Give your child a gift of reading - Home Educating Family

Christmas is approaching fast and some of us still have not sorted the presents… What about then giving your children the gift of reading? Just think about it – wrapping up the magic of reading and gifting it to your children?

Books, books, glorious books! The kind that opens a world of wonder sparking imagination, spreading curiosity, and filling those little minds with the most beautiful ideas ever. The joy of unwrapping a book is like opening a door to countless adventures and endless possibilities. And who knows, you might just be gifting them a lifelong love affair with reading.

To inspire you I have created a list of books my boys (8 and 10 years old) have read this year. Younger one is an emerging reader while the older one gobbles books like crazy! I hope you will find on this list some that you can share with your children next year!

Ages 8 – 10

Spy Dog series – Andrew Cope, while the story of James Bond is definitely not for children, they can read these fun adventures of a dog agent working for the Secret Service!

The Imagination Station books by Adventures in Odyssey – a series of books about children travelling in time and around the world to complete different missions. Great for extra history and of course adventure!

Beanie and his dog/ Beanie and his pony – Ruth & Latrobe Carroll – lovely adventures of a little boy living on the farm, with beautiful drawings. I did not realised how difficult it is to find this jewel! I have got it last year from the linked website but they don’t seem to sell it anymore. Just keep looking, because it is worthy little read.

Lighthouse Family books – Cynthia Rylant – these are super sweet books for kids who are going from easy readers to chapter books with animal characters who are kind and friendly.

In Grandma’s Attic – Arleta Richardson – these are charming tales from the past, about a different lifestyle and times when children had to occupy themselves without any electronics.

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, Donald J. Sobol – who is for a good puzzle and mystery? You can do it with Encyclopedia Brown – a boy with a super brain. Try to crack the cases before looking at the answers in the back!

The Wild Robot – Peter Brown – a sweet and interesting story about a robot lost on a wild island. It is learning to survive and helping nature at the same time. Just read it and decide for yourself if you like the robot or not, as she is a funny hero – technology meets nature.

The Way Past Winter – Kiran Millwood Hargrave – fairy-tale like adventures of Mila and her sisters in the world that is trapped in winter and have been for many years, inspired by Slavic folklore. Ideal read for winter!

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – an intelligent book, with some super clever rats and an extraordinary mouse. We were quite happy to discover this book.

Archimedes and the Door of Science Jeanne Bendick – perfect living book, through simple text and pictures, it succeeds in bringing to life the ancient Greek mathematician.

Ages 10– 12

Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White – a lovely book about friendship between a pig and a spider, full of wisdom, but do you know my favourite quote from this one?

Well, there is a name for her condition. It’s called a childhood phase. And, sadly, it’s something she’ll grow out of…

Babe: The Sheep Pig – Dick King-Smith – also known as Babe, the Gallant Pig. The charming tale of a young pig on a sheep farm, that is brought up by Fly a sheepdog. If you’re on the lookout for a seriously fun and impactful way to teach your children about kindness and politeness, look no further!

The Island of Adventures and other Adventures series by Enid Blyton – all my children loved Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack adventures! Villians, treasure seekers, spies, gunrunners – all things children’s imagination can think about. Oh and KIKI – the funny parrot, it all makes an unforgettable read!

Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome – another adventure book that is set in the beautiful Lake District in England. Simple joys of being an innocent child, spending holidays outdoors, sailing on the lakes, building camps and having adventures are all part of this book, which will capture the imagination of any child. There are more books following the adventures of the Walker family and we are going to explore them all!

Roman Mysteries – Caroline Lawrence – the series involves the adventures of four children in 79AD, running around helping each other solve mysteries. One of these books where you can have fun reading and learn a little about the times when the story is set. My older boys loved them and now my 10 years old started the series. I would not recommend it for younger children as some of the description of Ancient Rome is grim.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library – Chris Grabenstein – this is like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for book and puzzle-nerds! Only it’s more modern. The main character wins a spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route.

The Phantom Tollbooth, Juster Norton – the story of a bored child, Milo who one day gets a Phantom Tollbooth as a present. This allows him to the Land Beyond with Dictionpolis ruled by the king of words, Azaz and Digitopolis is ruled by a Mathemagician. Aah, just all the puns and word riddles are worth reading.

Five Children and It – Edith Nesbit – have you heard the saying ‘Be careful what you wish for’? This book is built around it. The children dig up a magical creature (the ‘It’) which grants them one wish per day that lasts until sunset.

The Door in the Wall, De Angeli, Marguerite – a very positive and simple story set in Medieval England, talks about resilience, and finding ways to cope with loss.

The Wolf Hunters and the Gold Hunters – James Oliver Curwood – do you like Jack London and The Call of the Wild? Then Curwood is another author who will capture your imagination. Untamed nature and wilderness of Canada, a daring journey full of adventures and peril, strong characters and the fierce battle for survival. You will not be able to put these books away. There are other books by Curwood that I remember from my childhood and will add to our to-be-read list: Kazan, The Golden Snare, and The Bear.

War Horse – Michael Morpurgo – the story of Joey, a horse purchased by the Army for service in World War I in France and the attempts of young Albert, his previous owner, to bring him safely home. This is not a light story, it does deal with the difficult topic of war but, like all Morpugo books, is full of hope.

Around the World in Eighty Days – Jules Verne – what an adventure, and what else can I add? Very good characters, nice plot twists with some misunderstandings. I loved this book as a child and now my children follow!

20,000 League under the Sea – Jules Verne – although not an easy read (lots of detailed description…) it is still a great adventure. It is about Captain Nemo and Monsieur Aronnax and their ocean travels. What will they find below the surface? It’s like science fiction of the time. Our incentive to finish the book was to see the movie!

Our read-aloud

These are very well-known stories that we use to read and discuss the misfortunes, troubles, decisions and journeys that characters made through the books. We spend longer time on them to explore the books in more details.

These are considered classics and I’m sure you all know them, but still, I’m adding them here as we have read them recently.

Pinocchio – Carlo Collodi

Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson,

Swiss Family Robinson – Johann David Wyss

Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery

Hobbit and Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien