Books by Bay Area authors to add to your winter wish list

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Courtesy Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Another year, another list of phenomenal Bay Area authors doing what they do best: blessing us with some great books! Here are some suggestions for all the kids (and kids at heart) on your list, plus some recommendations for winter cooking and baking adventures.

Picture books (all ages)

“JIM!: Six True Stories about One Great Artist: James Marshall” by Jerrold Connors (Dial Books)

“Jim!” is a heartbreakingly beautiful biography of famed picture book author/illustrator James Marshall. Told in six looks at Marshall’s life, Connors imagines Marshall as one of his own characters (with art reminiscent of Marshall’s style) and takes some of Marshall’s closest friends along for the ride, including both Arnold and Anita Lobel, who like Marshall, wrote and illustrated children’s books.

“Soy Sauce!” by Laura G. Lee (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Soy Sauce!” is a celebration and history of a favorite condiment. I almost put this book in the cooking adventures section later in this article because you will be inspired to do a soy-sauce taste test (or maybe even make your own?), but perhaps the adventure can just be trying not to spend a fortune at 99 Ranch.

“The Day the Books Disappeared” by Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard (Disney Hyperion)

On one level, this delightful (and, honestly, relatable) book is about the sometimes hard lesson that people are allowed to like things that you don’t; that they may want to read books you wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole and that’s OK. We’re all allowed to like different things and read different books! On a higher level, Ho and Kusin Pritchard, with glorious help from illustrator Dan Santat, set out to write a book about the dangers of book banning and include some excellent background info for further reading and research.

“The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever” by Sandra Salsbury (Doubleday Books for Young Readers)

Any parent, grandparent, sibling, nanny or anyone else who has ever taken care of or lived with a baby will find themselves in this hilarious book (are the tears from laughing or because you’re overtired? Yes.). Sometimes, the baby decides they’re just not going to sleep and you won’t sleep either. This is a celebration of family in a most real way, for good or ill or 1 a.m. dance parties.

Novels for kids

“Zeyna Lost and Found” by Shafaq Khan (Carolrhoda Books)

I love historical fiction, and I especially love historical fiction set in a time and place we rarely see in middle grade. Zeyna is an eminently relatable 12-year-old in 1970, visiting Pakistan (and maybe some other countries, too) who always wants a mystery to solve … and then finds a real one. Khan, a Los Altos resident, made her debut this year and I’m excited to see what she does next! Excellent for ages 9 and up.

“The Queen Bees of Tybee County” by Kyle Casey Chu (Quill Tree Books)

From Chu, aka Panda Dulce, a founding queen of Drag Story Hour, comes this sweet story about a nail-polish-and-pop -song-loving middle school basketball star who gets shipped off to stay with his eccentric grandma, who introduces him to the glories of the small-town beauty pageant. This is a fantastic debut that is very timely but also feels timeless. Perfect for ages 9 and up.

“Almost Sunset” by Wahab Algarmi (HarperAlley)

This really lovely graphic novel is a wonderful peek into a modern American tween experience. There are the issues all kids are dealing with – get good grades, do well on your team, figure out how friendship works as you grow older – but for many kids there is also the issue of how faith intersects with the rest of your life and what that means for you and to you. Inspired by his own childhood, and those of his children, Algarmi has beautifully illustrated what it’s like to be a Muslim kid celebrating Ramadan in a society that doesn’t necessarily know what that means (or appreciate that that is why you’re falling asleep in class and chewing on your arm because you’re dreaming of the world’s most beautiful sandwich). This is perfect for ages 10 and up but can absolutely be read and enjoyed by younger kids.

“Bunns Rabbit” by Alan Barillaro (Candlewick)

An absolutely delightful adventure story about a brave little rabbit who goes on a quest to save her home, despite being labeled as a bad omen due to her small ears. This book has a story worthy of Pixar and art to match (indeed, you might recognize Barillaro’s work from the Oscar-winning short “Piper”). This one is great for kids ages 8 and up but also makes for a really wonderful family read-aloud.

