Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: independent reading, literature, narration

This topic has 14 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 4 months ago by LindseyD.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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January 23, 2014 at 5:49 pm
LindseyD
Participant
Ds almost 10 is blowing through his assigned reading. In fact, he’s already finished ALL of the books I had scheduled for the entire year! He absolutely LOVES reading! This year, I assigned to be read and orally narrated Caddie Woodlawn, Mary Poppins, Just So Stories, Baby Island, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Today I handed him The Sign of the Beaver, but then remembered that it is part of the independent reading for the Early Modern Module, so I quickly took it back from him and handed him Pinocchio (which I believe is WAY too easy for him, but he’s never read it, and it was convenient to access).
He is working on The Hobbit in his free time and will move on to LOTR Trilogy afterward. I am not requiring narrations for these books. They are simply to be enjoyed.
As a family we’ve already read all of the books on the Years 1-4 literature suggestions, plus a few not mentioned (including Little House, Narnia, Secret Garden, Little Princess, both Pollyanna books, Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and more). Currently our family read aloud is Island of the Blue Dolphins.
On his own bookshelves, he has read:
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Ranger’s Apprentice series
Crispin series
Hatchet
Little Britches
several Who Was ….? books (too easy for him, but he enjoys them)
a George Washington biography
an Abe Lincoln biography
plus a bunch of other non-literature type books like Hank the Cowdog
So, I need suggestions for some literature for him to read and narrate either orally or written!
Thanks,
Lindsey
January 23, 2014 at 7:04 pm
Janell
Participant
Here is a mix of books my boys like:
Animals:
Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard
Rascal by Sterling North
Kildee House by Rutherford G. Montgomery
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
Inspirational/Character Study:
Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John (don’t miss this one…memorable)
Sir Knight of the Splendid Way by W.E. Cule (our favorite Lamplighter Book)
Bruchko by Bruce Olson (a bit dramatic but wonderful about a young missionary in South America)
Imagination:
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
The Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
Kate Seredy’s Books:
The Chestry Oak (my all time favorite book-RARE)
The Good Master
The Singing Tree
The White Stag
Adventure:
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevensen (LOVE this one)
South: The Endurance Expedition by Sir Ernest Shackelton (challenging but great)
January 23, 2014 at 7:41 pm
Laura.bora
Participant
My sons picks (he’s 11 – and these weren’t all read this year):

Lord of the ring trilogy
The Hobbit
The Kingdom Series (Chuck Black)
The Phantom Toll Booth
Where the Red Fern grows (Only book to have ever made my son cry)
Number the Stars
Treasure Islnd
The Knights series (another Chuck Black)
Blue Willow
Old Yeller
Rascal
January 23, 2014 at 7:55 pm
curlywhirly
Participant
You could also check out the Redwall series by Brian Jaques. Those were huge favorites with one of my sons at that age.
January 23, 2014 at 8:14 pm
Katrina in AK
Participant
Laura beat my to it. I also recommend The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.
January 24, 2014 at 12:25 am
petitemom
Participant
If he liked Hatchet there are so many other good books from Gary Paulson.
Hatchet is from a series of 4 books I beleive and there are a few more.
January 24, 2014 at 2:24 am
RobinP
Participant
Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome. There are a few 10yo boys in my library who love Freddy the Pig books right now, just for fun. Surrender by Robb White. Books by Merritt Parmalee Allen and Stephen Meader are older but favorites with boys.
January 24, 2014 at 2:35 am
missceegee
Participant
The Lion’s Paw
January 27, 2014 at 11:09 pm
LindseyD
Participant
Christie, could you give me an author on that one? I’m assuming you’re not referring to the Little Golden Book of the same title. There are several books with that title coming up in my search, but I’m determined to get it since you’re recommending it.
I’m also ordering Phantom Tollbooth, Big Red, Swallows and Amazons, and Treasures of the Snow.
Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! I’m sure I’ll be ordering more before the end of the year, and I’m glad I have this excellent list handy!
January 27, 2014 at 11:41 pm
ServingwithJoy
Participant
These are on my (around) 10yo list:
Little Women
Little Men
The Door in the Wall
Sounder
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Crispin At the Edge of the World (Trilogy)
Peter Pan
The Book of Virtues
Hostage Lands
Caddie Woodlawn
Pilgrim’s Progress**
Fine Print: A Story about Johann Gutenberg
The Incredible Journey
The Strange Intruder
Catherine, Called Birdy
The Magna Charta
Robinson Crusoe
Shadrach
Children’s Stories from Dickens
Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates
The 21 Balloons
Johnny Tremain
The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow
Cheaper By the Dozen
Old Yeller
Adam of the Road
In Freedom’s Cause: The Story of Wallace & Bruce
Ten Boys Who Made a Difference
The Queen’s Smuggler – William Tyndale
The Betrayer’s Fortune
Traitor in the Tower
Hidden Treasure of Glaston
The Jungle Books
The Second Mrs. Gioconda
Tales from Shakespeare
The Tinker’s Daughter
The Chronicles of Narnia
Call of the Wild
White Fang
Hiawatha
The Puppeteer’s Apprentice
Castle, Cathedral
Masada
Anne of Green Gables (Series)
Little Britches Series
Five Children and It
Polycarp: The Crown of Fire
Joan of Arc
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
The Black Pearl
The Island of the Blue Dolphins
Bruchko
The Master Puppeteer
Red Falcons of Tremoine
Beorn the Proud
Pollyanna
Otto of the Silver Hand
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal
Bambi
The Good Master
The White Stag
Black Beauty
A Comedy of Errors**
In His Steps
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Bronze Bow
Tanglewood’s Secret (All)
Kidnapped
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The Silver Branch
The Eagle of the Ninth
Gulliver’s Travels
All-of-a-Kind Family
Morning Star of the Reformation
Mary Poppins
Tirzah
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
The Man Who Laid the Egg
The Begger’s Bible
Thunderstorm in Church
The Bible Smuggler
Medallion
King Arthur and His Knights
Listening for Lions
The Life & Times of Charlemagne
Son of Charlemagne
If All the Swords in England
Augustine Came to Kent
Forbidden Gates
Detectives in Togas
Swiss Family Robinson
When I compiled this, we were in the Middle Ages, so some of these ‘lean’ thataway. I need to update it to include other time periods – but maybe you’ll get some ideas!
January 27, 2014 at 11:42 pm
ServingwithJoy
Participant
Sorry that was so long – I just copied and pasted! If you want a copy of my excel book list for all the ages, pm me :-).
January 28, 2014 at 2:10 am
missceegee
Participant
Sorry. The Lion’s Paw is by Robb White and is a fave here.
January 28, 2014 at 2:26 am
LindseyD
Participant
@ServingwithJoy, we have about 75% of the books on your list! But I will look into the others too. There are just so many good books out there for Junie B. Jones and other crummy books to be an option (see my other thread on books for dd, to clarify).
Thanks, Christie! You’re the one who introduced us to Lamplighters and I’ve seen your home library, so I completely trust you when you tell me to get a book. I don’t even look them up anymore! Ha!
January 28, 2014 at 8:03 am
Janell
Participant
Great choices, Lindsey.
We enjoyed The Phantom Tollbooth as an audio book read by David Hyde Pierce. He reads it hillariouly well. I just have to turn this audio book on whenever I what to capture all of my children simultaneously.
Another book our family enjoyed was Bud & Me : The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys by Alta Abernathy. A turn of the century adventure book, this tells the story of two very young brothers, personal friends of Teddy Roosevelt, who make several daring cross country trips by horseback, auto, and motorcycle unaccompanied except for one another.
January 29, 2014 at 5:18 pm
LindseyD
Participant
I’ve ordered:
The Phantom Tollbooth
Big Red
Swallows and Amazons
Treasures of the Snow
Thanks so much! I have lots more to choose from in 3 months when he’s finished all these! Ha!