Here are some books I've read to the children:
The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster
Fun, zany, clever use of language, subtle as well as laugh-out-loud humour. Milo travels around imaginary lands in his car picking up friends and meeting all sorts of extraordinary people on the way. His quest is to rescue two princesses from their tower.
Number the Stars Lois Lowry
If I had a list of top 5 books we'd read recently, this one would definitely be on there. I cannot quite describe how good it is and how much we loved it. The book is gripping, informative, thought provoking, conversation starting. It's based in Copenhagen in 1943 when Denmark was under occupation by the Nazis. It's the story of how a Danish family risks their own safety to try to help a Jewish family escape. The Afterword is fascinating- we learnt so much about life in Denmark and about the bravery of so many Danish men and women during the war.
The Last Battle C.S.Lewis
Brilliant! We loved it! But also feel sad we've now come to the end of Narnia.
The Goldfish Boy Lisa Thompson
See here for a review.
A Little Piece of Ground Elizabeth Laird
This story is written from the perspective of a Palestinian boy living in Ramallah. It tells of the struggles he and his family and fellow Palestinians faced on a daily basis living under Isr***i rule. It is definitely biased - you don't hear any Isr***i perspective but I think it is really important to learn about what life is like in that part of the world and what oppression and injustice looks like.
It's the kind of book I was glad to read the children, rather than them read themselves as it's a good one to talk about and also the way the siblings in the story interact with each other isn't that pleasant. But it's a story of redemption also with their relationships.
The Magician's Nephew C.S.Lewis
We listened to this together on Audible as a BBC full cast radio broadcast. It was great but way too short!
My Rock My Refuge Tim Keller
We're using Keller's book on the Psalms sometimes for family prayers. We read the Psalm, his short comments and his prayer. It's been great reading through it.
The Silver Chair C.S.Lewis
We enjoyed this, although it was probably our least favourite story of all the Narnia books so far. But it was one of my favourites in terms of all the symbolism and metaphor- particularly about sin, Satan and remembering the gospel.
The Mystery of the Periodic Table Benjamin Wiker
It was a new experience reading a chapter book for science. (This fits with the Charlotte Mason approach of living books). For the most part we really liked this book (I printed a copy of the periodic table for each of them to refer to as I read). Sometimes we got a little bogged down in the complicated science but we pushed through. The history of chemistry was really fascinating. The book also had some fun experiments to do as we went along.
Mossflower Brain Jacques
This is a long book so you have to be committed to it, but we really liked it. The characters (goodies) are so likeable and fun. There are some exciting, funny and sad parts throughout.
Amon's Adventure Arnold Ytreeide
We read this book running up to Easter. It's about a boy called Amon, living in Jerusalem around the time of when Jesus entered Jerusalem and was killed. It really brings Bible times to life. (I didn't read the devotional sections after each chapter.)
Heroes of the Reformation Various Authors
We read this book as part of our history course. I was surprised by how much the children enjoyed it. It's written in an old fashioned style, but that amused rather than irritated us! We've so far only read a few of the biographies, we'll read the others when we get on to these men in our history course.
Bruchko Bruce Olson
See here for a review. (This is an adult autobiography but great to read to children- there are though some slightly scary parts.)
The Radical Book for Kids Champ Thornton
This is a read-aloud and independent reader. See here for more.
Bartholomew's Passage A. Ytreeide
An advent story. Exciting story following a 10 year old boy's adventures around the time of Jesus' birth. We read a chapter a day. We didn't read the 'thoughts' at the end of the chapter very often (I felt some of them weren't particularly helpful).
Christmas Stories Michael Morpurgo
We read 3 of the 4 lovely short stories from this book over Christmas time. As ever, beautiful illustrations too.
The Shoebox Francine Rivers
A novella about a boy called Timmy and his foster parents.This sweet story is interspersed with recipes and Christmas thoughts and memories. A lovely, quick book to read for Christmas.
Voyage of the Dawntreader C.S.Lewis
We really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced, fun and exciting story. We all agreed it's our 2nd favourite of the Narnia books so far (behind The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe).
Oranges in No Man's Land Elizabeth Laird
A quick read to the children over a few days. This book is written from the perspective of a 10 year old girl stuck in Beirut during the civil war and her brave attempt to help her dying grandmother. It has made me want to find out more about the civil war. We all really enjoyed it.
I Dared to Call Him Father Bilquis Sheikh
We all loved this book. It's the story of a lady in Pakistan who becomes a believer. It was really moving and it challenged me in many ways. I could see the children were really affected by it, especially as it talks about many subjects relevant to us and our friends here. I love the way she describes her vibrant, living relationship with the Lord.
Prince Caspian C.S.Lewis
Brilliant.
The Horse & His Boy C.S.Lewis
We loved this book! Brilliant writing, exciting plot and great to see the deeper meanings.
Lion Adventure Willard Price
A series of books about 2 boys and animals (gorillas, sharks, Amazon, South Sea). Good books to read to a group and do activities from. (Evolutionary references)
Beowulf Michael Morpurgo
Brilliantly written, using language so vividly. We were learning about Beowulf in history so it was wonderful to have the subject brought alive by this book.
