Ages 13 to 17 · Eye rolls included
Ugh... I'm BORED! Advent Calendar for Teens
A 24-day Christmas countdown for the teenager who says everything is boring: one mission, one puzzle and one quick-fire round every day.
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Paperback, 96 pages, 6 x 9 in.
- 24-day Christmas countdown
- 72 challenges
- Every answer in the back
Too cool for chocolate? Good.
As shared in TikTok videos.
Is this the advent calendar from TikTok?
Yes. The green cover with the raccoon leaning out of a red door, the cipher dares that ask if you can beat a 15 year old, the slideshows full of teen missions: this is that book. Ugh... I'm BORED! Advent Calendar for Teens by Aria Stern, a 96-page paperback.
Look inside
These are real pages from the 96-page book. Every day takes three pages: a mission in the real world, a puzzle on paper and a quick-fire round. The answers live in the back of the book, and they stay off this page.
- 96 pages, 6 x 9 in
- Black and white, room to write
- Rated EASY, WARM, HOT and BOSS
Twelve places in the book
Swipe along to see more pages.
- Startp. 1
![Title page of the advent calendar for teens: 24 days, 72 challenges, 1 boss, December 1 to 24.]()
24 days, 72 challenges, one boss. December 1 to 24.
- Rulesp. 3
![How it works page: three things a day, a mission, a puzzle and a quick fire round, with points for each.]()
The whole rulebook on one page: three things a day, in any order.
- Day 01p. 10
![Day 1 mission page, The Backpack Audit, from the advent calendar for teens.]()
Day 1, The Backpack Audit: everything out of the bag, ten seconds per object.
- Day 01p. 11
Day 1 puzzle: a word search rated EASY. It does not stay easy.
- Day 05p. 23
Day 5, The Double Lock: a cipher with two locks on it.
- Day 06p. 26
Day 6, the first Boss Day: a logic grid, detective style.
- Day 07p. 29
Day 7, The Cold Call: phone the oldest person in your life who will pick up.
- Day 11p. 42
Day 11, The Fridge Rebus: pictures plus letters make words. Rated HOT.
- Day 16p. 57
Day 16, The Ten-Shot Documentary: your own home, whispered like a wildlife film.
- Day 24p. 82
Day 24, The Boss Day: twelve minutes, twelve objects, then the boss.
- Trackerp. 86
The tracker, with a column for whoever said they could beat this month.
- Certificatep. 87
The certificate. It cuts out along two lines.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Can you beat a 15 year old?
The dare from the videos, with a cipher written fresh for this page. It is not from the book, so nothing gets spoiled. Crack it, then hand the phone to your teenager and see who is faster.
- Heat: WARM
- Method: fridge shift
- Not from the book
Every letter was slid forward the same number of places in the alphabet. Slide each one back to read the message.
The cipher: SVZLY THRLZ AOL OVA JOVJVSHAL
Alphabet: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Show a hint
The number is how many days there are in a week.
Show the answer
LOSER MAKES THE HOT CHOCOLATE.
Every letter moved back 7 places: S becomes L, V becomes O, Z becomes S.
Like that kind of brain teaser? The book has a cipher, a logic grid or a code to crack every single day, and the free bonus shows six ways to build your own.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Nothing to type and nothing to send. Work it out on paper, the way the book does it.
How a book advent calendar works
An advent calendar in a book: no doors to rip and nothing to refill. Open it on December 1 and do the day. Each day is three pages and worth 90 points.
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Something to do in the real world, with proof: a photo, a signature or an answer on the line. Empty the school bag into three piles. Call the oldest person who will pick up. Every mission is free, and every one works solo.
Page 10 
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A paper puzzle with a heat rating of EASY, WARM, HOT or BOSS. Word searches, mini crosswords, letter sudoku, shift and spiral ciphers, logic grids, nonograms, codewords, rebuses and a full 9x9 sudoku.
Page 23 
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A fast round to play alone or with whoever is around: a caption, a sixty-second challenge, would you rather, two truths and one lie, a fact duel or a dice dare.
Page 3 
Twenty-four doors to Christmas Eve
Four weeks, each with its own name, and a Boss Day at the end of every one: Days 6, 12, 18 and 24. The ranks climb from SLOW START to HOUSE BOSS. Missed a day? Catch up whenever. Nothing locks.
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HOME TURFDays 1 to 6
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Day 01The Backpack Audit
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Day 02The Six-Minute Problem
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Day 03The Four-Minute Map
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Day 04The Junk Drawer Museum
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Day 05The Cursed Photo
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Day 06The Hallway GamesBOSS
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HOUSE CASTDays 7 to 12
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Day 07The Cold Call
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Day 08Speak Only in Questions
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Day 09The Blind Portrait
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Day 10The Family Poll
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Day 11The Silent Snack
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Day 12Photo of a PhotoBOSS
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LOW LIGHTDays 13 to 18
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Day 13The One-Song Walk
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Day 14The Compliment Heist
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Day 15The Playlist Verdict
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Day 16The Ten-Shot Documentary
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Day 17Wrap What You Own
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Day 18The Winter SprintBOSS
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BOSS WEEKDays 19 to 24
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Day 19The Terrible Pitch
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Day 20The Secret Swap
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Day 21The Last Good Excuse
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Day 22The Three-Question Search
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Day 23The Fake Tradition
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Day 24The Boss DayBOSS
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The five ranks
- SLOW STARTStart
- FAST HANDSAfter Day 6
- QUIET GENIUSAfter Day 12
- DAY BREAKERAfter Day 18
- HOUSE BOSSAfter Day 24
Finish Day 24 and the rank reads HOUSE BOSS. The certificate on page 87 makes it official.
