August 2026 Monthly Newsletter
August 4, 2026
The following post will be a blog archive copy of Build Your Library’s June 2026 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent by 7/4/26 9:00 AM EST]
[August 4, 2026 ] – Welcome to this month’s Video Newsletter! If you subscribed, you should have gotten our regular monthly e-mail newsletter in your inbox. However, you can now watch the video highlights and read the full details below, or view the BYL August 2026 Video Newsletter on Facebook.
Hey everybody, it’s Emily from Build Your Library! If you are going to skim the beginning, here are the main topics in this month’s newsletter:
- Build Your Library Updates and New Products
- Build Your Library Reviews and Testimonials
- Back to School / Summer Sale
- Happy Birthday Build Your Library
- August Contest
- August Bookish Holidays
- 2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
- History Book By Book!
- “Tea with Emily” Instagram Live Stream
- Build Your Library Support
Now that I have your attention, I have the details on those items and more. Monthly Newsletter
“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.”
― The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
Hello August! I consider this the start of the Fall season, despite the fact that it’s still super hot outside. I don’t care – August is all about preparing for the new school year! There’s lots to talk about, so let’s get right into this month’s newsletter!
Build Your Library Updates and New Products
To answer when the next level update will be ready, we have compiled our projected schedule into a post for easy reference. We will periodically update this section as we make progress or change our tentative schedule. We are not currently working on any level or unit updates.
I just released our newest Morbid Curiousities unit study – Death, Grief, and the Afterlife!
If you survived the Cannibalism unit, then you are ready to jump into the
next unit in our Morbid Curiosities series: Death, Grief, and the Afterlife!
In this 9-week unit, you will learn the science and anthropology, and even the geography of death and the way we humans have learned to cope with it! We’ll travel the world looking for the Good Death, learn about what happens to your body after you donate it to science, explore how science has tried to study what happens to our consciousness after death, and travel America learning history via cemeteries! And of course, I’ve included some literature so good, it’s to die for!
I had so much fun with this unit – it was one of my favorites from our year of Morbid! I was always the kid who asked too many questions about death, and writing this unit fed something in my soul.
The Morbid Curiosities: Death, Grief, and the Afterlife unit study uses eight books and covers anthropology, cultural geography, history, science, and literature.
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We have a brand new Lit Bite perfect for your high schoolers. This would make a great summer reading plan if you are looking for some light structure! Lit Bite: Raybearer Do you believe in fate? Destiny? How can you make your own choices when all your choices have already been made for you? These are the difficulties that Tarisai must face in this diverse fantasy adventure from Jordan Ifueko. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko explores the tension between fate and agency. What if you were sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?
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Be sure to check out our newest unit study! This would also be a great option for summer learning!
In our increasingly online society, critical thinking and media literacy are among the most important skills we can equip our children with. I have chosen a handful of high-quality nonfiction and fiction titles to help you and your children better understand and navigate the news and social media.
As always, I’ve included a literature component to help contextualize these topics for you and your family. Follow Max in the Operation Kinderspion duology as he learns the truth about the Nazis and finds himself becoming a British spy during World War II. You’ll also read Feed, the award-winning YA dystopia that depicts a world where everyone has a chip in their brain that feeds them a constant stream of media.
This unit is scheduled to be completed in eight weeks; however, the timeline is flexible and can be extended or condensed. If you want to spread it out over a longer period, take 2–3 lessons per week instead of daily. This unit is geared toward middle and high school students. I’d recommend it for ages 11+ due to the content and activities.
CONVENTION ALERT!
Mark your calendars for August 8! I am so incredibly excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at the [un]Convention, hosted in Richmond at the beautiful Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
I’ll be giving a talk about the importance of reading emotionally challenging books with your children: In Defense of Despereaux. Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooler or just starting out, this event will be packed with inspiration. Let me know in the comments if you’re planning to attend.
Take a look at the [un]Con Program Guide: https://tinyurl.com/uncon2026guide
Register for the event here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-unconvention
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Summer ‘Back to Homeschool’ Sale!
It’s nearly time for our Summer SALE! We’ll be kicking off the savings just in time to prepare for the next school year!
From August 10 – August 31, take 20% off your entire purchase using the code SUMMER26 at checkout. This code is only good for all secular literature-based products listed on our BuildYourLibrary.com website.
