• The Wright Three by Blue Balliett
  • Cold Cereal by Adam Rex
  • Hildafolk by Luke Pearson
  • Unlucky Charms by Adam Rex
  • Champions of Breakfast by Adam Rex
  • The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
  • The Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox (read part)
  • The True Meaning of Smek Day by Adam Rex (a)
  • Mistress Masham's Repose by TH White(did not finish)
  • Ghostopolis (a)
  • My Neighbor Seki #2
  • The Adventures of Jo, Zette, and Jocko by Herge
  • Hilda and the Midnight Giant
  • Chi's Sweet Home 7-9
  • Smek for President by Adam Rex (a)
  • Holes by Louis Sachar
  • Artemis Fowl by Eioan Colfer
jun 17 2016 ∞
oct 13 2017 +

Books My 6th-Grade (11-year-old) Son Read:

  • Hoot by Carl Hiasson (twice)
  • The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #3 by Maryrose Wood
  • Superfudge by Judy Blume
  • The Spy Lady and the Muffin Man by Sesyle Joslin
  • The Littles by John Peterson
  • The Lord's Oysters by (did not finish)
  • A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
  • A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle (almost finished)
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
  • Logicomix by
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets By J.K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
  • Asterix Omnibus #9 and #10
jun 18 2015 ∞
may 27 2016 +

Books we read to our 10-year-old:

  • Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (read by T.)
  • Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey (read 1/2)
  • Prairie Town Boy by Carl Sandburg (read 2/3)
  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
  • Minnow on the Say by Phillipa Pearce
  • Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • The Wheel on the School by Meinert DeJong
  • All-of-a-Kind Family by Sidney Taylor
  • The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
  • Autobiography by John Stuart Mill (read by T.)
  • "Thomas Arnold of Rugby" from Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey (read by T.)
jun 4 2014 ∞
jun 4 2015 +

Books my 9-year-old read:

  • On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells (first 1/3)
  • Secret Letters from 0-10 by Susie Morgenstern
  • Tintin: The Black Island by Herge
  • Superfudge by Judy Blume (read about half)
  • Tintin: Red Sea Sharks by Herge
  • Tintin: Tintin in America
  • Asterix #1
  • The New Treasure-Seekers by E. Nesbit
  • Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton
  • Asterix #2
  • Five Go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton
  • Asterix #3
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
  • The Zack Files: Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box by Dan Greenburg
  • The Zack Files: Through the Medicine Cabi...
jun 13 2013 ∞
jun 4 2014 +
  • An Evening of Traditional Chinese Music and Opera with Artists from the NC-RTP Ensemble 9/15/12
  • "Poet of the Guitar" Maestro F. P. Soler 9/19/12
  • Wayne Shorter Quartet (Wayne Shorter, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade) 9/20/12
  • Winston-Salem Symphony: Leonore Overture by Beethoven; Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, op. 47 by Sibelius (soloist Jennifer Koh); Symphony No. 3 by Copeland 9/23/12
  • Winston-Salem Symphony: A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Zhou Tian; Concerto for Piano in G Minor op. 25, No. 1 by Mendelsshohn (soloist Antonio Pompa-Baldi); Symphony No. 5 in E minor, op. 64 by Tchaikovsky 10/14/12
  • Forecast Music (contemporary music by local composers, plus John Cage's "4'33" 10...
sep 20 2012 ∞
jun 18 2013 +

A Second-Grade Year in Chapter Books

  • The London Underground by Andrew Emmerson
  • The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit (did not finish)
  • Discovering London's Railway Stations by Oliver Green
  • Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
  • Henry and the Clubhouse by Beverly Cleary
  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
  • Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome
  • Paddington At Large by Michael Bond
  • Paddington Helps Out by Michael Bond
  • Ben and Me by Robert Lawson (did not finish)
  • The Autobiography of S. S. McClure by Willa Cather (read by T.)
  • Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome (did not fin...
jun 6 2011 ∞
jun 5 2012 +

[So many of the classic children's books either have girls as the main characters or feature boys who are troublemakers, don't like school, etc. This is a list of books that we've read starring good/smart/nice boys.]

  • Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
  • Rufus M by Eleanor Estes
  • Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
  • Homer Price and More Tales from Centerburg by Robert McCloskey
  • The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
  • Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (series) by Donald Sobol
  • Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
  • James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
  • The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
jul 28 2010 ∞
jul 3 2013 +

This is for students in my eighteenth-century British fiction course who want reading recommendations beyond the syllabus.

