California retailer survive with a price cap of $25? Especially one whose home goods (made of stone, ceramic, glass and fiber) show so much style? Even though there are five Goodies stores in L.A. and Orange counties, I’d never encountered one before this week (when Lisa Boone illuminated me with her staggeringly thorough guide to 90 local gift shops). Now, with holidays and birthdays coming up, I’m heading out to inspect mugs, spoons, dishes, bookends, coasters, vases and so on at the Goodies location in Atwater Village. — Christopher Reynolds

Mole gift boxes at Guelaguetza

For my longtime best friend Laura, a fantastic cook and former Californian who misses Mexican food, Christmas isn’t Christmas without tamales. So this year, I will send her Guelaguetza’s Mole Jar Gift Box from our Food staff’s gift picks, which includes 12-ounce jars of mole negro, Rojo and Coloradito and comes wrapped in a pretty Oaxacan tea towel. Now, she can replicate the James Beard Award winner’s much-heralded banana-leaf-wrapped mole tamales just in time for the holidays. Sadly, I won’t be there to sample them with her. — Lisa Boone

(Taylor Arthur / Los Angeles Times)

Pasta Club gift box or 3-month subscription at Bucatini

In my opinion, the best gifts are edible, so there was a wealth of temptation in this year’s Gift Guide (salsa macha, pizza, coffee beans, oh my!), and I’m not saying I’m not going back for more. But the Bucatini holiday gift box offers up pasta staples with festive flair, and I don’t even have to wrap it. My Italian mom will be over the moon … well, unless I decide to keep it for myself. (Then there’s a subscription to the Pasta Club, which grants two bags of pasta and other goodies to a lucky recipient for three straight months. It’s a holiday gift that literally keeps giving.) — Jen Doll

Knotwork LA Mini Daruma Wishing Dolls

I’m not a superstitious person. But the stresses of modern life — be it finances, work, vet visits, the news, finding time for so-called “self-care” — sometimes has me wanting to believe there are other forces at play in this universe. And I do love a good knickknack, especially one that doubles as a work of art. So I was immediately drawn to these mini good luck charms from ceramist Linda Hsiao, mainly as a $30 treat to myself. Inspired by the Japanese tradition of daruma dolls, these Altadena-crafted beauties come in an assortment of cozy colors, with their smooshed, hand-crafted faces seemingly cheering us on. And they’re interactive of sorts. Color in one eye when you make a wish. And when that wish comes true — I love that sense of optimism — color in the other eye. And if it doesn’t, just consider it a reminder to never stop dreaming. — Todd Martens

Rancho Gordo black-eyed peas

Rancho Gordo’s black-eyed peas helped save a family tradition. When we bought the “Joy of Cooking” in the 1980s, my late husband insisted we try the black-eyed peas recipe (aka Hoppin’ John) for luck on New Year’s Day. To my surprise, I learned those hard, funny-looking nuggets could cook into a creamy, delicious dish laced with lots of pork fat. The problem was that supermarket dried beans were often old and tough, so the prep time was enormous. Then my husband tried buying black-eyed peas in cans, which cut the prep to nearly nothing. His recipe was so popular that our friends started making it too, until one accidentally poisoned us and the rest of her dinner party by using a can that had gone bad. After 72 hours of horrific sickness, it was a long time before we were willing to eat anything from a can, but we did miss our New Year’s tradition, especially after my husband became a vegetarian. Enter Rancho Gordo’s dried beans! They’re so fresh, every batch cooks up succulent, even without soaking or animal fat. My husband created a meatless version with whole tomatoes, olive oil, onions, bay leaves and lots of garlic that was just as yummy as his old recipe. It’s what I cook today, and at $6.25 a bag, I can afford to give friends and family a pound of good luck from our dear departed family chef. — Jeanette Marantos

(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)

Leanna Lin’s Wonderland

I am on the hunt for a unique Christmas gift for my 8-year-old niece in Oklahoma, and thanks to my colleague Lisa Boone’s list of 90 special L.A. shops, I discovered Leanna Lin’s Wonderland, where my options runneth over. Should I get my niece the stamp carving kit? She loves the little round cat Pusheen, so I could get her one of several plushies, including one that’s strawberry scented. That’s kind of magical! Or I could go with one of several surprise boxes where she could end up with any number of silly cat-themed toys. While browsing, I also spotted gifts for other folks on my list, including my butter-loving friend Bob, who will get a real kick out of socks that honor their favorite condiment. I’m so glad to have discovered a local place with high-quality gifts! — Jaclyn Cosgrove

(The Plant Good Seed Co.)

Advertisement

The Plant Good Seed Co.’s Culinary Basil seed collection

Does it count as a gift if I aim to be the beneficiary? I have a couple of gardeners in my family who also happen to be great cooks, and this year they’ll be getting the seed assortment from the Plant Good Seed Co. that includes six types of basil. Now, whether these folks invite me over for dinner once that basil becomes pesto or Caprese salad … that’s up to them. Here’s hoping. — Philip Gray

Di An: The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking With TwayDaBae

My best friend, Nneoma, has been in her cooking era lately. Many of our recent catch-ups have included her sharing stories about baking a rotisserie chicken for the first time or mastering some other restaurant-worthy dish. So in the spirit of experimenting with new dishes, I am strongly considering gifting her TwayDaBae’s book, “Di An: The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking With TwayDaBae,” thanks to Bethanne Patrick’s recommendation. Not only is the cookbook filled with pages and pages of delicious looking recipes, the hardcover book would look beautiful in Nneoma’s colorful kitchen. Also, I’m unashamedly looking forward to playing taste tester. — Kailyn Brown

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Try tacos and a Nutty Chi Chi at the Tonga Hut

In an era of peak materialism, there’s something about giving an experience instead of an object that really appeals to me this gifting season. That’s why I’m taking my colleague Christopher Reynolds’ advice to surprise a special someone with an evening at North Hollywood’s Tonga Hut (L.A.’s oldest tiki bar) for a food-and-grog adventure, complete with a gift card worth a couple rounds of tiki drinks and a few Durango’s tacos. And as an avowed tikiphile, that would sort of make it a win-win for me. Another experiential gift on my nice-list radar is Fig Earth Supply’s cannabis gardening bundle, which you’ll find among the offerings on Jeanette Marantos’ roundup of gifts for L.A. gardeners and plant parents. It includes a pair of classes scheduled for February, a packet of seeds and a copy of Penny Barthel’s book “The Cannabis Gardener.” I’ve taken both of those classes, grown those seeds and read that book, and it’s everything I needed to go from nervous newbie to confident ganja green thumb. And who wouldn’t want to inspire — or be gifted — that kind of confidence? And finally, if I did want to stuff something in someone’s stocking, it would probably be a pair of made-in-Vermont Darn Tough socks (stockings stuffed in stockings is so meta) like the ones recommended by my trail-hiking, wilderness-wandering, coyote-hazing colleague Jaclyn Cosgrove, who offers their full-throated endorsement of the Coolmax Hiker Boot mid-weight hiking sock. I don’t know anything about hiking, but love everything about this brand’s foot-cushioning, wears-like-iron hosiery from my home state. And that means the pals I’m gifting (and their feet) will love them too. — Adam Tschorn