Here’s the master list of all of our favorite books from this past school year – for our kids ages 5-10. A mix of read-alouds, graphic novels, and picture books.
When I asked on Instagram if this post was wanted, I got a much larger response than I originally anticipated! Usually, my book content doesn’t do as well as my home content, but I know that many of us are moms (or grandmas, or teachers!) that are looking for great book recommendations.
We are a family of avid readers, and I am thrilled that my children are also falling in love with reading. This summer, our kids have been reading to each other for a good chunk of the day. It’s the sweetest!
A few things to note:
- we homeschool, and do a lot of literature based learning. This list will be a mix of things we have read for fun, things we read because it was assigned in our curriculum, and things the kids found at the library that I wouldn’t necessarily have picked, but they love!
- My kids are in a big graphic novel phase at the moment. I know not everyone’s a fan, but in my eyes, they’re reading. I don’t really mind as long as the content is OK for me!
- I’m very aware that families have different sensitivities to content, and that’s why I hope you look into each book on your own before just taking my recommendation. We’re fairly conservative but there’s also plenty of wizardry, magic, and some serious subjects brought up in these books.
So, with those notes in mind, here are our favorite books we read this last year!
Notes: I found a bunch of these books through our Language Arts program (Brave Writer by Julie Bogart – LOVE it and lover her!)
For previous book recommendations, click the highlight called “books” on my Instagram! So many to pour over there.
Favorite readalouds for families:
(not all books are pictured here – some are loaned out, some were borrowed from the library, and some are in our basement haha)
These books are in no particular order!
- Nim’s Island
- Nim is a girl who lives on a secret island with her scientist dad – bravery is needed when his exploration gets derailed and Nim is on her own – but is able to e-mail the renowned “Alex Rover”. We all agree that you should make sure you read the book before you watch the movie because it’s very different!
- My Side of the Mountain
- Sam is sick of living in the city with his family, so he runs away to live in the Catskill Mountains. The story follows his efforts towards courage, independence, and survival in the wilderness. The only thing I kept thinking was “…where are his parents??”. Otherwise it’s a great story that we all really enjoyed!
- The Wild Robot
- Roz is a robot who washes ashore on a remote, wild island. As Roz explores her new surroundings, she learns to adapt and survive by observing and imitating the wildlife. Over time, she forms friendships with the animals and becomes a part of the island. Read this before the movie comes out this year!
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- Siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy discover a magical wardrobe that leads to the enchanted land of Narnia. In Narnia, they find a world ruled by the evil White Witch, who has created an eternal winter in Narnia. With the help of Aslan, the children embark on a quest to defeat the Witch and restore peace and warmth to Narnia. Absolute favorite of our family. We try to read this book every year (if you read it around Christmas it’s particularly special!).
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
- The Herdman siblings, a group of notoriously misbehaved children, take over the annual church Christmas pageant. Despite their rough and tumble nature, the Herdmans bring a fresh perspective to the nativity story, surprising the whole community. Another book we try to read every Christmas! A short read that brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.
Our favorite chapter books for older kids
- The Green Ember
- Rabbit siblings Heather and Picket’s peaceful lives are shattered when their home is attacked. They are thrust into a world of danger, discovering a hidden community of rabbits fighting against a tyrannical enemy. As they navigate this new world, Heather and Picket uncover their own hidden strengths and the legacy of the Green Ember, a symbol of hope and resistance. You can read more about this book in this article by my husband here. Our son really enjoyed reading this whole series with my husband.
- It Ain’t So Awful Falafel
- Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is an Iranian girl trying to fit in after moving to Newport Beach, California, in the 1970s. As she navigates the challenges of middle school and American culture, the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis back home create additional stress and prejudice. Through humor and resilience, Cindy learns to balance her Iranian heritage with her American identity, forging new friendships and finding her place in her new home. This book truly surprised me – I judged a book by it’s cover and was wrong for it! I learned a lot and laughed a lot too.
- A Place to Hang the Moon
- Set during World War II, this story follows three orphaned siblings—William, Edmund, and Anna —who are evacuated from London to the English countryside. In search of a new family and a place to call home, the siblings face various challenges and are placed with different foster families. Throughout their journey, they find solace in books and the kindness of a librarian named Nora. This book was one of my very favorites of the year. We did this one for book club and it was a crowd favorite!
- Anne of Green Gables
- Anne Shirley is an imaginative and spirited orphan girl mistakenly sent to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on their farm in Avonlea. Despite initial reservations, Anne’s personality and boundless creativity win over the Cuthberts and the entire community. The story follows Anne’s adventures and misadventures as she grows up, forming deep friendships and finding a true sense of belonging. One of my favorite books ever – I love that my kids can love it too!
