Our favourite classic wintertime reads for all ages
by Sophie Green
Take a look at our favourite classic wintertime reads, ideal for all ages. The perfect story to cosy up with on a cold winter's day!
All of these books are free to borrow with your library card. For more reading inspiration, browse our recommendations.
The Box of Delights, by John Masefield
The wolves are running and the evil Abner Brown and his gang are on the prowl. They're after a magical box, but Kay has it, and he'll fight to keep it.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
In this children's classic, Lucy finds that an old wardrobe in a professor's country house is a gateway to a magical land of fauns, centaurs, nymphs and talking animals - but also of the beautiful but evil White Witch who has held the land of Narnia in eternal winter for a hundred years.
Borrow The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe →
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Old Ebenezer Scrooge is too mean to spend money on coals for the fire in his counting-house, where his clerk Bob Cratchit shivers in the winter cold. Declining an invitation to his nephew Fred's Christmas party, and refusing to give money to charity, he is ready for his usual miserly Christmas in his cold, dingy apartment. But that night, the ghost of his dead partner Jacob Marley appears and tells him to expect a visit from three spirits over the next three nights.
Father Christmas' Fake Beard, by Terry Pratchett
Have you ever wanted Christmas to be different? Turkey and carols, presents and crackers - they all start to feel a bit samey. How about a huge exploding mince pie, a pet abominable snowman, or 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!? Dive into the fantastically funny world of Terry Pratchett, for a festive treat like no other. These ten stories will have you laughing, gasping and crying (with laughter) - you'll never see Christmas in the same way again.
Borrow Father Christmas' Fake Beard →
The Midnight Guardians, by Ross Montgomery
Sometimes at the darkest hour, hope shines the brightest. When Col's childhood imaginary friends come to life, he discovers a world where myths and legends are real. Accompanied by his guardians - a six-foot tiger, a badger in a waistcoat and a miniature knight - Col must race to Blitz-bombed London to save his sister. But there are darker forces at work, even than the Nazi bombings. Soon Col is pursued by the terrifying Midwinter King, who is determined to bring an eternal darkness down over everything.
Borrow The Midnight Guardians →
The Nutcracker: and the Mouse King's Christmas Shenanigans, by Alex T. Smith
Count down to Christmas with this gorgeously illustrated new take on a festive classic from beloved author illustrator Alex T. Smith.
The Way Past Winter, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
When Mila's brother disappears, she believes he's been taken by the Bear, a hooded stranger of legend who sought shelter at their home. Mila and her sisters follow his trail into the frozen north, determined to find a way past winter and bring their brother home.
The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper
It's Christmas-time in the Stanton family house: presents, carol singing, good cheer. But for 11-year-old Will Stanton something sinister has begun, inching round his subconscious, shouting silent warnings he can't decipher. Then on Midwinter Day Will wakes up to a different world - silent, covered in snow and ancient forest, a world of another time. A world where evil lurks. Because Will is not the ordinary boy he always thought he was. He is the last of the Old Ones and the power to vanquish the evil magic of the Dark lies within him.
The Polar Express, by Chris van Allsburg
This is a magical, medal-winning Christmas tale about a boy who boards the mysterious Polar Express, bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires, and the boy asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness.
The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs
This classic picture book describes the friendship between a boy and a snowman and their magical journey over a sparkling winter landscape.