If you liked Evelina (by Frances Burney) and liked OR hated Pamela (by Samuel Richardson):

  • The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless by Eliza Haywood
  • Belinda by Maria Edgeworth
  • A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald
  • The Wild Irish Girl by Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan)
  • Cecilia by Frances Burney
  • Journals and Letters by Frances Burney (Penguin edition)
  • Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (abridgement published by Broadview is a reasonable option here)

If you liked Robinson Crusoe (by Daniel Defoe):

may 11 2011 ∞
feb 7 2012 +
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[My son loves buildings, especially if they are old. These books give significant attention to one or more building.]

  • Iggy Peck, Architect
  • Eloise [The Plaza!]
  • Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright
  • The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
  • Betsy-Tacy; Betsy, Tacy, & Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace [Tib's chocolate-colored house]
  • Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald [Mrs. P-W's upside-down house]
  • Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren [Pippi's crazy house]
  • The Boxcar Children (#1) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
  • The Giraffe, The Pelly, and Me by Roald D...
jun 25 2010 ∞
jun 4 2015 +
sep 21 2010 ∞
nov 11 2014 +

20 Places to Find Free Books Online by CHRISTINA on NOVEMBER 5, 2010

E-books

  • Google Books - Google Books is a great place to find free classic books in the public domain. All of the public domain books are in PDF format and can be read online, downloaded to your computer, or transferred to an e-book reader.
  • Amazon's list of free books for Kindle: ...
  • Read Print - Read Print makes thousands of novels, poems, and stories freely available online. All of the books are easy to read using the site's "reading mode" and can be quickly located by title, author, or genre.
  • Online Books Page - This University of Pennsylvania website lists over 800,000 books that can be read for free online. Books are sorted by author, title, and genre so that they are easy to find.
nov 12 2010 ∞
jun 6 2011 +
  • Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  • The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley (did not finish)
  • The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
sep 5 2016 ∞
dec 5 2016 +

Books my 10-year-old read:

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
  • Beowulf (translated by Burton Raffel) (read 1/4)
  • Tintin: Destination Moon by Herge (again)
  • Henry Reed, Inc. by Keith Robertson
  • Henry Reed's Babysitting Service by Keith Robertson
  • The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessel
  • Emily Windsnap and The Monster of the Deep by Liz Kessel
  • Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist by Liz Kessel
  • Asterix Omnibus #7
  • Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun by Herge (again)
  • London Underground by Design by Mark Ovenden
  • Knight's Castle by Edward Eager
jun 4 2014 ∞
jun 4 2015 +
  • Great Northern? By Arthur Ransome
  • The Great Brain by John Dennis Fitzgerald
  • More Adventures of the Great Brain by John Dennis Fitzgerald
  • Me and My Little Brain by John Dennis Fitzgerald
  • Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (read half, then it got too sad!)
  • The Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit
  • The Wouldbegoods by E. Nesbit
  • The New Treasure-Seekers by E. Nesbit
  • Oswald Bastable and Others by E. Nesbit (read half)
  • The Great Brain at the Academy by John Dennis Fitzgerald
  • The Avion My Uncle Flew by James Fisher
  • Act One by Moss Hart (read by T.)
  • The Great Brain Reforms by John Dennis Fitzgerald
  • Mary Poppins in the Park by P.L. Travers
jun 13 2013 ∞
jun 3 2014 +

Third Grade (2012-2013). This list only includes books read in their entirety (or almost so).

  • Tales of the RAF: Scramble! By Don Patterson
  • Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary (read 1/3)
  • The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode by Eleanor Estes (all but final chapter)
  • Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5 by Jeff Kinney
  • Treehorn Times Three by Florence Parry Heide (read 2/3)
  • What a Year by Tomie DePaola
  • The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
  • The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6 by Jeff Kinney
  • Wonderstruck by Brian Selznik
  • Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
jun 6 2012 ∞
may 27 2013 +
  • Philadelphia Story (12/2017)
  • Christmas in Connecticut (12/2017)
  • Harvey (11/2017)
  • Ferris Bueller's Day Off (11/2017)
  • Harry Potter 4 (11/2017)
  • ca Commence Aujourd'hui (10/2017)
  • His Girl Friday
  • Life with Father (4/2017)
  • Entre les Murs (4/2017)
  • Odette Toulemonde (4/2017)
  • Le Diner de Cons (The Dinner Game) (3/2017)
  • Kedi (Turkish cats) (3/2017)
  • Hidden Figures (3/2017)
  • Deepwater Horizon (3/2017)
  • Arrival (3/2017)
  • La Guerre des Boutons (2/2017)
  • Nos Jours Heureux (1/2017)
  • Moonrise Kingdom (12/2016)
  • Fantastic Beasts (12/2016)
  • It's a Wonderful Life (12/2016)
jan 29 2012 ∞
dec 30 2017 +

