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Reading Lists

6 Boy Approved Books Which Spark the Love of Reading

May 5, 2024 | 5 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have six boy approved books today. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

Not wanting my boys to be among the boys-who-hate-to-read statistics, it was a challenge in the beginning to keep my boys’ enjoying reading.

I had a LOT to learn about how boys learn.

Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I’m hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys.

3 Boy Mom Reading Tips

Now that I have lifelong adult son readers, I know you’ll benefit from these three simple, easy, and tried and true reading tips.

1. Quit thinking like female teachers.

I know, it sounds crazy because homeschool stats reveal that a majority of the teaching is done by moms.

It’s hard to not think like a woman when you are one.

Where am I going with this?

The point is we add to our son’s dislike for reading when we try to use the books we loved as a girl to spark a boy’s interest.

My boys didn’t connect with a lot of the books I loved as a girl.

When I started homeschooling, I felt like I had a diversified reading diet growing up, but it didn’t include a lot of topics boys liked.

6 Boy Approved Books Which SPARK the Love of Reading!! Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I'm hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys. CLICK here to look at this short but TRIED and TRUE List!!

Sure, some of the books were the same ones I loved like Where the Red Fern Grows and The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.

But I had to expand what I thought were appropriate topics to read about.

2. The Hero or Heroine Matters.

Although boys love to get lost in a world of fiction too, relating to the hero matters.

It’s hard for boys who are struggling to read to relate to a sentimental girl.

At the time my first son was struggling with a love of reading, unless the girl was mischievous or a tomboy, it wasn’t easy for my boys to understand the sentiment.

Too, a lot of boys, including mine, develop slower.

Their maturity rate is different than girls.

They don’t necessarily see themselves in a place through the eyes of the character, so you have to be sure they do.

Instead of trying to read between the lines, my boys needed to understand the why of a point directly.

Finding a solution to the problem was more paramount than understanding exactly how a character felt.

A story line with male role models no matter the age was a good starting point in helping my sons identify with people who are like them.

3. Boys LOVE Pictures.

Boys are not ready to move away from pictures as fast as girls may be.

Realizing that significant fact, I was so grateful for the Great Illustrated Classics series.

True, some of the pictures are not like the comic books that boys love, but pictures are still pictures to boys.

The size of the print mattered to my first reader too.

The bigger the better in the beginning.

Until he felt comfortable and was hooked on reading, we just kept on reading most of the books from the Great Illustrated Classics series.

I never worried whether the books were abridged or unabridged until I hooked my reader.

Out of all the books I used for my boys to hook them on reading they narrowed down their favorites to these 6 choices to nurture a love for reading.

  1. Where the Red Fern Grows
  2. The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (Great Illustrated Classics)
  3. Invisible Man (Great Illustrated Classics)
  4. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
  5. Shiloh
  6. Stone Fox

One or more of these books or series should give your boys a taste of boy approved books, but more important they’ll nurture a love of reading.

A book list doesn’t have to be long to work; the book list needs to be focused on what boys can relate to.

I’ll be sharing more book lists that have worked for us through the years.

Does your son have a favorite book or series that worked to fan that tiny ember to a raging love for reading?

6 Boy Approved Books Which SPARK the Love of Reading!! Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I'm hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys. CLICK here to look at this short but TRIED and TRUE List!!

You’ll love these other tips:

  • 6 Tricks for the Kid That’s NOT in Love with Reading!
  • How to Transition a Child From Reading to Literature
  • Teaching Homeschooled Boys How to Read – When to Panic!

5 CommentsFiled Under: Homeschool Boys, Homeschool Simply, Reading Lists, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach the Rebel Homeschooler Tagged With: book lists, books, boys, homeschoolreading, livingbooks, reading, teens

11 Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers

December 29, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Are you looking for the best science fiction books for middle schoolers? Also, you’ll love my pages How to Successfully Homeschool Middle School and Science Fiction for Middle School Fun Jurassic Park Quick Unit Study (DIY Insect in Amber) to round out your day.

Science fiction books encourage reading and are also great options for reading aloud.

Too, they are great for encouraging imagination and curiosity in the reader.

