One of the most exciting, yet challenging aspects of homeschool has been staying ahead of my child in our assigned and independent readings. I was not accustomed to an elementary student reading so quickly. My older child was a reluctant reader who preferred non-fiction over fiction. Few middle grade books resided in our household – no matter how hard I tried – until our youngest ventured into this category. Now I am immersed in a whole range of fiction that I barely new existed. (Of course, I knew the category was there, but I never explored the titles as deeply as I have this past year. Previously, I was scouring graphic novels, comics, magazines, atlases, and even cookbooks in an effort to get my older child to read.)
However, upon discovering just how many middle grade books exist, I began wondering how to select titles that connect to our lessons AND have age appropriate content. I was overwhelmed and I needed help. At first, I reached out to friends whose children were also avid readers. This yielded a great list of books, but in very narrow genres. One friend’s child loved fantasy and science fiction novels, another friend’s child preferred historical fiction. But I also wanted to find titles in the other genres that we were covering in Language Arts, such as Realistic Fiction, Personal Narrative, and Biography. I needed to expand my search, so I reached out to some other homeschool parents. They recommended a few reading and writing programs that publish their own “Best of …” book lists, such as the Institute of Reading Development and the Brave Writer Program.
After tapping out personal resources, I went online to Scholastic’s online store and GoodReads book recommendations. Both websites allow you to search by grade/age, subject/genre, and award winners, and include detailed descriptions that help to determine the “intensity of topic.” The classics and the popular books were well covered on these sites, but I felt like I was missing the lesser known titles or newer authors that my child might really enjoy. Without access to our former school librarian and with our town library closed to the public due to Covid, I was longing to get recommendations from a “book expert.” I found such experts at some of my favorite independent bookstores in the Northeast. I highly recommend you befriend the staff at your local bookstore too.
A wonderful spot for discovering local authors
Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT
The perfect place for choosing summer readings
Brewster Book Store
A store where staff picks are always spot on
Northshire Bookstore
A local favorite that can get you any book imaginable
The Town Book Store