Books for hard-to-shop-for tweens and teens, from Star Wars and Harley Quinn to gothic horror

A rule of parenting: if you make too much of a big deal about something, it often won't go over well. And so, sometimes I simply leave books for my son in his room and say nothing about them. That's what I did with "Bunnicula," the beloved book from the late '70s now in graphic novel form for the first time. When I asked, faux-innocently, if my son had started the book, he said, "I finished it." Success! Leave it in the room (or under the tree). Don't oversell it. This book about a vampire bunny who drains vegetables, told from the POV of the family dog, pretty much sells itself.

Anthologies can be a good choice for gift-giving, especially for teens and kids, because it allows the reader to sample a wide variety of stories and voices. It's like the advent calendar of books. If a teen gets bored with a story, they can move on. If they love it, they've got a new writer to follow. In 2023, there's an anthology of stories inspired by Marie Curie that I've got my sights on, and this year I fell in love with "The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror." Teens will feel incredibly cool reading this book with its gorgeously unnerving cover, and with stories by Erica Waters, Hannah Whitten, Olivia Chadha and more, they're sure to find something to delight and surprise them. This is prime reading under the covers with a flashlight material.

I picked up this YA novel, just intending to take a short break, and couldn't put it down. Fresh, fast-paced and relevant, "Harley Quinn: Reckoning" is the first in a planned trilogy starring Harley Quinn (the next book in the series arrives in April 2023). In this completely original origin story, Harley is a lab intern dealing with harassment and worse as a young woman in STEM, treatment that will propel her into a girl gang called the Reckoning. The writing is sharp and the story urgent. It's also a beautiful object with a colorful illustrated cover by Jen Bartel. Any teen or Harley-loving adult in your life would be thrilled to get this book. 

Fortunately, my oldest nephew does not read my articles because he's getting this book for Christmas, along with a boxed set of "Goosebumps" books; he already devoured "Stinetinglers," published earlier this year. You just can't go wrong with R.L. Stine. This book, like his many others, has chills. It has thrills. But most importantly of all, it has heart, and a writer who truly loves and cares for children. An exploration of one of Stine's most memorable characters, the villainous ventriloquist's dummy known as Slappy, this fast-paced book will compel kids to keep turning pages without terrifying them. The reward is, essential to Stine: a happy, satisfying ending.

"It's canon," your child will say in the hushed tone of a small expert who knows exactly the name and pronunciation of every minor character in the "Star Wars" universe. This New York Times bestselling YA novel takes place after the events of "Episode II: Attack of the Clones." Anakin Skywalker is newly promoted, and he and Obi-Wan Kenobi are tasked with dealing with the aftermath of a brutal attack on Cato Neimoidia, home of the Trade Federation. Like all of Chen's books, including the time travel novel "Here and Now and Then," the writing is swiftly moving, heartfelt and funny. Perfect for the "Star Wars" devotee.

Sometimes the key to inspiring a teen — or anyone — to read is excitement. Christopher Pike's novels were a key part of my adolescence, mostly because I couldn't put the gripping tales of teen betrayal and murder down, consuming them like candy. But you can have a good story without easy sordidness. Diana Urban is that rare writer whose voice is thrilling, twisty and emotionally real. In her propulsive latest, Crystal gets a message on a mysterious app that her young sister has been kidnapped. It's all a game to the criminal, demanding increasingly bizarre tasks Crystal is forced to complete, but to Crystal, it's her sister's life at stake — and, as it turns out, the lives of her friends. 

Newman's book "How to Be a Person" was a huge hit at my house, and I was waiting for this new one for a long time. Her follow-up, "What Can I Say?: A Kid's Guide to Super-Useful Social Skills to Help You Get Along and Express Yourself; Speak Up, Speak Out, Talk about Hard Things, and Be a Good Friend" should be a required primer for middle school. Bold, cheerful and lovingly rendered illustrations help tweens puzzle out essential social skills, including ways to be a friend and ally to others. This is funny, friendly and supportive advice on everything from how to deal with offensive comments to greeting a group Zoom call to saying no to a date. It's the book you needed as kid but didn't have. 

As any kid or student will tell you, sometimes you really need to disappear into a book on school vacation. "The Whispering Dark" is that book, a dark academia that transports the reader to fictional Godbole University where Delaney Meyers-Petrov is new, recently accepted into a program that trains students to move between parallel worlds. Delaney, who is Deaf, as is her author, Kelly Andrew, has always had an uneasy relationship with the darkness — and with Colton Price, a boy from her past who just so happens to be on her campus. Lush, gothic and with gorgeously lyric writing, this novel is for anyone who wants to while away the winter afternoons, curled up inside a haunting story.