My Kids’ Favorite Books: a book list for later elementary to middle school

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Book list

A Book List for Later Elementary to Middle School Age

One of my favorite things to see, as a parent, is my children curled up on the sofa, or sitting outside on the porch swing, or numerous other places reading from our book list! And let me add to that- reading without me telling them to go read….reading because they want to! These wholesome books for middle school and elementary are tried and true books.

So, as I’m thinking about Christmas gifts (or birthday gifts, etc.) for my kids or nieces and nephews, I love to include BOOKS as part of their present.

Reading is one of those wonderful pastimes that is the same as it was 100 years ago. You find a book and you read it. (granted, I suppose you could be reading it on a kindle or ipad or something, now) 🙂 And, it is just as beneficial as it ever was. It stimulates the imagination, it feeds you with knowledge, it broadens your scope of life and history by learning of others’ experiences, it inspires through achievements and endeavors of people before us, it sharpens your spelling skills and builds your vocabulary without ever having to pull out a textbook to do so. What a great gift!

So, with Christmas shopping underway, perhaps you will enjoy this little list of some of my kids’ favorite books to read. I love book lists because they help me narrow down my options instead of having to search through the thousands of children’s books out there and not knowing where to start. There’s a lot of trashy books out there too, so I appreciate lists that give me good, wholesome choices.

We actually used several of these titles for school reading. I buy several books at the beginning of the year and then let the kids choose which ones they will read. When they’ve finished that book, they go back to those options and choose again. They really like handling it this way, as it allows them to have some say in what they read for school.

So, here you go:

Book List for approximately grades 4-8 or ages 9-13

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Easy Economics for High Schoolers

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Let me tell you about a great resource for teaching economics to your high schooler. It’s called Biblical Economics in Comics by Vic Lockman.

It actually looks and reads like a comic book! You might be thinking, Comic book…for a high schooler?  How can that be all that educational, and aren’t they, after all, a little old for comics?

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Top Book Pick: Francis Marion and The Legend of The Swamp Fox

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Every so often, we like to highlight and recommend books we have loved reading. These are books that are favorites and at the “Top” of our list!

The one I’m telling you about today is no exception-  We love this book, Francis Marion, and The Legend of The Swamp Fox!

You may already know that I get excited about American History. And so, I love it when a book can bring true facts and real people to life through a story and great illustrations for the whole family.

Francis Marion is one of our favorite characters from the Revolutionary period, and he is who this book is all about!

He did much to help us win our independence by thinking creatively how to outsmart the British. His adventures are so exciting, and he is a man we need to introduce our kids to.

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My Favorite Read-Aloud Book at Christmastime

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I just love the Christmas season. And, I’m one of those people who really loves traditions- especially Christmas tradition. So, I really wanted to share a book with you that is a favorite tradition for my little family. We read it together every year throughout the Christmas season.

Little House Christmas TreasuryFestive Holiday Stories is a compilation of Christmas stories taken from some of the original 9 Little House Books. I’ve always loved the Little House books anyway, so this book caught my attention when I saw it in a bookstore years ago when my oldest child was only a very little girl. I bought it and fell in love with the sweet Christmas stories, the pretty little illustrations and colorful and cheery embellishments throughout, and the well-made sturdy pages.

 

I find the book itself to be really pretty, christmas-ey, and well-made; it would make a beautiful gift for a family or a child.

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10 Favorite Books for Family Reading Time

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10-favorite-books

Rick tried to read to our kids most nights as they were growing up. These books I’m sharing with you today were all-time favorites. I know some of my kids have done the same with their kids, too. 

What better Christmas gift could you give than books you can read together as a family?

1. The Little House Books- The Early Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder- Ok, I guess this first favorite isn’t just 1 book. It’s a whole series of 9 books! We have spent many pleasant hours as a family reading through the “Laura books” and reading them over again. The stories are wonderful classics of years-gone- by and the strong bond of a loving family through the good and bad times- perfect to read aloud as a family.

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 2.  James Herriot Treasury for Children– Another family favorite has been the James Herriot books. Rick has read selected stories from these books to the family. We were glad to see a children’s version come available. Sweet, heart-warming stories based on the vet’s experience in the Yorkshire hills.  Some are hilariously funny and others sweet.

james-herriot

 

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