11 Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers

It also opens the door for discussions on the benefits and drawbacks of futuristic ideals of society, technology, and sciences.

Besides that, it is just fun sometimes to step away from reality and wonder what if in the form of an entertaining story.

What exactly is the difference between science fiction and fantasy?

Simply put, science fiction is based on reality. It has exaggerations and possibilities of what could be and is set in futuristic times.

Living in space, time travel, and dystopian societies are often the main plot and settings of Science Fiction

Fantasy is rooted in the impossible but fantastic possibilities.

And is often based on an equivalent time in past human history.

More Middle School Resources

  • Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazines
  • 11 Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers
  • How to Choose the BEST Homeschool Middle and High School Language Arts Curriculum & Options
  • 10 Best Science Movies for Middle School
  • The Best Eighth Grade Homeschool Curriculum | Tips and Recommendations

If you have a middle schooler who loves fantasy or a reluctant reader who might be drawn into reading fantasy, I have a list with a variety of classic and newer science fiction books to choose from.

11 Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers

Besides January 1st is National Science Fiction Day.

So, I thought it was a great time to share my top 11 best science fiction books for middle schoolers.

Common Sense Media is a great place for you to check reviews and get a little more detail on the themes and language in books; choose for yourself what is appropriate and what is not for your family.

SCIENCE FICTION CRAFTS

  • How to Make a Time Travel Craft Inspired by The Time Machine Book

Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers

11 Science Fiction Books for Middle School

Your kids will love reading one or two of these science fiction books or them to add to your unit study.

The Wild Robot (Volume 1)

This newer addition to sci-fi is an absolute delight and is part of a series of 3 books following robot Roz as she navigates her accidental life on a wild remote island. We adored this first selection as a read-aloud. 

The War of the Worlds

So begins The War of the Worlds, the science fiction classic that first proposed the possibility of intelligent life on other planets and has enthralled readers for generations. This compelling tale describes the Martian invasion of earth. When huge, tireless creatures land in England, complete chaos erupts. Using their fiery heat rays and crushing strength, the aliens just may succeed in silencing all opposition. Is life on earth doomed? Will mankind survive? A timeless view of a universe turned upside down, The War of the Worlds is an ingenious and imaginative look into the possibilities of the future and the secrets yet to be revealed.

Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Force Collector

This is probably one of the best book versions of Star Wars ( in the opinion of a teen fan) but it is not based on familiar characters in the Star Wars universe rather it is a new storyline and new characters in familiar locations. This is a stand-alone story with no sequels as of now

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Illustrated Edition

It’s an ordinary Thursday morning for Arthur Dent . . . until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly after to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and Arthur’s best friend has just announced that he’s an alien.After that, things get much, much worse.With just a towel, a small yellow fish, and a book, Arthur has to navigate through a very hostile universe in the company of a gang of unreliable aliens. Luckily the fish is quite good at languages. And the book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . which helpfully has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large, friendly letters on its cover.Douglas Adams’s mega-selling pop-culture classic sends logic into orbit, plays havoc with both time and physics, offers up pithy commentary on such things as ballpoint pens, potted plants, and digital watches . . . and, most important, reveals the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.

The Time Machine

Embark on an extraordinary time-travel adventure with H.G. Wells. Explore fascinating future worlds and dystopian societies. Witness the implications of human evolution and societal decay. Engage with thought-provoking questions about the nature of humanity. Experience the brilliance of H.G. Wells’ visionary storytelling.

The City of Ember Deluxe Edition: The First Book of Ember

The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. After two hundred years the great lamps that lights the city are beginning to flicker, and two friends fight together to save the city in this first of 4 in the series. It is listed as recommended for grades 3-7 but it really is an enjoyable story for even older grades.

Last Day on Mars (Chronicle of the Dark Star, 1)

This part 1 of a 3-part series has stunning visual imagery and impossible situations like life on the red planet, when even that is threatened the few humans left must travel to yet another home on a distant star unlocking mysteries about time and space,

Ender's Game (The Ender Saga, 1)

This is the first of Orson Scott Card's Cards Ender's Saga, to date there are 5 novels and one novella in the Ender series based on the government breeding child geniuses and training them as soldiers against alien attack.

