Issue date: Nov 21, 1999

"Harry Potter" author on her favorite books

Holiday books for kids

That kid from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry isn't the only one up to magic this fall. Precocious Sophie Kringle is hot on the trail of her mysterious aunt in Auntie Claus (Harcourt Brace & Co., $16), a new book from illustrator Elise Primavera. "The Kringle Family lived high atop the luxurious Bing Cherry Hotel in New York City, and they loved Christmas." You will, too, after you read this charming modern spin on spoiled children and the true meaning of Christmas. Eight-year-old Sophie sniffs, "You can never have too many presents." Hint to parents: Yes, you can. Ages 4-8.

Then there's Sprocc, a young Splingtwanger player (think spaced-out guitar) who leaves his home planet, Blipp, in search of musical freedom in Graeme Base's The Worst Band in the Universe (Harry N. Abrams, $19.95). The author of the popular Animalia takes on the outer limits in the ultimate battle of the bands. Above all, it's a story about a kid trying to fit in and do the right thing. Ages 9 and up.

In The Night of Las Posadas (Putnam, $15.99), Tomie dePaola relocates a Hispanic tradition of the journey to Bethlehem to Santa Fe, where a young couple are to play Mar’a and Josˇ in the Christmas pageant. When their truck gets stuck in a snowstorm, a mysterious couple steps in to carry on the procession. Ages 4-8.

How could you mistake a potato pancake for a UFO? Through plain silliness -- in abundance in Arthur Yorinks' The Flying Latke (Simon & Schuster, $16.95). This Hanukkah tale begins with a food fight over a Buick. Oy vey! Ages 5 and up.

By Kathy Balog