Books for teens

“A Cruel Thirst” by Angela Montoya (Joy Revolution)

This is a very fun story starring a vampire hunter and the cute vampire who would very much like to wipe out the curse of the vampires forever. What really sets this story apart, though, is the setting. Montoya was very inspired by California history, and this story is a real romp through her well-researched Alta California setting, with romance, adventure and a lot of humor and heart. Great for ages 12 and up.

“Secrets, Spells, and Chocolate” by Marisa Churchill (Page Street YA)

From a “Top Chef” and Food Network contestant, this sweet YA debut (publishing Dec. 9) has everything: a magical culinary school, a cooking contest, cheating rumors and frenemies. It’s a great book for any kid who has ever gone to a new school with something to prove, but fair warning: It will make you hungry, so I recommend having some cookies on hand at the very least. Perfect for ages 12 and up.

“You Had Me at Hello World” by Rona Wang (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

This sweet, tech-based rom-com comes from recent MIT grad Wang, who wrote it whilst still at university, because clearly her MIT homework wasn’t complicated enough? Though it is a rom-com, this book is also an exploration into what it’s like to be a woman in STEM, especially a girl doing code. Wang also masterfully delves into issues of parental abandonment privilege, and growing up a person of color in a majority-white town. This one is also great for ages 12 and up.

“Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day” by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett (Candlewick)

This is a thoughtfully drawn graphic novel on the long history of trans and gender expansive people. Told with humor and excellent source notes, this book is classified as serious nonfiction but reads very much like a novel. Though it’s technically YA it’s really a great resource for anyone interested in trans history. Perfect for ages 12 and up.

Food adventures

“A Very Asian Guide to Taiwanese Food” by Nancy Jeng, illustrated by Felicia Liang (Gloo Books)

Most of this wonderful book – meant for kids but really for everyone – is a delightfully drawn exploration of delicious Taiwanese food, including scallion pancakes, stinky tofu, boba and so much more. But it’s also a celebration of the food and the culture that created it, and offers a wonderful excuse to go restaurant hopping, or make your own Taiwanese feast. There are some recipes included in the book to start with (Jeng published a cookbook in 2023) and your only problem will be not eating the tea eggs all in one sitting.

“Cook Like a King” by Melissa King with JJ Goode (Ten Speed Press)

This is one of my favorite new cookbooks this year. King won “Top Chef” in 2020 and I – and thousands of others – have been waiting ever so impatiently for a cookbook since. King’s recipes are accessibly written and very easy to follow. It’s a great cookbook for anyone who wants to do more cooking. Current favorite recipes: Hong Kong Milk Tea Tiramisu (the dessert that won her “Top Chef,” according to King herself), Lemongrass Beef Stew, Shanghainese “Lion’s Head” Meatballs, Mama Mel’s Meatballs, Miso Caesar with Gai Lan and Chrysanthemum Greens (and also all of them).

“Feasts on the Farm” by Tamara Jo Hicks and Jessica MacLeod (Chronicle Books)

From the excellent Toluma Farms comes a cookbook for every season. Uniquely local and all about the produce and the cheese, this cookbook has something for everyone and a lot of photos of very cute goats. Current favorite recipes: Potato Leek Soup with Smoked Pepper and Liwa Crema, Meyer Lemon and Rosemary Panna Cotta, Herbaceous Cocktail Cookies, Spicy Kale and Avocado Salad with Farro and Koto’la cheese.

“The Ube Baking Book: Decadent and Delicious Recipes with Filipino Purple Yam by Henry Awayan” (Ulysses Press)

This is a celebration of everyone’s favorite purple starch, used to delicious effect in all sorts of ways by the owner of Whisk Cake Creations. You want to impress people at this year’s potlucks? Show up with something delicious and purple! Current favorite recipes: Cream Cheese Frosted Cinnamon Rolls, Ube Crinkle Cookies, Sapin-Sapin and Rich Creamy Cheesecake.

Grace Lane is the store manager of Linden Tree Books in Los Altos.

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