The Hunger Games

Even if They have already seen the movies I highly recommend assigning your middle schooler this series. It gives a lot of material for discussions of moral choices, allegiance to your government at all costs, friendships, how a future like this could come to be, and more

Divergent (Divergent Series, 1)

Similar to Hunger Games this is the first in a 4 part series of a dystopian world where everyone is split up into 5 factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) splitting families and friends and pitting them against one another.

Ready Player One

If you have a teen who loves gaming and the 80s along with science fiction they are really going to enjoy this one that is set in 204 but filled with pop culture references from that totally awesome decade

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Reading Lists Tagged With: book lists, books, reading, science, science fiction

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

August 13, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have a short list of 25 plus Texas history books for middle school. Also, look at my Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas page.

When studying Texas history, I’ve used many resources but none of them beat a Texas living history book or picture book.

So, although these are only a few of the books we love, they’re enough to round out your study of Texas.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

In addition, I added some books of different levels.

Not all middle school kids are on the same reading level.

Besides, picture books still appeal to even adults.

And they have a way of putting topics in a nutshell especially if you’re building a foundation to begin your study.

Texas History Topics

Next, when you’re preparing a study about Texas, you can use many ways to break down the topics.

For example, here is one of the formats I follow.

  • Early Texas & Native Texans
  • Texas Revolution
  • Republic of Texas
  • Statehood
  • American Civil War & Reconstruction
  • Cowboys, Cattle and Cattle Drives
  • Hurricanes, Oil, and Modern Texas

Begin a study by looking for books about these topics.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

Also, look at these hands-on ideas to add when studying Texas.

More Texas History Crafts & Activities

  • Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft
  • How Texas Cattle Drives Shaped Its History and Longhorn Craft
  • History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
  • Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)
  • How to Build the Alamo: Hands-on Learning (Free Texas Unit Study)
  • Free Copywork Cattle A Texas Poem For a Fun Unit Study
  • 22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages (editable) For a Fun History Study
25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

Look at these editable notebooking pages to include in your Texas history unit study.

  • 0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages

    0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages

    $1.75
    Add to cart

Furthermore, if you’re learning about the history of cattle, or Texas cattle drives and cowboys you may love my lapbook.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study
  • Dynamic History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

Additionally, I have this free Texas lapbook for followers.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

How to Get the Free Texas Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free lapbook. It’s a subscriber freebie. And I have a list of links for this unit study included in the download.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my subscribers library and this freebie.

However, not all my freebies are in the library (wink).

I like to keep up to date with what is valuable to you so I can give you more, some freebies you must sign up again on the form below even if you are already a follower.

It’s the only way I have of freely delivering them to you. Just follow the steps below.

► 1) Sign up on my list.
► 2) Go to your inbox and confirm your email from the automatic reply I sent you.
►3) Last, look for my reply AFTER you confirm your email.

Lastly, look at these books for the history of Texas.

27 Books For Kids Who Love Reading And Being Read to About Texas

 Forget a boring textbook and add some of these books about Texas to your unit study or add to your learning day.

Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story

Relates the experiences of the Texas woman who, along with her baby, survived the 1836 massacre at the Alamo.

The Boy in the Alamo

The classic story of the siege of the Alamo, as told for young readers. Originally published in 1958, thousands of children each year enjoy this story from the unique point of view of twelve-year old Billy Campbell.

Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches

A biography of the legendary Comanche leader profiles the son of a white woman, who fiercely defended tribal lands against those who tried to seize them and who, after being moved with his people to a reservation, fought for the recognition and decent treatment of his tribe.

A Paradise Called Texas

Searching for a better life, Mina, Papa, and Mama left their German fatherland aboard the brig Margaretha ,bound for Texas. They had been told it was the paradise of North America, but when Mina steps onto the desolate beach at Indian Point on a cold December day in 1845, she wants to go back to Germany and Opa's cozy house in the village of Wehrestedt. But go on they must. In spite of mama's tragic death, Mina and Papa push inland with the Kaufmann family to the Texas Hill Country. There Mina encounters an Indian chief and his young daughter, Amaya, whose help she needs when Papa falls ill. Based on her ancestors' immigration to Texas, Janice Shefelman tells of a journey into the wilderness that is filled with hardship, tragedy and adventure.

