These twelve books are great Christmas gift ideas for any reader in your life! Don’t forget one for yourself too ;)

When reading about this series online I saw a review from a woman who said the books would appeal mostly to boys. I have to disagree wholeheartedly here – not once while being engrossed in these books did it occur to me that these were books better suited to boys, or that it should matter that the main character was a boy. I love fantasy and adventure, period, and this series had plenty of that.

The story is told through the alternate viewpoints of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus, but it’s the witty and sarcastic djinn who really steals the show. Fantasy is usually best known for its plot – and there is an abundance of plot in this trilogy – but it was the character that really drew me into this world and story.

Today, I go back to where it all began. The first ‘proper’ chapter books I ever read, discovered of course in the St. Damian’s library, were the Sweet Valley Twins books, created by Francine Pascal and written by Jamie Suzanne (along with ghostwriters over the years).

Still one of my ultimate favourite books is The Silver Brumby, by Elyne Mitchell. Mitchell transported me to the Snowy Mountains, and to the desperate struggle of the silver stallion Thowra to evade capture from humans and protect his herd.

The Jolly Christmas Postman is possibly one of the most interactive picture books I have read. I would usually read the book lying down on the carpet, in the narrow space between my bed and my wardrobe (it seemed bigger then), so I could spread everything out on the floor. I always went through the book slowly, savouring each item that came out of the envelopes.