Who it is for
- Your teenager is 13 to 17, says everything is boring, and has already said it twice today.
- They announced they are too old for a chocolate calendar, and they were not wrong.
- They like puzzles that are hard enough to argue about: logic puzzles, ciphers and word puzzles for teens, not for little kids.
- Teenage boys and girls alike. It is about your house, your family and whatever lives at the bottom of the school bag.
- Your family wants a rematch. The tracker has a challenger column for the parent, sibling or cousin who thinks they can beat the month.
Who it is not for
- Younger kids. The humor is dry and the last week runs HOT. Aria Stern has other advent calendars for kids ages 8 to 12.
- Anyone hoping for chocolate behind a door. This one runs on a pencil and 72 challenges.
- A strict no-phone December. The puzzles are all on paper, but some missions use a phone as a timer, a camera or a way to call someone.
Safety is built in
Every mission is free, with nothing hot or sharp, no glass, no climbing and no running or stairs. The three missions that go outside have an indoor version. Anyone in a photo says yes first, and nothing goes online unless every person in it agrees.
Free bonus: the week after Christmas
Day 24 lands on Christmas Eve. Then December 26 to 31 is wide open, so the free bonus covers that dead week too.
Open the free bonusNo email, no account, no form. The link opens a folder of PDFs to print or keep on a screen.
The QR code on page 95 of the book leads to the same folder.
Six more days
December 26 to 31, same format.
60-second deck
36 challenges for a phone screen.
Secret missions
Twelve, plus revenge cards.
Challenger sheet
A score sheet for player two.
Make your own code
Six ways to hide a sentence.
Reviews from parents and readers
Reviews live on Amazon, in each reader's own words. We do not copy ratings or reviews onto this page, so tap through and read them there.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
A note from Aria Stern
The review I am hoping for goes like this: a teenager calls the book stupid on December 1 and asks where it went on December 2.
About Aria Stern
Aria Stern writes activity books for kids and teenagers who are done being talked down to. Her Advent titles are built to survive a whole month in a bedroom: a little every day, room to write, puzzles that actually bite, and a tone that treats the reader as somebody with a sense of humor.
Aria Stern is a pen name. Her books are published by Kalderno (Quicktale Limited).
Questions parents ask about this teen advent calendar
Is this the advent calendar from TikTok?
Yes. Ugh... I'm BORED! Advent Calendar for Teens by Aria Stern is the book from the TikTok videos with the cipher dares and the teen missions. It is a real 96-page paperback with 24 days and 72 challenges for ages 13 to 17, sold on Amazon. You can buy the paperback on Amazon through the button on this page.
What do you put in an advent calendar for a teen who is too old for chocolate?
Put something in it they have to beat. This book advent calendar gives a teenager one mission, one puzzle and one quick-fire round every day from December 1 to 24, with points, five ranks and a Boss Day at the end of each week. It is a no-candy advent calendar, and there is nothing to refill.
Is an advent calendar too childish for a 15 year old?
Not this one. The puzzles climb to HOT and BOSS, the missions are things a teenager can actually do in a house full of family, and the humor is dry instead of cute. With points, ranks and a Boss Day every week, it plays more like a game than a calendar for little kids.
How does a book advent calendar work?
Each day of Advent gets its own pages instead of a door. In this one, every day from December 1 to 24 takes three pages: a real-world mission worth 30 points, a paper puzzle worth 40 and a quick-fire round worth 20. Do them in any order, write down the proof, and the points add up to 2,160 by Christmas Eve.
Is it good for teenage boys and girls?
Yes. It is written for teens 13 to 17, boys and girls alike. The missions are about the house, the family and the stuff in the school bag, so it works as a gift for a teenage boy as well as for a teenage girl.
What kind of puzzles are inside, and how hard are they?
Word searches, mini crosswords, letter sudoku, spot the difference, shift, spiral and swapped-pair ciphers, logic grids, nonograms, codewords, rebuses, a 9x9 sudoku and a three-stage boss lock. Each puzzle is rated EASY, WARM, HOT or BOSS, the last week runs hot, and every answer is in the back of the book.
Does it need a phone, money or anything extra?
No money and nothing to buy: every mission is free and uses what is already at home. A pencil helps. The puzzles are all on paper, and on some days a phone comes in handy as a timer, a camera or a way to call someone.
Can my teen do it alone, or is it for the whole family?
Both. Every day works solo, so it does the job of an activity book for teens on their own, and the missions that involve another person say what to do when nobody answers. For a family game, the tracker has a challenger column: a parent or sibling runs the same days on their own paper, and the most points in a week wins the week.
When should we start?
On December 1, so Day 24 lands on Christmas Eve. It works for Advent 2026, and the days are numbered Day 1 to Day 24. Missed a day? Catch up whenever. The free bonus then covers December 26 to 31.
Who is Aria Stern?
Aria Stern is the pen name behind Ugh... I'm BORED! Advent Calendar for Teens. She writes activity books and Advent calendars in book form for kids, tweens and teens, and her books are published by Kalderno.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
December 1 is Day 1.
One paperback, 96 pages, 72 challenges. Wrap it, slide it into a stocking or leave it on the desk with a pencil and say nothing.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Plus the free bonus for December 26 to 31
Aria Stern is a pen name. Published by Kalderno, Quicktale Limited.