The Texans! Tejas to Today

Lessons Taught In Story Form.

Alamo All-Stars (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6): A Texas Tale (Volume 6)

“Remember the Alamo!” That rallying cry has gone down in Texas history. But what, exactly, should we remember? Who were the ragtag group of adventurers behind the famous slogan, and how did they end up barricaded in a fort against a Mexican army Who survived, who died, and how. In the early 1800s, Native Americans, the Mexican government, and settlers from other areas of the United States were fighting over the territory that would become the Lone Star state. Here, vivid illustrations—rendered in black, white, and shades of gray, with tinges of yellow—and witty text tell the story, from Texas’s near wilderness beginnings to the Battle of the Alamo and General Sam Houston’s ultimate victory over General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Indians Who Lived in Texas

Briefly describes the environment, daily life, and customs of four Indian groups that lived in Texas--the farmers, the fishermen, the plant gatherers, and the hunters.

Make Way for Sam Houston (Unforgettable Americans)

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.

Wilderness Pioneer, Stephen F. Austin of Texas

I wanted to tell Austin's story so that boys and girls all over the United States would come to know him not as a stuffy figure in a history book but as a man who had a great dream for the welfare of his fellowmen, and in working to make that dream come true met adventure and danger, heartache and happiness.

Caleb's Choice (Puffin Novel)

In 1858 Texas, people are violently divided over a law that makes it a crime to help runaway slaves. Caleb isn't sure how he feels. When an escaped slave saves his life, Caleb knows he has a debt to repay. But should he break the law and risk his life to help two slaves escape?

A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

A guide for teaching Texas History through literature. It is based on a 34-week timeframe and is useful for students in grades K-6/7.

Johnny Texas

In the early days of Texas history, ten-year-old Johann comes from Germany with his family to settle in this vast land and soon grows to love his new home.

Remember the Alamo! (Landmark books)

I love this series of books and this one tends to be fairly accurate.

A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Miracle of Dunkirk tells the story of the Texans who fought Santa Anna’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo. Looking out over the walls of the whitewashed Alamo, sweltering in the intense sun of a February heat wave, Colonel William Travis knew his small garrison had little chance of holding back the Mexican army. Even after a call for reinforcements brought dozens of Texans determined to fight for their fledgling republic, the cause remained hopeless. Gunpowder was scarce, food was running out, and the compound was too large to easily defend with less than two hundred soldiers. Still, given the choice, only one man opted to surrender. The rest resolved to fight and die. After thirteen days, the Mexicans charged, and the Texans were slaughtered. In exquisite detail, Walter Lord recreates the fight to uphold the Texan flag. He sheds light not just on frontier celebrities like Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but on the ordinary soldiers who died alongside them. Though the fight ended two centuries ago, the men of the Alamo will never be forgotten.

I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900

More than a century later, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is still America's deadliest disaster. Lauren Tarshis's story of one child surviving the horrible event churns with page-turning action and bold hope.

The city of Galveston, Texas, was booming. Perched on an island off the southern coast of Texas, Galveston had been founded in the 1830s. By 1900, it was Texas's richest and most important city. Boats loaded up with American cotton and wheat steamed from Galveston to countries around the world. Arriving ships were crowded with immigrants. The streets, paved with crushed oyster shells, sparkled like they'd been sprinkled with diamonds.

Galveston's Summer of the Storm (Chaparral Books)

When fourteen-year-old Abby Kate boards the train in Austin to spend three weeks with her grandmother in Galveston, she’s full of excitement—about the train ride and the prospect of days on the beach, exploring Galveston with her cousin Jane, family picnics, and her grandmother’s good food. But things go wrong even before she gets to her grandmother’s house. Abby Kate gets off the train briefly in Houston—and the train leaves without her. Stranded in the railroad station, she is befriended by a man traveling with his two sons and eventually reaches Galveston safely.

Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen

In the 1820s, the Texas frontier was a rugged, lawless place that needed defending. The men that banded together to protect the citizens of Texas from the threats of bandits and raiding native tribes were known as the Texas Rangers. Since bravery was never in short demand, any unmarried man with a good horse and a sharp shot could be selected to join the ranks. As they roamed the Texas frontier maintaining peace and order, the Rangers were present for many of the most famous moments in Texas's exciting history-they defended the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, spied on the Mexican army during the war for independence, and chased down outlaws in the booming oil towns of the Wild West.

Texas Tomboy

The entire ranch is thirsty—will the rains ever come?

Remember Goliad: Their Silent Tents

Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, turned out to be the blackest day in the war of independence between Texas and Mexico. Colonel James Walker Fannin Jr. and his men were ruthlessly slaughtered at the Presidio La Bahia near Goliad. The order was given directly by General Santa Anna. The author describes the background leading up to the start of hostilities in October 1835 and the two Mexican armies which threatened to overrun the Texans, with the massacre at the Alamo on March 2 and then the attack on the Presidio La Bahia, which Fannin called Fort Defiance. A description of garrison life and the men under Fannin's command precedes the battle of Coleto Plains, where Fannin's Texans, without an adequate water supply and defenses, were surrounded by General Urrea's army and forced to surrender. One of the more traumatic aspects of the battle and executions involved a group of young soldiers from Alabama, mainly from the same area, whose leader, Dr. Shackleford, was spared to minister to the sick and injured and was forced to witness the deaths of his protégées.

Jane Long Mother of Texas

A biography of the brave wife of General James Long who was the first woman of English descent to enter Texas and bear a child there.

Camel express; A story of the Jeff Davis experiment (Winston adventure books)

Story of a little known chapter in American military history; extensive illustrations throughout book by Joseph C. Camana.

Texas Yankee: The Story of Gail Borden

Famous as a newspaperman and surveyor in Texas, Gail Borden was the discoverer of how to condense milk. 

Tex's Tales

Picked up by a tornado and swept away from his family in nineteenth-century Texas, a dog has some exciting adventures in the frontier wilderness before making his way home again.

Miriam “Ma” Ferguson: First Woman Governor of Texas (Volume 3) (Stars of Texas Series)

Miriam Ferguson was a quiet, private person who preferred to stay home in her big house in Temple, Texas, and take care of her husband, raise her two daughters, and tend to her flower garden. But in 1924 she was elected governor of Texas, the first woman governor elected in the United States.

Texas History for Kids: Lone Star Lives and Legends, with 21 Activities

Encapsulating the 500-year saga of the one-of-a-kind state of Texas, this interactive book takes readers from the founding of the Spanish Missions and the victory at San Jacinto to the Great Storm that destroyed Galveston and the establishment of NASA’s Mission Control in Houston while covering everything in between. Texas History for Kids includes 21 informative and fun activities to help readers better understand the state’s culture, politics, and geography. Kids will recreate one of the six national flags that have flown over the state, make castings of local wildlife tracks, design a ranch’s branding iron, celebrate Juneteenth by reciting General Order Number 3, build a miniature Battle of Flowers float, and more. This valuable resource also includes a timeline of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and web resources for further study.

Make Way for Sam Houston

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico. Lively, readable, and solidly researched, this is the kind of biography every child needs. Booklist, starred review Jean Fritz has done it again. Her writing turns this larger-than-life character into a very real person.School Library Journal, starred review ?Young readers will find the book fast-paced and fact-packed. The New York Times Book Review Jean Fritz lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Trail Fever: The Life of a Texas Cowboy

The story of one of Texas's most famous cowboys is filled with cattle drives, stampedes, floods, droughts, freezing desert nights, raiders and bandits, and one man's endurance and love of life on the plains.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Reading Lists Tagged With: history, history resources, historyspine, homeschoolhistory, homeschoolreading, middle school, middleschool, read aloud, reading, Texas, Texas history, texasunit

54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

December 16, 2020 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’ve rounded up 54+ fun books turned movies to spark a love for reading.

Living in a world of visual learners, we need numerous ways to nurture their love for reading

Whether you want to do a comparison between a book to a movie or want to breathe life into language arts, you’ll love the choices here.

54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

Books Turned Movies

Click on the book cover for the book link and the corresponding movie link is under it.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Movie link.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Movie link.

The Swiss Family Robinson

Movie link.

Holes (Holes Series)

Movie link.

