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Middleton Singapore
Middleton International School is a vibrant learning community in Singapore, offering high-quality international education at an accessible fee. Rooted in the values of diversity, inquiry, and innovation, Middleton nurtures globally minded learners through a balanced and engaging curriculum. With a strong emphasis on academic excellence, character development, and real-world learning experiences, the school empowers students to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
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As the festive season approaches and our primary learners head into their well-earned school break, it is the perfect time to rediscover the joy of reading at home. Curling up with a good book not only keeps young minds engaged during the holidays, but also nurtures imagination, curiosity and a lifelong love for stories.
To help families get started, our librarians at Middleton International School have put together a thoughtful selection of book recommendations for readers across the year levels. Carefully chosen to suit different ages, interests and reading levels, these titles are ideal companions for the Christmas and year-end break, offering both comfort and adventure, one page at a time.
Recommended Reads for Nursery 2 - Kindergarten 2:
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical train to the North Pole. Through dark forests, over tall mountains, and across a barren desert of ice, the Polar Express makes its way to the huge city standing alone at the top of the world, where the boy will make his Christmas wish. - Wombat Divine by Mem Fox
Wombat loves everything about Christmas, especially the Nativity play. He's wanted to be in it for as long as he can remember. At last he's old enough to try out. But at the auditions, the first part goes to someone else. So does the next. And the next... Will there be a part left for Wombat? - The Christmas Boot by Lisa Wheeler & Jerry Pinkney
Lonely Hannah is delighted to discover a warm black boot as she gathers kindling in the forest. A poor woman, she doesn't have proper shoes on her cold feet. "Glory be! I only wish I had your mate," she says to the boot, and the next morning, to her great surprise, there is not just one boot but two sitting by her bed! More wishes bring even better gifts, but the best is still to come: A visitor arrives at her door, a man with a big white beard, wearing a red suit and only one boot. Who could this magical visitor be? Santa Claus, of course! And he has one more surprise in store for Hannah: She wakes up the next morning to find a new puppy waiting for her! - Dream Snow by Eric Carle
It's December 24th, and the old farmer settles down for a winter's nap, wondering how Christmas can come when there is no snow! In his dream he imagines a snowstorm covering him and his animals, named One, Two, Three, Four and Five, in a snowy blanket. But when the farmer awakens, he finds that it has really snowed outside, and now he remembers something! Putting on his red suit, he goes outside and places gifts under the tree for his animals, bringing holiday cheer to all. - Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
It's the night before Christmas and everyone is sick in bed. All except brave Madeline, who is up and about and feeling just fine. Taking care of eleven little girls and Miss Clavel is hard work, but when Madeline finds help from a magical merchant, the girls embark on a Christmas journey that will surely make them forget their sniffles and sneezes.
Recommended Reads for Grades 1 - 2:
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Amy's Very Merry Christmas by Callie Barkley
Amy comes up with the perfect Christmas present for Ms. Sullivan in the ninth book of the Critter Club series.
It’s holiday time in Santa Vista, and Amy is especially excited for Christmas. Her dad and soon-to-be stepmom and stepsister are visiting, plus, there are some adorable guinea pigs at the Critter Club. But amidst the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, Amy notices that Ms. Sullivan seems a little lonely. Though Ms. Sullivan assures Amy that she will have a lovely holiday with her dog Rufus, Amy begins to wonder if there’s something she can do to cheer up Ms. Sullivan.
As Christmas Eve nears, the Critter Club girls still have not found families to adopt the guinea pigs. But then, in a Christmas miracle, each guinea pig gets a home. And come Christmas Day, Amy has devised a great plan to give Ms. Sullivan some cheer, and some company, on Christmas! -
Shhh! by Julie Sykes
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa's feeling jolly. But he is so excited about his favorite night of the year that he is having trouble being quiet. "Shhh, Santa, " whisper his friends. "Don't wake the children!" "Of course I won't, " Santa replies. Will he be able to deliver his toys to the children without waking them up? -
Paddington's Twelve Days of Christmas by Michael Bond
Celebrate Christmas with everyone’s favourite bear, Paddington – now a major movie star!
Everyone in the Brown family is singing about some wonderful Christmas gifts they’ve received. But Paddington can’t even find the partridge in a pear tree! He sets out to solve the mystery and is soon planning a spectacular Christmas Day surprise
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason… With a heart two sizes too small, the Grinch is the meanest creature you'll ever meet. He hates Christmas and the whole festive season. But when he hatches a dastardly plot to steal Christmas, he's in for a big surprise! -
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids. You and your family will laugh along with this funny story, perfect for independent reading or read-aloud sharing.
Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are an awful bunch. They set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s toolshed, blackmailed Wanda Pierce to get her charm bracelet, and smacked Alice Wendelken across the head. And that’s just the start! When the Herdmans show up at church for the free snacks and suddenly take over the Christmas pageant, the other kids are shocked./p>
It’s obvious that they’re up to no good. But Christmas magic is all around and the Herdmans, who have never heard the Christmas story before, start to reimagine it in their own way.
Recommended Reads for Grades 3 - 5:
- The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling
One boy and his toy are about to change everything...
Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve, something terrible happens - DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life... even toys. And Jack''s newest toy - the Christmas Pig (DP''s annoying replacement) - has a daring plan: Together they''ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known... - Winterfrost by Michelle Houts
Christmas has come, and with it a sparkling white winterfrost. When Bettina’s parents are called away unexpectedly, leaving her in charge of the house, the farm, and baby Pia, Bettina neglects to set out the traditional bowl of Christmas rice pudding for the tiny nisse. No one besides her grandfather ever believed the nisse were real, so what harm could there be in forgetting this silly custom? But when baby Pia disappears, the magic of the nisse makes itself known. To find her sister and set things right, Bettina must venture into the miniature world of these usually helpful, but sometimes mischievous, folk. - A Boy Called Christmas Paperback by Matt Haig
Eleven-year-old Nikolas, nicknamed "Christmas", has received only one toy in his life: a doll carved out of a turnip. But he's happy with his turnip doll, because it came from his parents, who love him. Then one day his father goes missing, and Nikolas must travel to the North Pole to save him.
Along the way, Nikolas befriends a surly reindeer, bests a troublesome troll, and discovers a hidden world of enchantment in the frozen village of Elfhelm. But the elves of Elfhelm have troubles of their own: Christmas spirit and goodwill are at an all-time low, and Nikolas may be the only person who can fix things-if only he can reach his father before it's too late. - The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
This is a story about a boy named William Trundle and a dinosaur named the Christmasaurus.
It's about how they meet one Christmas Eve and have a magical adventure. It's about friendship and families, sleigh bells and Santa, singing elves and flying reindeer.
It's about discovering your heart's true desire, and learning that the impossible might just be possible. - The Christmas Toy Factory Paperback by Geronimo Stilton
It’s Christmas in New Mouse City, but there’s no time to celebrate! Geronimo’s up to his snout in work after Grandfather William leaves him fearing for his job at The Rodent’s Gazette. Will an unexpected trip to the North Pole remind Geronimo what the holiday season is really about?
Recommended Reads for Grades 6 - 10:
- The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
Hidden in the corner of a dusty old bookshop, Joachim discovers a handmade advent calendar and begs his father to let him take it home.
The next morning, when he opens the calendar's first door, out falls a tightly folded piece of paper: the first instalment of a magical story about a young girl named Elisabet.
Little by little these pieces tell the girl's story, and as we learn what happened to her, another story is revealed - that of the strange old man who made the calendar. - Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
16-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favourite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges.
What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? - The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller
Jackson knows all about the flying reindeer, the elves and the secret North Pole workshop, and the magic that allows Father Christmas to deliver presents around the world in just one night. But one thing he doesn't know - how did Father Christmas become Father Christmas? That all changes when, one Christmas Eve, Jackson meets Father Christmas and hears his incredible story. It might not be what Jackson is expecting, but then no good story ever is. - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
It’s a snowy winter in London where we meet Ebenezer Scrooge, an old man who has become bitter with life, he is known for being cold and selfish. Scrooge profits off his impoverished community, financially benefitting off their labour whilst paying measly wages to his employees.
In the lead up towards Christmas, Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his former business partner Jacob Marley who informs Scrooge to expect 3 ghosts.
The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, show Scrooge what he needs to see before it’s too late, and we get to witness the mistakes of his past, the emptiness of his present and the dark future that awaits him. - Juniper’s Christmas by Eoin Colfer
It’s been ten years since Santa Claus performed his Christmas duties, but when Juniper Lane discovers the mysterious Niko, who lives in her local London park surrounded by Christmas trees and reindeer that can fly, she steps into a Christmas story like no other.
When Juniper’s mum goes missing and the park comes under threat from an ambitious park keeper, Juniper enlists Niko, who is surely Santa Claus, to help.
As the countdown to Christmas begins, Juniper must find her mother, restore the festive spirit, bring to life the true magic of the season and learn to ride her very own reindeer.
Recommended Reads for Grades 11 - 12:
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
On Christmas Eve at Gorston Hall, the Lee family's festivities are shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream.
When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man, but which one of them turned a special occasion into an occasion for homicide? The suspects will indeed be stirring this Christmas Eve...
- A Very Scalzi Christmas by John Scalzi
Deck the halls with boughs of holly! 'Tis the season… for Santa's lawyer to talk about the legal status of the workshop elves, for Christmas to arrive in an unexpected month, and for the innkeeper at the nativity to spill the beans about what really went down on that one night in Bethlehem. It's not just Christmas. - Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (edited by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle)
An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train, setting off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista. - My True Love Gave to Me (ed. Stephanie Perkins)
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. - The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
Holly Chase has the job of saving souls, but it is her own that she realises needs examining. On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn't.
As the holidays unfold, these curated book selections invite children and teens aged 3 to 18 to pause, imagine, and enjoy the quiet magic of reading. From beloved picture books to richer, more reflective stories for older readers, each title offers an opportunity to spark curiosity, build empathy, and create meaningful reading moments at home during the festive break.
Looking ahead to the new year, we warmly invite families to discover how a love for reading and learning is nurtured every day on our campus. Book a school tour to experience our learning environment, meet our educators, and see how we support each child’s journey beyond the classroom.
