Amazon Released Its Top 20 Children's Books of 2018, So Here Are Our Kids' Stocking Stuffers

What it's about: "Caleb Franklin and his big brother Bobby Gene have the whole summer for adventures in the woods behind their house in Sutton, Indiana . . . Then Caleb and Bobby Gene meet new neighbor Styx Malone. Styx is 16 and oozes cool. He's been lots of different places. Styx promises Caleb and Bobby Gene that together, they can pull off the Great Escalator Trade — exchanging one small thing for something better until they achieve their wildest dream."

Ages it's aimed at: 8-12 years

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon ($12, originally $17)

What it's about: "Finn lives by the sea and the sea lives by him. Every time he looks out his window it's a constant reminder of the stories his grandfather told him about the place where the ocean meets the sky. Where whales and jellyfish soar and birds and castles float. Finn's grandfather is gone now but Finn knows the perfect way to honor him. He'll build his own ship and sail out to find this magical place himself! And when he arrives, maybe, just maybe, he'll find something he didn't know he was looking for."

Ages it's aimed at: 4-8 years

Ocean Meets Sky by The Fan Brothers ($15, originally $18)

What it's about: "There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it."

Ages it's aimed at: 5-7 years

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson ($19)

What it's about: "Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lives with his Grampa, Mike Pence — the Vice President of the United States. But on this Very Special Day, Marlon's life is about to change forever . . . With its message of tolerance and advocacy, this charming children's book explores issues of same sex marriage and democracy. Sweet, funny, and beautifully illustrated, this book is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different."

Ages it's aimed at: 4-8 years

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss ($8, originally $18)

What it's about: "In the beginning, there were three colors . . . Reds, Yellows, and Blues. All special in their own ways, all living in harmony ― until one day, a Red says 'Reds are the best!' and starts a color kerfuffle. When the colors decide to separate, is there anything that can change their minds? A Yellow, a Blue, and a never-before-seen color might just save the day in this inspiring book about color, tolerance, and embracing differences."

Ages it's aimed at: 4-8 years

Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung ($14, originally $18)

What it's about: "It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all . . . "

Ages it's aimed at: 5-6 years

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins ($15, originally $19)

What it's about: "When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens — with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words."

Ages it's aimed at: 4-7 years

Drawn Together by Minh Le ($11, originally $18)

What it's about: "To Willa, a young night-spirit, humans are the murderers of trees. She's been taught to despise them and steal from them. She's her clan's best thief, creeping into the log cabins of the day-folk under cover of darkness and taking what they won't miss . . . When Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in the day-folk world, she calls upon the old powers of her beloved grandmother, and the unbreakable bonds of her forest allies, to survive. Only then does she begin to discover the shocking truth: that not all of her human enemies are the same."

Ages it's aimed at: 10-13 years

Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty ($12, originally $17)

What it's about: "Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture . . . One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. . . But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them."

Ages it's aimed at: 9-12 years

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi ($14, originally $17)

What it's about: "Who is Baby Monkey? He is a baby. He is a monkey. He has a job. He is Baby Monkey, Private Eye! Lost jewels? Missing pizza? Stolen spaceship? Baby Monkey can help . . . if he can put on his pants!"

Ages it's aimed at: 4-8 years

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin ($13, originally $17)

What it's about: "The formerly glorious god Apollo, cast down to earth in punishment by Zeus, is now an awkward mortal teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. In order to regain his place on Mount Olympus, Lester must restore five Oracles that have gone dark. But he has to achieve this impossible task without having any godly powers and while being duty-bound to a confounding young daughter of Demeter named Meg. Thanks a lot, Dad."

Ages it's aimed at: 10-13 years

The Trials of Apollo: The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan ($13, originally $20)

What it's about: "When a new bunch of baddies bust up the town, Dog Man is called into action — and this time he isn't alone. With a cute kitten and a remarkable robot by his side, our heroes must save the day by joining forces with an unlikely ally: Petey, the World's Most Evil Cat. But can the villainous Petey avoid vengeance and venture into virtue?"

Ages it's aimed at: 7 and up

Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey ($6, originally $10)

What it's about: "When Louisiana Elefante's granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn't overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home."

Ages it's aimed at: 10 and up

Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo ($12, originally $17)

What it's about: "It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat — by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for 'A Room to Talk'), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them . . . When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives."

Ages it's aimed at: 10 and up

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson ($14, originally $18)

What it's about: "Shipwrecked on a remote, wild island, Robot Roz learned from the unwelcoming animal inhabitants and adapted to her surroundings — but can she survive the challenges of the civilized world and find her way home to Brightbill and the island?"

Ages it's aimed at: 8-12 years

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown ($12, originally $17)

What it's about: "It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders. Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore . . . Told through Nisha's letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a heartfelt story of one girl's search for home, for her own identity . . . and for a hopeful future."

Ages it's aimed at: 8-12 years

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani ($12, originally $17)

What it's about: "Byx is the youngest member of her dairne pack. Believed to possess remarkable abilities, her mythical doglike species has been hunted to near extinction in the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra. After her pack is hunted down and killed, Byx fears she may be the last of her species. The Endling. So Byx sets out to find safe haven, and to see if the legends of other hidden dairnes are true."

Ages it's aimed at: 8-12 years

Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate ($13, originally $18)

What it's about: "Twelve-year-old Charlie is down on his luck: His sharecropper father just died and Cap'n Buck — the most fearsome man in Possum Moan, South Carolina — has come to collect a debt. Fearing for his life, Charlie strikes a deal with Cap'n Buck and agrees to track down some folks accused of stealing from the cap'n and his boss. It's not too bad of a bargain for Charlie . . . until he comes face-to-face with the fugitives and discovers their true identities. Torn between his guilty conscience and his survival instinct, Charlie needs to figure out his next move — and soon. It's only a matter of time before Cap'n Buck catches on."

Ages it's aimed at: 9-12 years

The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis ($12, originally $17)

What it's about: "Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason's learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason's best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family's orchard. An investigation drags on, and Mason, honest as the day is long, can't understand why Lieutenant Baird won't believe the story Mason has told about that day."

Ages it's aimed at: 8-12 years

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor ($17)

What it's about: "Morrigan Crow and her best friend Hawthorne Swift are now proud scholars in the elite Wundrous Society, but life is far from perfect. Does Morrigan have what it takes to prove that she belongs in the Society?"

Ages it's aimed at: 9-12 years

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend ($12, originally $18)