We hope you will try out a program and join the Build Your Library family – building young minds, one book at a time!
Happy Birthday Build Your Library!
Can you believe Build Your Library will be 14 years old this month? We kicked off on August 22, 2012, with just two levels. Look how far we’ve come! Time does fly! I started Build Your Library because I was frustrated by the lack of a secular literature-based curriculum. I knew I wasn’t alone in this frustration, so in the late summer of 2012, I released Levels 1 and 5, with the plan to write more levels down the road. Thirteen years later, I’ve written levels for K-12 (and updated all of them at least once!), 16 unit studies, and 15 Lit Bites… it blows my mind! I have customers all over the world using BYL to teach their children; I wrote a book and created a massive database for history and historical fiction books at History Book by Book. I can honestly say I never even dreamed that Build Your Library would grow this much. Thank you all for sticking with me all these years. I can never express what it means to me.
Build Your Library Reviews and Testimonials
We have always needed to improve at keeping up with compiling reviews and testimonials. Over the past 12-plus years, we have gotten a few here and there, but we really should get on top of them. We would love to hear about your experience with Build Your Library! Your review could be as short as a few sentences or as long as you’d like. Google reviews are a significant factor in SEO algorithms. We are told it is as significant as ~1/3 of the equation. With that said… We would appreciate it if you could click the link below and show your support by leaving us a Google review, a Facebook Review, or a testimonial for our website. Our growth has been focused on customer interactions and building long-standing relationships. Thank you all for everything and for making it so easy to love what we do.
August Giveaway
Congratulations to our winner of last month’s Giveaway! 
This month, we are giving away a free unit study of your choosing! If you have been thinking of testing the waters or changing things up this spring, this is a great opportunity to give BYL a try!
Each action gives you entries into this month’s drawing, with some allowing for daily clicks. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.
Check out the contest page for more details, and come back each month for new opportunities!
August Bookish Holidays
August has a few fun book-related holidays, like National Coloring Book Day (August 2) and National Book Lovers Day (August 9).
For author birthdays, we have Suzanne Collins (August 10), John Green (August 24), and Mary Shelley (August 30). While most of you do not need any extra encouragement to pick up additional reading material, we have plenty of excuses for you here! Or an excuse for cake.
Collab with Soul Sparklettes Glitterbombers!
I’m excited to announce that we are collaborating with Soul Sparklettes Art! They have many excellent art projects that integrate seamlessly with Build Your Library. You can sign up for Glitterbombers membership through our affiliate link. Check the downloads on the Purchase Pages for levels 0-5 to see which projects align. The membership includes hundreds of art projects, videos, and resources designed for homeschoolers and art teachers BY a homeschooler and art teacher team. There are three completely DONE-FOR-YOU curricula: Global Art Hop, Elements & Principles (PEP), and a USA Curriculum. Everything is included when you join – there are no surprises and no waiting.
Glitterbombers HIGH is a new art membership for grades 7–12. If you’re looking for art for your teen or tween, the new Glitterbombers HIGH might just be the answer. From sketching to Procreate, Sculpey to watercolor painting, Glitterbombers HIGH is a video-based subscription where your teen or tween can explore different media and topics and develop their own art style. There’s even a monthly art technique class with a challenge and opportunity to earn prizes!
Usually closed to new members, I have a special link for you to sign up now and still get in at the introductory price. Have younger kids? You’ll love Glitterbombers, designed for PreK-7th! And in honor of our Morbid Curiosities, Part 1 – Cannibalism, the team at Giltterbombers has offered a free project! Free Download: Medical Illustration Skull-GB-Soul Sparklettes Art. This pen-and-pencil project is perfect for your preteens and teens. Combine art and science as you learn to sketch a skull like a medical illustrator! If you enjoyed that project, why not consider subscribing? You can choose between a monthly, 6-month, or full-year subscription! Sign Up for a Glitterbombers Subscription Here!
New Printing Partnership with Watson Family Press!
I’m excited to announce our partnership with Watson Family Press! If you are looking for a place to get your lesson plans printed, they have you covered! They are offering our customers a 10% discount using the code BYL at checkout! I love supporting small businesses, especially fellow secular homeschool family-run businesses! I hope you will check them out!