The Call of the Wild

Movie link.

Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket

Movie link.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Movie link.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Movie link.

The Tale of Despereaux

Movie link.

Too, here are a few questions to stir your creative conversations about the movie.

I like to have a set of questions to give my kids ahead of time.

They can think about the answer while the movie is playing, then discuss afterwards.

  • What do you think is the message of the movie? Which part in the movie makes you feel that way?
  • What do you predict will happen?
  • Are there any expressions which you don’t understand?

Teaching Language Arts with Movies

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Movie link.

The Black Stallion

Movie link.

Old Yeller

Movie link.

The Secret Garden

Movie link.

Harriet the Spy

Movie link.

How to Train Your Dragon

Movie link.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Movie link.

Wonder

Movie link.

Cheaper by the Dozen

Movie link.

Comparing Kids Books to Movies

Additionally, here are a few ideas if you use the book with the movie.

  • Instead of having a child write, use compare/contrast visual charts.
  • Then use a rating system. Did your child like the movie or book best? We did this while watching and realized many times we loved the book better, but not always. My kids would just down a few words for the part they either liked or didn’t on the movie, then we’d compare at the end.
  • Do a character sketch. Instead of writing about the character, have your child draw them from what they think they look like from the book. Compare their visualization with the movie.
54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

Click on the book cover for the book link and the corresponding movie link is under it.

Babe: The Gallant Pig

Movie link.

Doctor Dolittle

Movie link.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Movie link.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Movie link.

James and the Giant Peach

Movie link.

Heidi

Movie link.

The Indian in the Cupboard

Movie link.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Movie link.

Where the Wild Things Are

Movie link.

Teaching Reading with Movies

And besides turning the caption on in movies for beginner readers which is a fun tip, here are a few other ways to teach reading with movies.

  • Look for movies which align closer to the book because I’ve found for visual learners it’s easier to remember the story.
  • Character sketches can be drawn in reading journals then write the traits.
  • Although the movie is not like an audio book, it can still be viewed like that. Have your child predict outcomes.
  • Have your child listen and watch with the closed captions for figurative expressions and new vocabulary words.

However, unlike an audio book, a movie is visual. Your child’s spelling can improve by watching the captions.

In addition, remember I have the free form, Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool which you can use in place of a book report.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Movie link.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Movie link.

The Art of Ratatouille

Movie link.

Beezus and Ramona

Movie link.

The Jungle Book

Movie link.

Maryellen: Taking Off (American Girl® Historical Characters)

Movie link.

The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans! (A Series of Unfortunate Events,

Movie link.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Movie link.

The Education of Little Tree

Movie link.

Another one of my favorite resources to teach about movies and language arts is by Literary Adventures for Kids.

Check out Poetry and a Movie.

We loved doing the unit Poetry and a Movie.

54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

Is The Book Better Than The Movie

Additionally, deciding whether the book or movie is better is normally a cause for great conversation in my home. 

I read one time when a book turns movie it can focus on the outside of the character while a book spends time describing what a character is on the inside. I agree.

True, some movies are better, but as a book lover overall I prefer the descriptions in books.

Click on the book cover for the book link and the corresponding movie link is under it.

Pollyanna

Movie link.

Inkheart

Movie link.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Movie link.

Peter and Wendy or Peter Pan

Movie link.

Railway Children

Movie link.

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

Movie link.

Paddle-to-the-Sea:

Movie link.

The Borrowers

Movie link.

Misty of Chincoteague

Movie link.

Appreciating Literature Through Movies

Ready Player One

Movie link.

J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Movie link.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Movie link.

Anne of Green Gables

Movie link.

The Princess Bride

Movie link.

Mary Poppins Boxed Set

Movie link.

A Bear Called Paddington

Movie link.

The Incredible Journey

Movie link.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Movie link.

Homeschooling with Netflix

Next, I have this list too of books turned movies which can be found on Netflix.

