The holiday season is here once again, and we know that getting gifts for the important people in your life can be difficult! Here at Second Story Press, we think there's nothing better than the gift of a good read. Books can be a wonderful way to connect with your loved ones (and a great holiday treat for yourself!).
We've put together our annual Second Story Press Holiday Gift Guide full of thoughtful reads that can inspire, motivate, and empower through the holidays, new year, and beyond!
From now until December 31, 2025, visit our website and use code HOLIDAY2025 to take 20% off all books featured in this guide. Please note that the discount code applies ONLY to books included in this gift guide!
❗️We are not able to ship to USA addresses at this time.
For Canadian addresses - We cannot guarantee orders will arrive by a certain date, but we will be shipping orders until Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Any orders placed afterwards will be fulfilled in the new year. We apologize for any shipping delays that may occur that are beyond our control.
FOR KIDS:
Books to Inspire the Budding Artist
What’s in a Bead? by Kelsey Borgford, illustrated by Tessa Pizzale
My Art, My World by Rita Winkler
Mr. Mergler, Beethoven, and Me by David Gutnick, illustrated by Mathilde Cinq-Mars
Naaahsa is an Artist! by Hali Heavy Shield
The Year Shakespeare Ruined my Life by Dani Jensen
Books for Young Readers Seeking Adventure
Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold by Jessica Outram
Year of the Carrot by Madeleine Hart
The Mighty Muskrat Mystery Series by Michael Hutchinson:
Book 1: The Case of Windy Lake
Book 2: The Case of the Missing Auntie
Book 3: The Case of the Burgled Bundle
Book 4: The Case of the Rigged Race
Book 5: The Case of the Pilfered Pin
Books for the Young Feminist in Your Life
Every Day is Malala Day by Rosemary McCarney with Plan International
Run the World Like a Girl: International Women Leaders by Kate Graham
Black Women Who Dared by Naomi M. Moyer
The Warmest Blanket in the World by Tamara Levine, illustrated by Ellie Arscott
Pride and Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism by Mary Fairhurst Breen
Empowering Reads to Spark Curious Minds
Khadija and the Elephant Toothpaste Experiment by Farah Qaiser and Hajer Nakua
Unstoppable: Women With Disabilities by Helen Wolfe, illustrated by Karen Patkau
Undaunted Ursula Franklin: Activist, Educator, Scientist by Monica Franklin and Erin Della Mattia
Find Their New Book Bestie
The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker by Alma Fullerton
Take a Breath Olive Tran by Phuong Truong, illustrated by Christine Wei
Alina in the Deep by Shenaaz Nanji
Ciel by Sophie Labelle
Bernadette and the Lunch Bunch by Susan Glickman
Moving Tales of Self-Discovery
I Am BIG by Itah Sadu, illustrated by Marley Berot
Phoenix Gets Greater by Marty Wilson-Trudeau with Phoenix Wilson, illustrated by Megan Kyak-Monteith
The Fabulous Edweena by Edwin Dumont, illustrated by Melissa Cho
I, Too, Am Here by Morgan Christie
Books Where Food Connects with Culture
Everyone is Welcome by Phuong Truong, illustrated by Christine Wei
Great Cookie War by Caroline Stellings
Alina in a Pinch by Shenaaz Nanji
Krista Kim-Bap by Angela Ahn
Every Little Bit Olive Tran by Phuong Truong, illustrated by Christine Wei
For Readers Navigating New Homes
Snow Doves by Nancy Hartry, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Dear Baobab by Cheryl Foggo, illustrated by Qin Leng
The Most Beautiful Thing I Have Ever Seen by Nadia Devi Umadat, illustrated by Christine Wei
The Doll written by Nhung N. Tran-Davies, illustrated by Ravy Puth
Thoughtful Picks for Teen Readers
The End of Always by Rebecca Phillips
Heroines, Rescuers, Rabbis, Spies: Unsung Women of the Holocaust by Sarah Silberstein Swartz
Like a Bird by Becky Citra
Can Posters Kill? Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II by Jerry Faivish with Kathryn Cole
Gentle Stories for Tough Topics
Memory Stones by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Hayley Lowe
Like Cats and Dogs by Mélanie Perreault, illustrated by Marion Arbona, translated by Chantal Bilodeau
Stolen Words by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Vee in Between by Valerie Kaiyang Wood, illustrated by Angela Poon
FOR ADULTS:
Nonfiction to Reflect and Inspire
Inside Broadside: A Decade of Feminist Journalism with the Broadside Collective, edited by Philinda Masters
No Second Chances: Women and Political Power in Canada by Kate Graham
Women Who Woke Up the Law: Inside the Cases that Changed Women's Rights in Canada by Karin Wells
Motherlike by Katherine Leyton
The Abortion Caravan: When Women Shut Down Government in the Battle for the Right to Choose by Karin Wells
Books to Make Them Laugh (and Cry)
Any Kind of Luck at All by Mary Fairhurst Breen
Gone to Pot by Jennifer Craig
Love and Laughter in the Time of Chemotherapy by Manjusha Pawagi
The Oracle of Cumae by Melissa Hardy
Chilling Winter Reads
The Birds that Stay by Ann Lambert
The Dogs of Winter by Ann Lambert
Whale Fall by Ann Lambert
Barcelona Red Metallic by Christine Cosack
Novels with Women Who Defy Expectation
Tale of a Boon’s Wife by Fartumo Kusow
The Bad Mother by Marguerite Andersen
[non]disclosure by Renée D. Bondy
The First Principles of Dreaming by Beth Goobie