2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Are you looking for a fun reading challenge for the whole family? Well, look no further! We had so much fun with challenges the past six years, so we’re continuing the tradition!
This year, we are reclaiming our whimsy! In 2026, we are having a very hygge and cozy year of reading! This year’s challenge encourages you to find your sense of whimsy and read books that make you feel happy and cozy. 2025 was a difficult year for many of us, so I wanted to start 2026 with a reading challenge to help me rediscover my love of reading!
I’m looking forward to a great year of reading, and I hope you will join me on our reading adventure!
We are 8 months into the challenge now – how is everyone doing? I’m getting there! I’ve completed 30/40 prompts. Just 10 more to go!
History Book by Book (HBBB)!
History Book By Book is our database of engaging, entertaining, and educational books on a range of historical topics. Whenever possible, we have cross-referenced topics, internally linked additional suggestions based on like subjects, and created helpful, categorized lists for you to search and browse. Hopefully, you will be able to glean a vast amount of information and find as many history-related books as you would ever want to find. We discussed it in depth during a recent Tea With Emily Livestream on Facebook. You can view the recording here.
As a long-time homeschooling parent and the author of literature-based homeschool curriculum, we designed HBBB to help:
(1) homeschooling parents looking for additional resources to read to their children,
(2) homeschooling parents looking for more historically based books to give their children to read themselves,
(3) any teen or adult looking for categorized historical reading material for their own enjoyment and knowledge.
Reading your way through history… one book at a time.
History Book By Book Main page
We have recently started to create some blog post articles on HBBB! You can check out our first couple on our HBBB Blog.
“Tea with Emily” Instagram Live Stream
We hope you all enjoyed our last “Tea with Emily” Instagram Live Stream. If you missed our “Summer Reading“ in June, you can find a recording by scrolling through our Instagram.
Our next Instagram Livestream will be on Friday, August 15, at 1 pm (EST), where we will have a Build Your Library/Back to Homeschool Q&A! During this live stream, I will hype you up for the new school year by answering all your burning questions!
I host a 30-60-minute Build Your Library homeschooling chat every other month. You can ask questions about homeschooling, the Build Your Library curriculum, book recommendations, and more. We will announce the date in advance, and you can submit any questions you would like to cover. Additionally, you can also ask questions during the interactive Livestream. Grab a mug of tea (or coffee) and cozy up with our virtual hangout!
Build Your Library Support
BYL Social Media Shout Out
We always include our Social Media “chicklets” at the bottom of our newsletters and on our website, but we wanted to ensure you follow us on our other platforms. The Build Your Library Facebook page is our go-to social
media site, where we post frequently with excellent Amazon products and book recommendations we think you would like, along with all of our Read Aloud Book Club announcements, blog posts, full-year and unit-study product releases and updates, and more.
Our Build Your Library Instagram page regularly posts pictures and insider info about projects I’m currently working on or what I’m doing with my kids.
Although not 100% exclusively Build Your Library related, our Arrrgh Schooling YouTube channel has videos about books and homeschooling, but let’s be honest, it’s mostly books. If you want to see what I’m reading, join my Arrrgh Booked Book Club. The Arrrgh Booked Book Club is reading The Astral Library by Kate Quinn in August! This year is especially exciting because Tanya from Project Happy Home and I have a second new co-host joining us—Ashley from This House of Walls. It’s going to be an amazing reading year! You can also subscribe to our email list and browse our monthly newsletters.
Wrap Up
I hope you have a wonderful August full of sunshine and back-to-school excitement! I look forward to seeing what this new month brings!
“Caught in the doldrums of August we may have regretted the departing summer, having sighed over the vanished strawberries and all that they signified. Now, however, we look forward almost eagerly to winter’s approach. We forget the fogs, the slush, the sore throats an the price of coal, we think only of long evenings by lamplight, of the books which we are really going to read this time, of the bright shop windows and the keen edge of the early frosts.”
― Greenery Street
If you are looking for some more inspiration, here are some articles you might find helpful:
We have well over 100 blog posts on various homeschooling and book-related topics if you want to browse for more. That is about all for this month. Again, please follow us on whatever social media you frequent. There will be periodic updates posted there as well, but we will try to keep everyone in the know wherever you are surfing! Thanks, and Happy Reading! Emily
See Also: July 2026 Monthly Newsletter