  • There is a series of Unfortunate Events.
  • Anne Frank.
  • The Lorax
  • Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2.
  • Pride & Prejudice.
  • The Indian in the Cupboard
  • War Horse
  • Mowgli from The Jungle Book
  • White Fang
  • The Cat in the Hat
  • Jurassic Park
  • Green Eggs and Ham
  • Benji
  • Les Miserables
  • Richie Rich
  • E.T.
  • Fiddler on the Roof
  • Magic School Bus
  • Chicken Little

Another fun resource you’ll love to get is the guide to use Movies as Literature. It’s very comprehensive.

Lastly, the list above is by no means complete, but it has many different levels of books turned movies; I know you’ll find one or two to interest your kids.

I think you’ll love these other resources:

  • Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens
  • 12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled
  • How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)
  • Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool
  • How to Choose the Best Middle School Literature And Favorite Resources
  • 20 Ideas for Bringing Writing Alive through Unit Studies
  • What You’ve Got To Know About Teaching Reading Comprehension
  • When Should I Start Teaching Spelling in Homeschool?

Do you have a favorite book turned movie?

2 CommentsFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Do Unit Studies, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Homeschool When Nobody Wants To, Middle School Homeschool, Reading Lists, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Homeschool Science, Teach Unit Studies Tagged With: homeschool, homeschoolreading, language arts, languagearts, movies, read aloud, reading, reading journal, readingcomprehension

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

December 15, 2020 |
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Creating these homeschool high school literature suggestions for teens is more satisfying now that my teens graduated. Looking back, I know their love of reading came from being exposed to a variety of genre. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School.

Having a variety of genre to choose from is just one element of keeping teens reading into adulthood.

Beyond reading to fill a high school credit, use your time with your homeschooled teens to shape and develop their thinking.

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

Contrary to what some educators think, teens are still questioning beliefs. Their thinking is not fully matured. Issues raised in literature gives you the opportunity to analyze beliefs.

Too, high school and college courses require your teens to interpret literary terms and techniques.

I found this was best done by classic literature.

The point is whether your teen is reading American, British, or World literature he is gaining a greater understanding of the world.

That is something which will stick with him well into adulthood.

This high school literature list will give you a starting point in choosing the best literature for your family.

Moreover, don’t fret if your teen is still not loving to read.

Some of these books will ignite a fire and did I mention some are short?

Whether you have a teen who is a voracious reader or who is an unenthusiastic reader, I have some high school literature suggestions for all.

Homeschool High School Literature

  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • The Great Gatsby
  • The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories (Penguin Classics)
  • The Old Man and The Sea
  • A Tale of Two Cities (Dover Thrift Editions)
  • The Time Machine (Dover Thrift Editions)

Also, it’s important to remember that there is so much more going on when a teen engages with a book

Books for your High School Teen

For example, when a teen reads

  • and the genre is historical fiction it can make the time period come alive;
  • and the prose is challenging, it can raise his reading comprehension;
  • his vocabulary is expanded; and
  • critical thinking skills are introduced.

Knowing that so much more is involved then filling a credit at the high school level, be choosy about what your teen reads.

Also, what helped me at the high school level are the self-paced online classes, Literary Adventures for Kids.

We covered a poetry unit for one of my teens in a fun way.

Look at my post Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved).

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

Teens Reading List

  • Frankenstein
  • Emma (Penguin Classics)
  • The Odyssey
  • By Frank Herbert Dune (S.F. Masterworks)
  • All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel
  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

See, I had to learn the hard way that a teen should have a choice in what he reads.

I remember being in English class in middle school and reading about boring topics.

I was a good reader, but not an enthusiastic reader until I read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. He’s not an author I thought I would be drawn to as a teen.

However, his stories and poems invoked a love for reading detective stories along with his great storytelling. I loved everything about that poem, the figurative language, the dynamics, and the theme.

Homeschool High School Reading

The point is I would have never picked up his book on my own when evaluating my choices.

So your teen needs your help. It literally takes one book your teen can’t put down for your teen to look at reading differently.

Now as a parent, it is a learned balancing act when each teen got to the high school level.

I tried to find their interests and themes they loved to weave that with other genre they weren’t interested in or thought so at the time.

Also, another way to engage your high school kids is to learn through a theme.

We love history in our house and learning history through living literature has been one of our very favorite ways to learn history.

For 10th Grade

We love Beautiful Feet History, and have used their high school literature.

They suggest the following sequence which we mostly followed which has changed too.

