87 Books Like Annika's Secret Wish

First published in 1966, I love this classic for its quiet invitation into a rural Swedish farmhouse and the family’s preparations for Christmas.

When the children go to bed in their cozy home, the snowy farm outside is being protected by a red-capped, long-bearded tomte (Swedish gnome). Even in a loud world, this quiet book captures a child’s attention as we watch the tomte share his annual gift of Christmas porridge with a hungry fox, thus saving the day for the chickens in the chicken house.

While the book is only subtly a Christmas story, its message of generosity and selflessness reminds us of some of the reasons why we celebrate the holiday.

In this story, we follow a Swedish family as they celebrate Santa Lucia early in the morning on December 13th in a traditional manner.

I love the way the family then piles in the car to share their Lucia buns with their grandparents and then extends the joy even further by visiting neighbors who are new to Sweden.

If you are looking for help in creating your own Lucia pageant or home celebration, look no further! The back matter has you covered: it includes the story of St. Lucia, recipes for Lucia buns and pepparkakor, music and lyrics to Lucia's special song (in both Swedish and English!), and patterns for making the costumes.

The enchanting photographs follow a Scandinavian-looking little girl as she acts on her greatest wish of adventuring north to join Santa’s elves.

A different animal guides her on each leg of the journey. Normally, I don’t much care for stories of small children who are left alone in the care of animal companions (remember Good Dog, Carl?), but what child wouldn’t want to imagine themselves ultimately flying with a reindeer or guiding Santa’s sleigh?

The ending leaves you wondering if it was just a dream after all, with the main character safe in her own bed. The pictures capture the Nordic spirit of the book, combining Scandinavian style with an America-style Santa Claus, and I really like the way that the photographs and simple charm set this book apart.

No list of Nordic-inspired picture books is complete without at least one book by Jan Brett!

While not specifically set in a Scandinavian country, the Nordic-sweatered elf, the Dala horse displayed prominently in a workroom, and the delightfully detailed borders place the book in this category for me and my Swedish-American family. 

When the children were small, we read this together many, many times. It follows the story of an elf charged with getting Santa’s reindeer ready for the big night. Teeka, the elf, is new to the job, and the reindeer are reluctant to follow her orders.

Each time I read it, I legitimately worry when the reindeer’s antlers become hopelessly tangled!

Ready for a heart-tugging romance set in a snowy Scottish castle? Our noble hero—the Duke of Strathmore—must show his one true lady love that he’s worthy of another shot at winning her heart (having royally cocked up in his younger years). She’s been secretly pining for him too, but can the duke convince her that ‘second chances’ don’t mean ‘second best’? Have your hanky ready.  

This book, like my first recommendation by the same author, is one we read once a year (at Christmas time, of course). The writing makes you feel like you were there when Mary and Joseph took the ride to Jerusalem and delivered the baby Jesus. 

The adventure that the dove has along the way is non-stop excitement and awe. The kids can't wait for the few weeks before Christmas because that's when we crack open this book all over again and read a chapter a night leading up to the big day. It has been a tradition for almost ten years now and counting, and we can't imagine Christmas without the reading of this book. 

Here is a fun story about the author if you care to read further. She was a customer at the organic farm stand where I worked, and when she learned that I had 3 children… show more.

I am one of those people who just loves Christmas time and all things Christmas–a real Christmas “junkie”!  So this book, set during the first Christmas and depicting a fictional story involving angels–wow, combines two of my favorite things into one story, angels and Christmas, that is going to be a guarantee for becoming a favorite book of mine.

Even though the story is fictional, it is one of those stories that you think “it really could have happened that way”. I can read this book every December and not get tired of it!

This is a well-crafted mystery with elements of suspense.

I sometimes read in children's and young adult genres and think this book would be a great choice for the Christian young adult market. Rae, the main character is independent due to questions about who her real parents are. She has discovered her father but now someone is making threats involving questions about who her mother was.

The story will leave the reader guessing about the threats and who is trying to make Rae scared. JPC Allen is a fairly new author and I hope to see more of her work.

I could not think of a more suspenseful tale involving flight than this story. I wanted the pilot to make it home to England and read with my heart in my mouth how everything began to go wrong for him until the mysterious World War II bomber appeared–as either friend or enemy.

His characterizations are vividly drawn, as are the descriptions of the aircraft. This is one of Forsyth’s best books, in my opinion, and I like them all.

I love this book because it shows the sentimental side of the lauded author known for gritty mysteries and psychological novels—of which I’ve read more than 100. (He published some 400 novels and sold 500 million books.)

It features his earmarked lean prose and affecting Parisian settings and characters. His example and thoughts on craft have greatly influenced my writing, including one key admonition he got from his literary colleague Colette: “Cut, cut, cut!”