- The Beatryce Prophecy
- A medieval fantasy novel about a young girl named Beatryce who is discovered in a monastery by a monk named Brother Edik. Beatryce has lost her memory but carries a prophecy that she will “unseat a king”. As she goes on a journey to uncover her past, she is joined by a group of unlikely friends, including a goat named Answelica, a boy named Jack Dory, and a former king. Together, they face dangers and uncover truths about Beatryce’s destiny. This book took me by surprise – such a fun book that inspired us to have our own medieval feast! It was memorable for sure.
- Wildoak
- Maggie is a girl with a stutter who struggles to find her voice. She is sent away to spend time with her grandfather in the English countryside, and discovers an injured snow leopard cub. As she nurses the cub back to health, she finds courage and confidence in herself. A great read – I also loved this one more than I thought I would.
Favorite chapter books for younger kids
- Zoey and Sassafras series
- Adroable series about Zoey, her cat Sassafras, and her scientist mom. Zoey + her mom can see magical animals, and they come to them for help in each book. My girls really liked these books!
- Unicorn Academy series
- My girls love these! A series about girls who spend a year at Unicorn Academy with the goal of bonding with their unicorn by the time the year is over. Dark magic arises and the students must use their unicorn’s power and their creativity to fight back. Read these books before they watch the show!
- Sophie Mouse series
- Adorable books geared towards younger kids, with wholesome storylines and easy to read chapters.
- Heartwood Hotel series
- Read these with my older 2 when it was COVID and we needed something lighthearted and not scary – and we fell in love! Re-read them this year before bed with my middle and my youngest – still just as sweet.
- Magical Animal Adoption Agency series
- We read these because we enjoyed Kallie George’s writing so much, and this 3 book series was another hit!
Favorite graphic novels:
These are my kids favorites that they read on their own. There’s been so many hours pouring over these graphic novels this year! I don’t stray away from graphic novels because I’m just thankful my kids are excited to read. Warning: there’s definitely more violence and creepier storylines than the other books I mentioned above. My kids are generally more sensitive and have all enjoyed these, but you know your kids the best!
- Wings of Fire graphic novel series
- Amulet series
- Hi-Lo series (these are less intense than the first two series)
- Dog Man (not my favorite, but had to be included because my kids still love it. They helped my early readers gain confidence with “bigger books”)
- Animal Rescue Friends (my middle loved these)
Our favorite picture books:
OK there’s so many picture books and I wish I did a better job writing the best ones down, but these are the ones that stuck out after this year!
- Miss Rumphius
- One of my all time favorites! And it’s the reason we have lupine in our front garden now.
- Mercy Watson series
- Technically a chapter book but very picture heavy and putting it in this category instead. A little old fashioned, but my Kindergartener really enjoyed.
- The Story of Ferdinand
- Just another classic that I’m happy to read many times!
- The Happy Lion
- Cute story that my lion loving girl always enjoyed reading with me.
- Blueberries for Sal
- A Kindergarten classic! Make sure you snack on some blueberries while reading 😉
- Make Way for Ducklings
- Our older two enjoyed this book when they were little, and it’s fun to have our youngest enjoy it now!
Best books for Mom (or Dad)
I’m the one writing this, so I’m saying it’s for Mom. But of course these are for dads too! These are my books that help me be a better parent, and I love them. I also listen to a lot of fiction on Audible but I’m going to save that for another day!
- Praying through the Bible for your kids
- So quick and easy to do – one page a day.
- Awaking Wonder
- Sally is a true hero of mine. I love everything she does. This book is one I re-read almost every year because it helps to put the “why” of home education back into my heart.
- Adventuring Together
- Greta is a treasure, and this book truly helped me to step out of my comfort zone as a mom. So proud of what we’ve done because of this book!
- Raising Emotionally Strong Boys
- I’ve never been a boy, and I need help raising one! This book was such a great read to help understand boy’s minds as you’re working to raise them.
- Unshakable Kids
- I speak about Sally and Greta like I know them, but I ACTUALLY know and love Lauren! She’s someone I love and trust, and I know you’ll also love her book.
- Modern Miss Mason
- OK I’ll admit that I haven’t *fully* finished this book but this post is my reminder that I need to before the next school year because I really enjoy it!
Last but not least – a few devotionals for kids!
- Doodle Devotions for Kids
- I bought this thinking my artistic middle would love it, but my oldest had me get a second one for him too! They both love it.
- Strong in Spirit
- 5 minute devotionals for pre-teen boys
- Jesus Calling
- 5 minute devotionals for girls
OK that was a LOT but I hope it was helpful to you! I’d love to hear if you’ve read and loved any of the books on this list – please comment down below if you have!
Make sure you save this post on Pinterest so you can come back to it when you need book ideas, and also share it with others!
If you want to go a step further, consider starting a kids book club. It’s been one of my favorite parts of homeschool, and I wrote all the details here in this post.
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