A Very Babymouse Christmas by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Love, love, love this series. I gave this to my six-year-old because she's just learning to read, and she can't put it down. She has favorite sections that she'll open to, and she'll just giggle over and over again.

The illustrations and storyline are so cute that parents shouldn't be deceived by all of the pink within the pages. Even my nephews love reading about this spunky mouse who can't help but be in the Christmas spirit. The plot is fun and deals with the struggles that most kids have when they get caught up in the commercialism of gift-giving (and receiving). Through the witty banter between the narrator and Babymouse, readers not only get to laugh, but also get to think about what's really important during this holiday season.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

"Because when you turn a short span of time into a "season," you create an echo chamber for all of its associations." - Dash 

While perusing the shelves of New York City's The Strand, Dash comes across an innocent-looking, red moleskin, challenging him to a series of dares...Because he's curious and has nothing to lose, Dash accepts the challenge, and creates some of his own for its author, Lily. As they lead each other on random dares, Dash and Lily learn each others' hopes, secrets, and fears, and have to decide if they want to meet and risk losing the magic of the moleskin. 

I really liked the character of Dash; he was witty, sarcastic, and multidimensional. I found his sections interesting and wished they wouldn't end. Unfortunately, I wasn't so excited about Lily. To me, she was too stereotypical (i.e. overprotective family, never had a "real" kiss, and a goody-two-shoes-wanting-to-be-bad) and bland. 

Overall, this was a cute story about two teenagers who found friendship (and a little bit more) during a holiday season that started out not so promising.