A First-Grade Year in Chapter Books

  • Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain (read by T.)
  • Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright
  • The Giraffe, The Pelly, and Me by Roald Dahl
  • Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
  • The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes
  • Rufus M. by Eleanor Estes
  • On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • The Moffat Museum by Eleanor Estes
  • Magic or Not by Edward Eager
  • Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgren
  • Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes
  • The Borrowers by Mary Norton
  • Seven-Day Magic by Edward Eager
  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (did not finish)
  • All Creatures Great and Small by James He...
jun 15 2010 ∞
jan 23 2012 +

[for future reference; haven't actually read these yet]

  • Actually, Factually by Guy Campbell
  • Really, Really Big Questions by Dr. Stephen Law
  • The Book of When by Laura Jaffe
  • The Burgess Book of Birds for Children
  • Timberdoodle Homeschool Catalog
jun 21 2010 ∞
nov 8 2012 +

Beyond What to Expect When You’re Expecting: A list of intelligent, thought-provoking books about pregnancy and child-rearing

  • Our Babies, Our Selves: How biology and culture shape the way we parent by Meredith F. Small. A comparative study in “ethnopediatrics,” looking at Asian, African, and Western cultures. Really eye-opening!
  • The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears (I like all the books they’ve done, including The Pregnancy Book, The Sleep Book, The Discipline Book, and The Family Nutrition Book). This is a very useful resource for baby’s developmental milestones, advocates breast-feeding and “attachment parenting,” especially carrying baby in a sling. Our mantra during the first months, “his desires are his needs,” came from this book. Good to have on...
jan 13 2012 ∞
may 2 2013 +
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  • Pride and Prejudice
  • Sense and Sensibility
  • Great Expectations
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
  • A Christmas Carol
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Oliver Twist
  • 1,001 Nights
  • Tess of the D'Urbervilles
  • Treasure Island
  • Emma
  • Persuasion
  • Mansfield Park
  • Northanger Abbey
  • Hard Times
  • Dracula
  • A Tale of Two Cities
  • Middlemarch
  • Gulliver's Travels
  • Jane Eyre
  • The Woman in White
mar 29 2011 ∞
nov 30 2019 +
  • Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill
  • The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon
  • The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily by Dino Buzzati
  • The Island of Horses by Eilis Dillon
  • The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay
  • Mistress Masham's Repose by T.H. White
  • The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater
  • Carbonel: The King of the Cats by Barbara Sleigh
  • An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden
  • D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
  • Jenny Goes to Sea by Esther Averill
  • Jenny's Birthday Book by Esther Averill
  • The Bear and the People by Reiner Zimnik
  • Jenny's Moonlight Adventure by Esther Averill
  • The School for Cats by Esther Averill
  • Captains of the City Streets by Esther Averill
apr 6 2011 ∞
jun 4 2015 +
  • Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • The Sword in the Stone by TH White
  • Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott(did not finish)
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  • The Magic City by E. Nesbit
  • (something) by Eoin Colfer
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
  • The Call of the Wild by Jack London
  • Short Stories by Ernest Hemingway: “The Undefeated,” “Cat in the Rain,” “The Light of the World,” “The Killers”
  • Fungus by David Gilbert
oct 13 2017 ∞
jun 3 2018 +

Books I read to our 11-year-old son

  • The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
  • Miracles at Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson
  • Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
  • Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Along Came a Dog by Meinert DeJong
  • Redwall by Brian Jacques
  • The Magic World by E. Nesbit
  • A Girl From Yamhill by Beverly Cleary
  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
  • Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
  • Half Magic by Edward Eager
  • Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome
  • The King in the Window by Adam Gopnik

