Summary

With these wonderful living books your family will study recent history—both World and American—and get to know the people and events of Modern Times (1850 to 2012). Geography will focus on Asia. Bible lessons will include several epistles. Older students will work on a six-year project of looking for doctrinal truths as they read through the Bible; if they have completed the other five years of reading and study, they will summarize their findings by writing a personal doctrinal statement.

Modern Times & Epistles, Revelation history lesson plans

Daily lesson plans scheduling these books are available in Modern Times & Epistles, Revelation.

Book List for History, Geography, Bible

Read the books listed under Family to all the students together. Add the grade-level books as individual reads for any children you have in those grades. For example, if you have students in grades 9 and 11, you will want to get the books under Family, Grades 7–9, and Grades 10–12.

[SCM]: Available from SCM
[Book Store]: Purchase from your favorite book store
[Library]: Check your library
[Public Domain]: Available free in the public domain

(AH) = American History book, so if you are in a different country you can easily identify and substitute books as desired.

You can also view all the books below in the CM Bookfinder for easy scheduling in our CM Organizer.

Family

Bible
(AH) Book StoreBilly Graham: God’s Ambassador by Russ Busby OR Book StoreBilly Graham: Just Get Up Out of Your Seat by Catherine Mackenzie
(AH) LibraryThe Brooklyn Bridge by Elizabeth Mann
(AH) LibraryEmpire State Building by Elizabeth Mann
LibraryGandhi: The Young Protester Who Founded a Nation by Philip Wilkinson
Book StoreGeorge Mueller by Faith Coxe Bailey
(AH) LibraryThe Hoover Dam by Elizabeth Mann
LibraryMandela: The Rebel Who Led His Nation to Freedom by Ann Kramer
SCMMaterial World and SCMHungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel
(AH) Book StoreOur Country’s Presidents by Ann Bausum (reference book)
(AH) SCMStories of America, Volume 2, by Charles Morris, et al.
SCMStories of the Nations, Volume 2, by Lorene Lambert and Charles Morris
(AH) SCMThe Story of Thomas A. Edison by Frances M. Perry
SCMThe Stuff They Left Behind: From the Days of Modern Times portfolio
SCMVisits to Asia notebook by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)

Plus . . .
Grades 1–3

(AH) LibraryA Boy Named FDR by Kathleen Krull
(AH) LibraryI Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson
LibraryThe Journey That Saved Curious George by Louise Borden
(AH) LibraryMoonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
[SCM]Only a Dog: A Story of the Great War by Bertha Whitridge Smith
(AH) LibraryThe Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter
Book StoreThe Children of China: An Artist’s Journey by Song Nan Zhang (optional, used with Visits to Asia)
Book StoreA Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman OR Book StoreGrandfather Tang’s Story: A Tale Told with Tangrams by Ann Tompert (optional, used with Visits to Asia)
Book StoreHorse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia by Ted and Betsy Lewin (optional, used with Visits to Asia)
Book StoreKami and the Yaks by Andrea Stenn Stryer (optional, used with Visits to Asia)
Book StoreKampung Boy by Lat (optional, used with Visits to Asia)
LibraryThe Life of Rice: From Seedling to Supper by Richard Sobol (optional, used with Visits to Asia. This book is out of print, but a library near you may have a copy.)
Book StoreThe Way We Do It in Japan by Geneva Cobb Iijima (optional, used with Visits to Asia)
Book StoreYasmin’s Hammer by Ann Malaspina (optional, used with Visits to Asia)

Grades 4–6

(AH) LibraryAbe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North
(AH) LibraryAlways Inventing: A Photobiography of Alexander Graham Bell by Tom L. Matthews
(AH) LibraryI Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson
LibraryA Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Parker
LibraryThe Singing Tree by Kate Seredy
LibrarySnow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
(AH) LibraryTeam Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
Book StoreThe Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam by Quang Nhuong Huynh (optional, used with Visits to Asia)

Grades 7–9

Book StoreAcross America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy
(AH) LibraryAcross Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
LibraryAnimal Farm by George Orwell
SCMBook of Centuries (one for each student)
(AH) LibraryBully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! by Jean Fritz
SCMDiscovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
LibraryThe Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
(AH) LibraryLincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
LibraryA Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Book StoreLouis Pasteur: Founder of Modern Medicine by John Hudson Tiner
Book StoreRescue and Redeem: Volume 5, Chronicles of the Modern Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
(AH) LibraryRoll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
SCMStrong in the Word by Sonya Shafer
(AH) SCMVictory in the Pacific by Albert Marrin
(AH) LibraryThe Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman
(AH) SCMThe Yanks Are Coming by Albert Marrin
Book StoreThe Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam by Quang Nhuong Huynh (optional, used with Visits to Asia)

Grades 10–12

(AH) Book StoreAmerica: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1: From the Age of Discovery to a World at War by William Bennett
(AH) Book StoreAmerica: The Last Best Hope, Volume 2: From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom by William Bennett
(AH; optional) Book StoreAmerica: The Last Best Hope, Volume 3: From the Collapse of Communism to the Rise of Radical Islam by William Bennett
(AH) Book StoreAmerican Voices: A Collection of Documents, Speeches, Essays, Hymns, Poems, and Short Stories from American History edited by Ray Notgrass
SCMBook of Centuries (one for each student)
SCMDiscovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
SCMHitler by Albert Marrin
Book StoreHow Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer OR Book Store7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave by Dave Breese
Book StoreRescue and Redeem: Volume 5, Chronicles of the Modern Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
SCMStalin by Albert Marrin
SCMStrong in the Word by Sonya Shafer
LibraryThe War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman
(AH) LibraryThe Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman
Book StoreThe Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam by Quang Nhuong Huynh (optional, used with Visits to Asia)

Note: We recommend that grades 10–12 students add an American Government course either during this Modern Times study or spread over two years, during Early Modern and Modern Times studies. One possibility might be Exploring Government from Notgrass Publishing, taken at a slower pace.

We also recommend that grades 9–12 students read about and discuss current events. Selected articles from World magazine or website work well.

Bonus Titles

Here are more great titles that you can use for substitutions or leisure reading or to create your own heritage history stream as desired. We will add to this list as we discover and review more new-to-us books. Sign up to be notified when we add new bonus titles to our history book lists!