Last minute gift ideas. HELP!

[stsomewhere]

The Discovery of Witches.

http://deborahharkness.com/discovery-of-witches/

Very good. I am waiting for the second book to come out in 2012.

Similar to Twilight series.

ETA: a cross between Harry Potter and Twilight.

 

[Happy vacationer]

If your inlaws have all the gadgets how about a basket full of stuff for the gadgets. If they have a keurig coffee maker you could get different varieties of the k cups (and if they don't have one I highly recommend getting them one there are all kinds of coffee, teas, cocoa and apple cider), if they have an ipad you could get them a gift card for the app store, etc....

 

[Family Fun Mom]

If your inlaws have all the gadgets how about a basket full of stuff for the gadgets. If they have a keurig coffee maker you could get different varieties of the k cups (and if they don't have one I highly recommend getting them one there are all kinds of coffee, teas, cocoa and apple cider), if they have an ipad you could get them a gift card for the app store, etc....

Not bad... they do have a Keurig and also an iPad. Now the wheels are turning. Thank you!

 

[Happy vacationer]

Merry Christmas! Glad I could spark some ideas for you.

 

[puffkin]

Let me chime in as well with another glowing endorsement for the Hunger Games. I read a lot of YA and that trilogy is FANTASTIC. I also really like the series called The Luxe. It is kind of a gossip girl set in the early 1900's NYC. I really enjoy that series and find it to be fairly well written (a big complaint I have with a lot of YA fiction).

For the inlaws, do they like to cook or drink? Maybe a cooking class or a wine tasting type of thing would be something they would enjoy?

 

[dawnn12]

I just ask my DD whos 13 she loved the book shatter me... it just came out last month and i know she couldnt put it down and has even re-read it

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I got my 12 year old a Barnes and Noble gift card. She never knows what she wants for books so it's easier.

For my in-laws, they like to play cards and games so I got them a Parcheesi game and then I put together a calendar on snapfish and got them that.

 

[It'sOffToDisneyWeGo]

For your DD14:
Another vote for the Hunger Games. My DD14 loved this series.

 

[KelsiesMommy]

The Hunger Games Trilogy is a great series!

 

[disneybound31]

Another vote for The Hunger Games series, my dd loved them. However if you are a parent who censors what your kid reads, you may want to check them out yourself before you buy them. I have a friend who will not let her 13 year old read them.

Do you have a local theater around? The one near us does a holiday package for dinner and a show.
When in doubt I always do restaurant GCs.

Do you mind elaborating? My DS12 is into these books and it did not occur to me to sensor them even though we are pretty strict about tv and video games...could you tell me about the content? DS son is asleep and the book is right above his head on the headboard so I don't want to wake him by going in...I will sure check tomorrow tho!

 

[moray26]

When I was a teenager, one of my most memorable gifts was a gift card to Waldenbooks from my grandparents...they knew I loved to read but rather than risk getting me books I may not like, they just sent me the gift card. I had an awesome time going to the mall and picking out my own books.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

DD14 suggested a trilogy by Scott Westerfield: Uglies, Pretties and Specials. (And Harry Potter, of course.)

Good luck!

I'll second the Scott Westerfield suggestion! Those books are enthralling.

I'll also second the Cassandra Clare suggestion and the anything by Ric Riordan suggestion. I'll also throw in my support for The Hunger Games! Everyone, child teenager and adult needs to read those books.

Things other posters haven't mentioned. . .uhm, anything by Margaret Peterson Haddix or Gary D. Schmidt will also be appreciated. (My BFFs and I buy Gary D. Schmidt books as soon as they're published. And we're women in our 40's and 50's! Love them just about as much as kids do.)

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia is a GREAT read, and although the starting age for it would be at about 8, it's such a good book I don't think it actually has an age that would be too old for it.

(BTW: AllesonWonderland - there's another book set in the Uglies world called Extras. Just in case your DD doesn't know about it. Tally doesn't show up until about halfway through, if I remember correctly, and isn't the main character, but it is a fun read!)

 

[NLD]

My dd15 HATED Great Expectations (had to read it in honors English last year). However, although she's in all honors classes, she hates to read (unlike her mom). Dd10 and I are now reading The Hunger Games, and I'm going to try to get dd15 to read the series (she did love Twilight, which I thought was horrible).

Totally agree, don't do Great Expectations!

I hated it too at 14, and I always loved to read and ended up with a BA in literature. And still don't like Great Expectations.

For a 14 year old who likes to read and already has an appreciation for To Kill a Mockingbird, just go with adult lit. No reason to restrict yourself to the young adult genre.

Some good ones for that age:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The House on Mango Street
Catcher in the Rye
The Great Gatsby
The Scarlet Letter
The Crucible (it's a play but very readable in text form)
The Turn of the Screw
Anything by John Steinbeck
Anything by Jane Austen
Anything by Kurt Vonnegut (first one I read was the collection of short stories, Welcome to the Monkey House, might be the most accessible to start with)


Barbara Kingsolver might also be a good choice, The Bean Trees is less dense and reads faster than some of her others.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I was at a loss as to what to get my husband Grandparents. I ended up putting together a gift basket.
I used:
5 Different blocks of cheese such as swiss, cheddar, colby ect.
A box of crackers
A package of sliced pepperoni
A bottle of wine
A box of chocolates

Got a basket and assembled it all together and it looks great. In fact we saw one set of Grandparents tonight and it was a hit.

 

[richmond282]

I loved Anne of Green Gables as a teenager.

 

[mjantz]

Re: Hunger Games & being appropriate for kids. I let my 11YO & 14YO read it after I had listened to all 3 books. The main thing to keep in mind is that its about 14-18YOs being put in an arena & forced to kill each other. So, there's a lot of death. There's also a war that happens so as you can imagine, more death. Also, certain characters figure out if they are affectionate to each other (hugs & kisses & pretending to be in love with each other) they will gain more favor with the audience.
Its a really good series but I can understand why some parents say no.

 

[limace]

Also recommend Garth Nix and Phillip Pullman for kids that age.

What about a donation to something like the heifer Project for your inlaws? They sound like my dad and that's what he appreciates the most. My kids really like picking out what animal to donate, and we usually wrap up a little plastic duck or whatever to give.

 

[NLD]

I loved Anne of Green Gables as a teenager.

Ooooh, Anne is classic!

If she's already read the Anne series, there is also Emily of New Moon, also by L. M. Montgomery. Not as good as Anne but still good.

 

[Juliah]

My daughter and I both loved Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It's about individuality and marching to your own drummer, as I recall (it's been a while since I read it).

 

[jcemom]

I couldn't even finish Great Expectations, ugh.

I loved Secret Garden, and Anne of Green Gables.