Homeschool Tidbits: Thought Provoking Read Alouds
May 27, 2022
Welcome to Build Your Library’s Homeschool Tidbits: Episode 18 – Thought-Provoking Read Alouds. In this weekly video series, I will delve briefly into a topic related to homeschooling and will share some of my knowledge and expertise as a long-time homeschooling mother of 4 children. Three of whom have graduated high school, and one is also a brand-new college graduate!
Thought-Provoking Literature…
I have loved reading aloud to my children since my oldest daughter was born, 23 years ago. At first, this was simply to help foster a love of stories and reading books in general. Eventually, one of the best reasons became introducing them to books and ideas that they might not have discovered on their own. We then talked about the story and the ideas within. I particularly love sharing thought-provoking books with them. Living books, as we have discussed numerous times, are great for this. The more well-written, engaging, and memorable a story was, the deeper and more involved these follow-up discussions became.
Today I want to recommend some books that will make you and your children think long after closing the book. These books will stick with you and hopefully be a great starting point for building great discussions in your homeschool!
The first four books below are middle–grade, appropriate for children ages 8 – 12. The last book is a Young Adult title, best for ages 12+. But younger listeners can absolutely benefit from listening in!
Tuck Everlasting
I love the questions this book poses. On the surface, immortality may sound great! You will never get sick and you will never die. But would you really want to live forever? So many pros and cons to discuss! My youngest and I read this book about 3 years ago and she STILL talks about it today.
Yonder
This story is set during World War II on the American home front. It asks us to consider quite a thought-provoking topic, what does it mean to be a hero? Is it grand gestures? Is it being fearless? Or is it simply standing up for what you think is right and true even if no one else does?
This story has so many messages and layers. It talks about segregation, the Holocaust (particularly the fact that people in America were aware of it but chose to not intervene), patriotism, and war, and it paints a vivid picture of American life in the 1940s South.
My Name is Not Easy
What I found so thought-provoking in this story is that it gives a realistic picture of what life in those schools was like. You might hear in passing that Indigenous kids were sent to boarding schools to force them to assimilate, but reading a story about it really puts you in their shoes. It led us to want to learn more about why this happened and how long it had been going on. We also found the information about the Inupiaq and life on the Tundra to be fascinating.
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Four children are asked to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inquisitive can complete. It’s not going to change your child’s worldview necessarily, but it will give them things to puzzle out and discuss. Sometimes that’s what kids need, a fun story that makes them think about the mysteries within! And if they enjoy this book, there are more in the series!
Eva
A 13-year-old girl was in a terrible accident, and when she awakens in the hospital, she feels different. Something has changed but no one will explain it to her just yet. This story is set in the near future, where the world has become so industrialized that there are no more wild animals. All that are left live on reserves. Eva’s parents are scientists who work with chimpanzees. She’s grown up around these animals. But what happens when science has kept her alive by putting her brain into the body of a chimpanzee?
This story haunts me. The world that the author created in this book feels like it could actually be a plausible, realistic picture of our future. I think about it often because it asks the perennial question – just because you can… should you?
Coming up next…
What are your favorite thought-provoking read-aloud books? Let me know in the comments below!
I hope you found this Tidbit helpful! Come back next week for more homeschooling inspiration!
Until then, happy reading!
See Also:
Charlotte Mason in the Secular Homeschool
A Literary Education book
About Build Your Library
Homeschool Tidbits: Build Your Library’s Weekly Video Blog Series
Emily Cook is the author and creator of the secular homeschool curriculum Build Your Library, a literature-based K-12 program infused with the teachings of Charlotte Mason. She writes full-year lesson plans as well as shorter topical unit studies. Emily has been homeschooling her four children in Southern NH for 21 years. She is passionate about reading aloud to children of all ages and loves to share her love of literature with others. She and her family also make incredibly dorky videos about homeschooling, books, and more on Youtube at ARRRGH! Schooling. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. You can also check out her author page on Amazon.