June 2015-May 2016

jul 1 2015 ∞
jul 4 2016 +
  • The Great Book of Trains by Brian Hollingsworth and Arthur Cook
  • The Age of the Train: From the Rocket to the Bullet by Philip Marsh
  • The Big Book of Trains by DK Publishing
  • Encyclopedia of North American Railroads by Aaron E. Klein
  • Life Along the Line: A Photographic Portrait of America's Last Great Steam Railroad by O. Winston Link
  • The Last Steam Railroad in America by O. Winston Link
  • The Great Railroad Revolution by Christian Wolmar
  • Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America by Sam Roberts
  • The Elegance of Edwardian Railways by Geoffrey Williams
  • Eat Steel and Spit Rivets: Norfolk Southern Employees Reflect on 30 Years of Change, Challenge, and Achievement
jun 18 2014 ∞
jul 14 2014 +

A Third-Grade Year in Read-Alouds

  • Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome
  • Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
  • Coot Club by Arthur Ransome
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
  • Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer (did not finish)
  • Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • Winona's Pony Cart by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
  • Never Leave Well Enough Alone by Raymond Loewy (read by T.)
  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
  • Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome
  • We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome
  • Cheaper By The Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
jun 6 2012 ∞
jul 3 2013 +

Second Grade (2011-2012). This list only includes books read in their entirety.

  • Paddington At Large by Michael Bond
  • Paddington Helps Out by Michael Bond
  • Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
  • The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
  • Chester Cricket's New Home by George Seldon
  • Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
  • Calvin & Hobbes: Scientific Progress Goes Boink
  • Calvin & Hobbes: Something Under the Bed is Drooling
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
  • Roderick Rules: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #2 by Jeff Kinney
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ...
feb 21 2012 ∞
sep 13 2012 +

A Kindergarten Year in Chapter Books

  • The Five Little Peppers by Margaret Sidney
  • The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
  • Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgred
  • Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • Besty, Tacy, and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace
  • Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
  • Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
  • Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
  • Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
  • James Herriot's Treasury for Children
  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
  • A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
jun 14 2010 ∞
jan 23 2012 +

Philip Pullman

  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Indispensable. The great classic beginning of English children's literature.
  • Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. What effortless invention looks like.
  • Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner. A great political story: democracy in action.
  • Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. As clear and pure as Mozart.
  • Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken. If Ransome was Mozart, Aiken was Rossini. Unforced effervescence.
  • The Owl Service by Alan Garner. Showed how children's literature could sound dark and troubling chords.
  • The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Superb wit and vigorous invention.
  • Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson. Any...
apr 10 2011 ∞
apr 10 2011 +
  • Edgar Allen Poe's Pie by J. Patrick Lewis
  • If you lived here
  • The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood
  • Ottoline at the British Museum
  • Carbonel: The King of Cats
  • The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
  • The Gauntlet by Ronald Welch
  • Charlotte Sometimes
  • Owls in the Family
  • Terrible, Horrible Edie
  • The Egypt Game
  • Aesop for Children
  • Black Eagles by James Haskins
  • Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino
  • Forget Me Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
  • Moxy Maxine Does Not Love Stuart Little
  • Falcon by Tim Jessell
  • Noah Webster and His Words by Jeri Chase ...
jun 3 2010 ∞
jun 4 2015 +

recommendations from Melissa Wiley:

We too are big Zita fans here! Also Mouse Guard (swordfighting, however, but heroic, not gorey). My kids have loved the giant Showcase Presents collections (old DC superhero comics from 40s/50s reprinted)–phone books, they’re dubbed, big black-and-white reprint collections.

Jenni & Matt Holm’s Babymouse series and Squish series

Lunch Lady series by Jarrett Krosoczka (she’s a secret agent, saving kids from danger w/ wacky lunchroom spy gadgets, quite delightful)

Maybe take a look at the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi–10yo is probably the bottom age range there; I’ve only read book 4 and was lost on the ongoing storyline but I quite liked the subplots and the sci-fi/fantasy blend worldbuilding, and the art is simply stunning. Lush and wonderful.

dec 2 2012 ∞
dec 2 2012 +
  • My first French/English visual dictionary. Corbeil, Jean-Claude, Firefly Books: 2006. ISBN: 1554071933 [central library]
  • Milet picture dictionary, English-French. Turhan, Sedat. Milet Publishing: c2003. ISBN: I840593520 [central library]
  • Baby's first steps in French [CD-Unabridged] Random House Information Group: 2005. ISBN: 1400023165 [central library]
  • Easy French. Daynes, Katie. EDC Publishing: 2002. ISBN: 1580864295
  • Beth Manners' fun French for kids
    Future Boomers Corp: 1996. ISBN: 0966287622
  • easy worksheets
sep 1 2010 ∞
jun 24 2012 +