Reading aloud is one of my favorite parts of family life and homeschooling. We’ve made many a good memory curled up together with a great book, even during all the years of being interrupted by noisy toddlers and diaper changes.
There have been times when my children stared at me when I choked back tears while reading certain parts. Those are some of the best books.
Here, in no particular order, are some of our favorite books to read aloud together. Many of them have been read over and over as the next group of children cycles through a period of history.
Note: the first three books on the list are among our all-time favorites!
The Locked Crowns by Marion Garthwaite (Out of print book we found at an old library sale years ago—one of our all-time favorites! We read it when we study Vikings and early Britain.)
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett (Listed by everyone as one of their all-time favorites!)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Unbroken (Young Adult Version) by Laura Hillenbrand
The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation) by Daniel James Brown
Caddie Woodlawn and Magical Melons by Carol Ryrie Brink (Love them both!)
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Bread and Butter Indian by Anne Colver (A favorite with little girls)
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander
The High King by Lloyd Alexander
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischmann
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (I re-read this one personally every year or two)
The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum
Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
Mama’s Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
On to Oregon! By Honore Morrow
Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd
Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman
Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter
The House of Fifty Fathers by Meindert DeJong
The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Bonanza Girl by Patricia Beatty
Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
If you have a favorite that’s not on this list, please share!
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Selina says
August 16, 2012 at 11:20 amOur children have enjoyed all of the writings of Eleanor Porter, but their favorites would be, “Pollyanna” and “Just David.”
Jennifer Flanders says
August 16, 2012 at 12:12 pmLove the list, Charlotte. Our family loves to read, too, and there are several titles here that are unfamiliar. We’ll have to check those out for read alouds this fall.
Jennifer Flanders says
August 16, 2012 at 12:14 pmLloyd Alexander is one of our favorite authors, too. If you haven’t read any of his other titles, we’d recommend THE IRON RING and THE FIRST TWO LIVES OF LUCAS KASHA. Both are excellent.
Betty says
August 16, 2012 at 12:42 pmThe boy who sailed around the world. (True story.)
Gayle says
August 16, 2012 at 1:57 pmOne of our favorites is Star of Light, by Patricia St. John. Gives the kids new insight into a different culture. Kids love it! Also Gifted Hands, by Ben Carson. And Heidi, by Johanna Spyri, is an all-time favorite. We have lots!– as you do– but I think these are our top three.
Frieda says
August 16, 2012 at 2:04 pmFor anyone who’s interested, there is an e-book form of The Locked Crowns at Bethlehembooks.com
fruitvine says
August 16, 2012 at 2:09 pmOoo, thanks for sharing that, Frieda!! 🙂
Bobbe says
August 16, 2012 at 10:25 pmThank you!
Wendy McLoughlin says
August 16, 2012 at 3:38 pmThank you for sharing! and so quickly after the request for it. Blessings!
Lisa says
August 16, 2012 at 6:30 pmA new favorite we discovered this summer….Summer of the Monkeys. FABulous, inspiring, heart-warming book! Teaches about perseverance, innovative thinking, problem-solving and overcoming selfishness. I laughed and cried and underlined my way through the whole book. It is now on my top 10 list; which, btw, includes Little Britches (Ralph Moody), Laddie (Gene Stratton-Porter), and the others have already been mentioned. 😉
Thanks for all the other suggestions….adding them to my to-read list!
Wendy Hoskin says
August 16, 2012 at 10:15 pmWhat are your expectations for quiet while you’re reading aloud? (I have 5 boys & 1 girl age 12 and under)
fruitvine says
August 20, 2012 at 2:32 pmMmm–we’re flexible on this, understanding that there may be interruptions, but it’s also a good opportunity for training. Read aloud time was our time to use Busy Boxes, confined to a blanket. https://charlottesiems.com/thislovelyplace/busy-boxes-for-toddlers
Ronda says
August 16, 2012 at 10:22 pmOh, there are SO many I can only throw in a few, but we have dearly loved all of Elizabeth Enright’s books: Gone Away Lake and Return to Gone Away, and the Saturdays series–wonderful creative books. The Twenty-One Balloons is a favorite, all the Little House books, the Little Britches series(though they need a little editing on the fly,) all the series by Robert Elmer (Young underground) and Lois Walfrid Johson (Northwoods) and lots of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s books–those generate very interesting discussions! I could go on and on–can you tell? 🙂
And we’ve read most of the books listed above and loved them, too! I need to check out The Locked Crowns–thanks for the tip, Frieda!
Robin says
August 17, 2012 at 7:20 amOne of my all time favorites is Red Sails to Capri. I’ve been talking and singing to my food ever since! 🙂
Ruth says
August 17, 2012 at 8:55 pmWe have read many of these over the 20+ yrs. of homeschooling…here is one of our favorites “My Escape From the Auto De Fe At Valladolid” by Don Fernando De la Mina (Sp?) We have tried to read a Dickens every winter. He was paid by the word…hence the long sentences which make it harder to read to ones self, but make it very interesting for out loud! 🙂 We read a lot of biographies- our favorites include George Mueller’s autobiography and Sylvia Tarniceriu’s, “God Knows My Size”. Reading out loud is our FAVORITE family past time, and has been since the children were young. It was well worth the time and energy invested. It amazes me how well they remember stories read to them in their toddlerhood all the way up.
Linda says
August 19, 2012 at 8:04 pmTreasures of the Snow is fantastic! I also really love Where the Red Fern Grows.
Carolyn says
October 4, 2012 at 8:36 amSummer of the Monkeys!
Becky says
January 5, 2013 at 9:36 amA Murder for Her Majesty and The Ravenmaster’s Secret are two of our favorites.
Lisa Manske says
October 25, 2018 at 1:52 pmAll of the Little House books
Dr. Doolittle
The books by Thornton W. Burgess such as The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel
The Hardy Boys books (although, when I read them aloud I skip all the references to people’s body shape/size)
Mandy by Julie (Andrews) Edwards
ALL the Beverly Cleary books. Who doesn’t love Ramona Quimby?
Anne of Green Gables
Catwings by Ursila Le Guin