Merry Christmas, for those who celebrate it! Here, in no particular order, are some old, beloved middle-grade fantasy books for Christmas. All except for Wintersmith are ones that I reread every year as a child.

Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston. A young boy is sent off to his grandmother’s old manor for Christmas, where he finds the ghosts of children who help him to unravel a gypsy curse.

Father Christmas Letters by J.R.R. Tolkien. These are the letters that Tolkien’s children got from Father Christmas, complete with colored illustrations of Father Christmas, his assistant the North Polar Bear, and the elves and goblins they have adventures with.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. The creepily atmospheric story of Will Stanton, who comes into his power as an Old One on his eleventh birthday.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Well, all right, spring comes along – but the Father Christmas that the Pevensie children and the Beavers meet here is iconic.

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett. It’s maybe not a classic quite yet, and maybe also not properly Christmas… but it certainly suits the season. Young Tiffany Aching, witch in training, accidentally attracts the attention of the Spirit of Winter and has to put things right again.