Shadow Michael Morpurgo
We loved this. Gripping story, characters you love. Tear-jerking. Activities on the Michael Morpurgo website to go along with the book.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe C.S.Lewis
Jotham's Journey (an advent story) A. Ytreeide
Redwall Brian Jacques
The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster
Fun, zany, clever use of language, subtle as well as laugh-out-loud humour. Milo travels around imaginary lands in his car picking up friends and meeting all sorts of extraordinary people on the way. His quest is to rescue two princesses from their tower.
Number the Stars Lois Lowry
If I had a list of top 5 books we'd read recently, this one would definitely be on there. I cannot quite describe how good it is and how much we loved it. The book is gripping, informative, thought provoking, conversation starting. It's based in Copenhagen in 1943 when Denmark was under occupation by the Nazis. It's the story of how a Danish family risks their own safety to try to help a Jewish family escape. The Afterword is fascinating- we learnt so much about life in Denmark and about the bravery of so many Danish men and women during the war.
Brilliant! We loved it! But also feel sad we've now come to the end of Narnia.
The Goldfish Boy Lisa Thompson
See here for a review.
A Little Piece of Ground Elizabeth Laird
This story is written from the perspective of a Palestinian boy living in Ramallah. It tells of the struggles he and his family and fellow Palestinians faced on a daily basis living under Isr***i rule. It is definitely biased - you don't hear any Isr***i perspective but I think it is really important to learn about what life is like in that part of the world and what oppression and injustice looks like.
It's the kind of book I was glad to read the children, rather than them read themselves as it's a good one to talk about and also the way the siblings in the story interact with each other isn't that pleasant. But it's a story of redemption also with their relationships.
The Magician's Nephew C.S.Lewis
We listened to this together on Audible as a BBC full cast radio broadcast. It was great but way too short!
My Rock My Refuge Tim Keller
We're using Keller's book on the Psalms sometimes for family prayers. We read the Psalm, his short comments and his prayer. It's been great reading through it.
The Silver Chair C.S.Lewis
We enjoyed this, although it was probably our least favourite story of all the Narnia books so far. But it was one of my favourites in terms of all the symbolism and metaphor- particularly about sin, Satan and remembering the gospel.
The Mystery of the Periodic Table Benjamin Wiker
It was a new experience reading a chapter book for science. (This fits with the Charlotte Mason approach of living books). For the most part we really liked this book (I printed a copy of the periodic table for each of them to refer to as I read). Sometimes we got a little bogged down in the complicated science but we pushed through. The history of chemistry was really fascinating. The book also had some fun experiments to do as we went along.
Mossflower Brain Jacques
This is a long book so you have to be committed to it, but we really liked it. The characters (goodies) are so likeable and fun. There are some exciting, funny and sad parts throughout.
Amon's Adventure Arnold Ytreeide
We read this book running up to Easter. It's about a boy called Amon, living in Jerusalem around the time of when Jesus entered Jerusalem and was killed. It really brings Bible times to life. (I didn't read the devotional sections after each chapter.)
Heroes of the Reformation Various Authors
We read this book as part of our history course. I was surprised by how much the children enjoyed it. It's written in an old fashioned style, but that amused rather than irritated us! We've so far only read a few of the biographies, we'll read the others when we get on to these men in our history course.
Bruchko Bruce Olson
See here for a review. (This is an adult autobiography but great to read to children- there are though some slightly scary parts.)
The Radical Book for Kids Champ Thornton
This is a read-aloud and independent reader. See here for more.
Bartholomew's Passage A. Ytreeide
An advent story. Exciting story following a 10 year old boy's adventures around the time of Jesus' birth. We read a chapter a day. We didn't read the 'thoughts' at the end of the chapter very often (I felt some of them weren't particularly helpful).
Christmas Stories Michael Morpurgo
We read 3 of the 4 lovely short stories from this book over Christmas time. As ever, beautiful illustrations too.
The Shoebox Francine Rivers
A novella about a boy called Timmy and his foster parents.This sweet story is interspersed with recipes and Christmas thoughts and memories. A lovely, quick book to read for Christmas.
Voyage of the Dawntreader C.S.Lewis
We really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced, fun and exciting story. We all agreed it's our 2nd favourite of the Narnia books so far (behind The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe).
Oranges in No Man's Land Elizabeth Laird
A quick read to the children over a few days. This book is written from the perspective of a 10 year old girl stuck in Beirut during the civil war and her brave attempt to help her dying grandmother. It has made me want to find out more about the civil war. We all really enjoyed it.
I Dared to Call Him Father Bilquis Sheikh
We all loved this book. It's the story of a lady in Pakistan who becomes a believer. It was really moving and it challenged me in many ways. I could see the children were really affected by it, especially as it talks about many subjects relevant to us and our friends here. I love the way she describes her vibrant, living relationship with the Lord.
Prince Caspian C.S.Lewis
Brilliant.
The Horse & His Boy C.S.Lewis
We loved this book! Brilliant writing, exciting plot and great to see the deeper meanings.
Lion Adventure Willard Price
A series of books about 2 boys and animals (gorillas, sharks, Amazon, South Sea). Good books to read to a group and do activities from. (Evolutionary references)
Beowulf Michael Morpurgo
Brilliantly written, using language so vividly. We were learning about Beowulf in history so it was wonderful to have the subject brought alive by this book.
Shadow Michael Morpurgo
We loved this. Gripping story, characters you love. Tear-jerking. Activities on the Michael Morpurgo website to go along with the book.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe C.S.Lewis
Jotham's Journey (an advent story) A. Ytreeide
Redwall Brian Jacques
No comments:
Post a Comment