Books We Read During the 2025-26 School Year

 Books I read to the youngest six:

The Mysterious Benedict Society -- Trenton Lee Stewart

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle -- Avi

Lad: A Dog -- Albert Payson Terhune

The Year of the Dog – Grace Lin

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon -- Grace Lin

Li Lun, Lad of Courage -- Carolyn Treffinger

Sweet and Sour -- Carol Kendall and Yao-Wen Li

The Princess and the Goblins -- George MacDonald

The Kite Fighters -- Linda Sue Park

A Single Shard -- Linda Sue Park 

Year of Impossible Goodbyes -- Sook Nyul Choi

The Big Wave -- Pearl Buck

The Master Puppeteer -- Katherine Paterson 

The Cat Who Went to Heaven -- Elizabeth Coatsworth

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever -- Barbara Robinson

The Bird's Christmas Carol -- Kate Douglas Wiggins

A Christmas Carol -- Charles Dickens

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus -- L Frank Baum

Born in the Year of Courage -- Emily Crofford

Burying the Sun -- Gloria Whelan

The Princess and Curdie -- George MacDonald

Breaking Stalin’s Nose -- Eugene Yelchin

The Turning -- Gloria Whelan

The Diamond in the Window -- Jane Langton

The Land I Lost -- Quang Nhuong Huynh

Little Britches -- Ralph Moody

Shadow Spinner -- Susan Fletcher

The Book of Mormon Family Reader -- Tyler McKellar and Dan Burr

The Bible Story vol 1, 2 -- Arthur S Maxwell (NF)

Teresa of Calcutta -- D Jeanene Watson (NF)

Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy -- Jeannie Fulbright (NF)

All the Small Poem and Fousrteen More -- Valerie Worth

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons -- Barbara Cohen and Bahia Lovejoy 

Ali and the Golden Eagle -- Wayne Grover

King of the Wind -- Marguerite Henry

Habibi -- Naomi Shihal Nye

I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade -- Diane Lee Wilson

Gentle Ben -- Walt Morey

The Railway Children -- Edith Nesbit


Books I read with the high schoolers:

Otto of the Silver Hand -- Howard Pyle

Julius Caesar -- William Shakespeare 

A Girl of the Limberlost -- Gene Stratton-Porter

Education of Little Tree -- Forrest Carter

Romeo and Juliet -- William Shakespeare 

A Separate Peace -- John Knowles

Great Expectations -- Charles Dickens

A Midsummer Night’s Dream -- William Skakespeare

The Screwtape Letters -- CS Lewis


I know it's a pretty good list, but my heart still hurts because we used to read so much more together.

We're doing our level best with the time we have.

And we shared some truly excellent moments together in these amazing books.

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