Gifts for Teens Who Love to Read: Stories by Mail

Looking for a gift that gets a teenager reading, with no screen in sight? Fiction Mail sends a story as a series of real letters, mailed one at a time, with your teen's name woven into the story. Each letter ends with a reason to keep reading, so they'll be checking the mailbox for the next one.

These series are a great fit for teen readers:

  • The Time Traveler: Professor Mellon writes from some of history's biggest moments as if he were there. A fun way to make history stick. Choose 4 or 8 weekly letters, or 12 monthly letters.
  • Cold War Spy: Eliza discovers that her cookie-baking grandmother was secretly a spy in the 1950s. 8 weekly letters.
  • Scavenger Hunt: An office team-building game turns into a real, and dangerous, treasure hunt. 8 weekly letters.
  • In Plain Sight: A grumpy dwarf merchant secretly cares for Mitsy, a sweet baby mimic hiding in his shop. A cozy fantasy and the gentlest story in the group. 4 weekly letters.

Our letters are written for adults, but there's nothing overly graphic in them. Consider them rated PG-13. Every series is a one-time purchase with free US shipping, and you can choose the date the first letter is mailed. Not sure which to pick? Take our quiz or browse the Gift Guide.