We are reading The Chocolate Touch for our February book club and Christopher fell in love with it. Mo and C have a birthday party in a couple weeks and we decided that would be a fun present. I was able to put a copy on hold at the local Barnes & Noble (so nice and easy!) and then we brainstormed for other ideas. C wanted to get a gold wrapped chocolate and put it in a candy box alone (how the boy receives the magical chocolate) – Kit picked up a Ferrero Rocher 3 pack and we crumpled up some tissue paper and put it in the bottom of an old candy box we had, put a single chocolate in the center then crumpled up more tissue paper on top. We tied a ribbon around it and wrote a note on top to not open it until after Chapter 2. Christopher also made a foil wrapped cardboard coin (how the boy buys his candy) and wrote the birthday girl’s initials on it and “The Chocolate Touch” around the edge in a Sharpie. Cute extra touch. 🙂

But C, ever creative, also said he wanted to find a chocolate pencil! Kit suggested we look for some Pocky sticks – the store only had strawberry ones so we wrote a note on the box explaining they were strawberry “pencils” and wrapped them up with a note to not open until after Chapter 5. C insisted we also needed a real pencil since the teacher replaces the chocolate one with a real pencil and we had a cute glittery pink pencil we tied onto the Pocky with a ribbon.

So, we wrapped up the book and wrote, “Open first!” on it then tucked in the other wrapped presents – the Pocky with a pencil, the coin, and the chocolate box. I think it’s a totally cute (and educational!) and fun present. These could easily be used for a book club activity, too, though the Pocky and Rocher both have gluten so we can’t use them for our club safely. We have other fun activities planned!