Christmas gift for a 15-year-old: a personalised children's book starring them

At fifteen, the next stage of life is coming into view, and much of childhood is already behind them. A story starring your teenager makes a gift with both humour and warmth. It has one or two short paragraphs per page, dialogue and a clear build-up of suspense, while the foreword is a message to keep for years to come.

Create a book for a 15-year-old

Hardback in time for Christmas: order by 3 December

Looking ahead at fifteen

At fifteen, school, exams and decisions about the future can feel like a big deal. Teenagers are thinking about who they want to become and what matters in the world. Many have a life of their own with friends, work, sport or music, with home becoming more of a base. They may appreciate a touch of nostalgia more than you'd expect: old photos, stories from when they were little or a soft toy that still sits on their shelf. A book for this age can be both a funny story and a heartfelt message. Let the adventure feel real, and make the foreword personal.

Would you like to see a finished book before you decide? Browse our example books.

Two themes for a 15-year-old

Racing is a great fit for someone who dreams of driving and loves cars: a race, a pit stop that goes wrong and a hero who keeps their cool on the final bend. For an adventure in the snow and ice, choose the North Pole, with polar bear tracks, the northern lights and an expedition where your teenager finds the way home when the compass stops working. You can say which friends should join the expedition too.

Choose a theme

What to write in a book for a 15-year-old

Fill the story with details from the last few years: their team, their friends, a summer job or a school trip. Ask about the photo and the people you want to include, so the book feels like a gift rather than an embarrassing surprise. You can include up to five characters, and pets count too. Courage and perseverance make good themes for a new chapter, while the foreword is a lovely place to show your love. That's where the book becomes more than a joke: write about what you remember from when they were little and what you wish for them in the years ahead. If you'd like help, we can write a first draft of the foreword or improve yours.

A gift to keep

The book makes a gift for a 15th birthday, the end of a school year or a confirmation. Your teenager can read it on their own, or perhaps aloud to friends with a suitably dramatic voice. Later, it might find a home in a box or on a shelf, ready to be brought out again once they've moved away from home. You can order extra hardback copies for family, and include a card with an illustration from the book and your message in the parcel. An illustration from the book on canvas can also make a keepsake to hang in their new room.

Remind me before the birthday

Not quite yet? We e-mail you two to three weeks before the child's birthday, in time for a printed book. Once a year, nothing else.

You turn the reminder on in the e-mail we send. We keep only the address and the date, see the privacy policy.

Questions about books for 15 years

Choose the 10+ age setting for richer language, one or two short paragraphs per page, more dialogue and a clear build-up of suspense.

Yes. Write a foreword for the occasion and tell us about what's important to them, so it can be woven into the story.

Yes. You can order multiple hardback copies, and delivery is free when you order two or more books.

Yes. The card has an illustration from the book on the front and your message on the back. You can order it with the hardback book.

You do, and you're welcome to include your own memories. If you'd like help, we can write a first draft or improve yours. You can also edit it afterwards.