Books for everyone on your list

School aged

Top 2006 Picks:

Akimbo and the Snakes by Alexander McCall Smith (Bloomsbury, $10)
Fourth in the popular series, this is the story of 10-year-old Akimbo visiting his Uncle Peter's snake farm in Africa on his school holiday.

**Like this one? Try the other Akimbo books, including Akimbo and the Elephants (Bloomsbury, $10)

The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Diane Goode (Random House, $4)
The beloved holiday ballet is retold in simple language and lavish illustrations. A must for girls who dream of being ballerinas!

Vroom! Motoring into the Wild World of Racing by Tim Miller (Tundra Books, $18)
Buckle up! This non-fiction book by a motorsport journalist covers practically every aspect of racing, complete with action photos, trivia and profiles of people involved in the sport, including young racers.

Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter's Companion by Captain William Lubber (Candlewick, $20)
Ahoy, mateys: this fun and creative book, created in a scrapbook format complete with maps and other illustrations of knots, flags and navigational charts, tells the story of a pirate chase around the world.

**Like this one? Try Wizardology: The Book of the Secrets of Merlin by Master Merlin and Donald A. Steer (Candlewick, $20)

Can't-Go-Wrong Classics:

• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin, $19)
• DK Eyewitness books (DK Publishing, $16)
• Books by Gordon Korman (Apple Books, from $8)