Grade 9  |  Early American

Grade 11  |  Medieval History Senior High

Grade 10  |  Ancient History Senior High

Grade 12  |  Modern U.S. and World History for Senior High

Books for High School Readers

  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Dover Thrift Editions)
  • The Last of the Mohicans (The Leatherstocking Tales)
  • The Three Musketeers
  • Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (Vintage Classics)
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Pearl; [and] Sir Orfeo
  • Gone With the Wind

Although my teens had choices, I also had requirements because I wanted to invoke conversations to get my teens to think about the broader picture.

Learning to think critically means to know how to support your ideas from the book. It’s not always easy to do with just books they chose to read.

  • The Call of the Wild by Jack London: Complete With Original And Classics Illustrated
  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  • Les Miserables: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
  • The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Original 1820 Edition
  • Pride and Prejudice

Why Some Homeschoolers Choose to Read Banned Literature

Next, I also had to decide how I wanted to talk to my teens about sensitive subjects.

A lot of homeschoolers, including myself, reject some modern reading lists.

However, the similarity stops there when choosing literature. Families and teens differ in how they want to handle sensitive topic.

When you research about banned books, the Washington Post stated, “The American Library Association launched Banned Books Week in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read.”

However, every since then, the topic of banned books sparks controversy for any education.

You too have to decide if you’ll present these banned books to your teen.

It’s been my experience that the sensitive subjects in books allows me the chance to direct my children about mistakes of the past.

  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer AND The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Unabridged. Complete with all original illustrations)
  • Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  • Great Expectations (Penguin Classics)
  • Common Sense: The Origin and Design of Government
  • Roots The Saga of An American Family

I didn’t want to cover up mistakes in history, but to expose them so we learn from them. Most important that we don’t repeat them in the future.

Children relate to everyday things and some kids lives have had painful turns they couldn’t control. Although my kids didn’t experience the sadness of divorce and death at the time, they had friends who did.

Homeschool High School Books

It helped my sons to form a compassion for their friends. Every child has a different maturing rate and I was sensitive to each teen’s emotions.

The point is that you are the only one to know whether you want your children to read banned books or not. Me? I will do the choosing for my family and determine the values; you probably feel the same way.

  • The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition
  • The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution
  • Lord of the Flies
  • Ivanhoe (Penguin Classics)
  • Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
  • The Scarlet Letter

Homeschool High School Reading List

I want the opportunity to help my sons’ learn from the past, but not be promoting ideologies which conflict with our worldview.

That is not always easy to do, but being familiar with literature your teen is absorbing is essential.

  • Wuthering Heights (Penguin Classics)
  • Fahrenheit 451
  • Invisible Man (Penguin Essentials) by Ralph Ellison
  • Anna Karenina
  • The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
  • Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years & the War Years (Library of the Presidents)

As you see from this quick list that the books reflect personal tastes of each teen. In the end, you want your child to enjoy reading.

I stressed way too much about balancing the genre when my focus should have been on the short time I had with each teen.

Besides being forced-fed never worked for any reader. So use this list to begin your list for your unique teen.

Lastly, this is by no stretch all that each kid read in high school.

As I pore over my huge amount of books, I’ll update this post for you.

The point today was to get this quick glance to you.

In the end what matters is creating a lifelong reader.

Remember what Francis Bacon said “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few are to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

I know you’ll love these other posts:

  • When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles
  • Homeschooling High School: Curriculum, Credits, and Courses
  • How to Choose the Best Middle School Literature And Favorite Resources
  • How to Choose the BEST Homeschool Middle and High School Language Arts Curriculum & Options
  • Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved)
  • Modern U.S. and World History High School Literature
  • 3 Beginner’s Tips: Homeschool High School Literature
  • 8 World War II Historical Fiction Books for Middle School
  • 20 Nature-Inspired Kids’ Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors
  • A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives

Filed Under: Graduate a Homeschooler, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Reading Lists, Teach Homeschool Language Arts Tagged With: book lists, books, high school, high school electives, high school literature, homeschool highschool, homeschool subjects, homeschoolanguagearts, homeschoolhighschool, homeschoolreading, language arts, languagearts, literature, reading

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