November 2021 Monthly Newsletter
November 1, 2021
The following post will be a blog archive copy of the Build Your Library’s November 2021 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent 11/1/21 8:15 AM EST]
[November 1, 2021 ] – “BYL November 2021 Video Newsletter“ – Welcome to our November Video Newsletter! You should have gotten our regular monthly e-mail newsletter in your inbox if you are subscribed. But you can now watch the video highlights and read the full details below or watch the BYL November 2021 Video Newsletter on Facebook.
Hey everybody, it’s Emily from Build Your Library! If you are just going to skim the beginning, here are the main topics in this month’s newsletter:
Now that I have your attention, here are the details on those items and more.
Monthly Newsletter
How is it already November?! I swear, I blinked and October was over! The holiday season is upon us and I don’t know about you, but it’s going to be the best kind of chaos here for the next two months! Between getting ready for Thanksgiving, Hannukah, and Christmas and kids coming home from college, it’s just going to be the best time!
We have some new information to share as well as some reoccurring monthly reminders.
Build Your Library Update Schedule
In an attempt 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 the chart when we make progress or have any changes to our tentative schedule.
I am still on hiatus from working on the updates, but I plan to slowly start working on Level 4 over the next little bit and then jump in completely at the start of the new year. It’s been lovely having a break (and much needed with a new puppy in the family!), but I am feeling ready to start getting back into it.
History Book by Book!
We were excited to announce our newest project, History Book By Book! HBBB is a database collection of engaging, entertaining, and educational books about various historical topics if you missed the grand opening. We discussed it in depth during our Tea With Emily livestream on Facebook, you can view the recording here.
You can find books here on just about every time period or historical topic and for any age level. I’ve done my best to research and vet each title to ensure that this list is filled with living books. I’ve noted content warnings when necessary and my daughters and I have reviewed many of the titles recommended. This has been and will continue to be a labor of love, as we continue to build this website and update these book suggestions. I hope you find the website and this walkthrough helpful!
History Book By Book Main page
November Bookish Holidays
November is another huge month for bookish holidays, most notably National Novel Writing Month. November 1st is both National Authors Day and National Family Literacy Day. The first Saturday of the month (Nov 2) is Book Lovers Day. We also have National Nonfiction Day (Nov 6), I love to Write Day (Nov 15), High Five a Librarian Day (Nov 18), and the third full week of November is National Young Readers Week and National Book Award Week. It’s also Non-fiction November all month long!
As far as literary birthdays go, we have Bram Stoker’s Birthday (Nov 8, 1847), as well as Neil Gaiman (Nov 10, 1960), Neal Shusterman (November 12, 1962) Robert Louis Stevenson (Nov 13, 1850), and Madeleine L’Engle Camp (Nov 29, 1918). We also have a couple of Harry Potter character birthdays with Silvanus Kettleburn (Nov 22) and Bill Weasley (Nov 29).
History of Thanksgiving Unit Study
We’ve all heard the story – the Pilgrims sailed to America on the Mayflower and landed on Plymouth Rock. After a rough start, they were saved by the Indigenous people who then celebrated with a Thanksgiving feast… But how accurate is that tale? With this unit study, you and your child will explore the history surrounding Thanksgiving. Why did those brave people sail to an unknown land to start their own colony? Did the Native Americans really save them? Who were the Pilgrims and why did they come to America anyway?
I have a bonus blog post with my favorite Thanksgiving books to read to younger children.
We also have a “Thanksgiving-themed” – Can Your Teach Creativity? article from a few years back. This was a fun and interesting twist on an old holiday decoration project.
Is it time for NaNoWriMo again?
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or nano for short) is a yearly write-a-thon that challenges aspiring writers from all over the world to write a complete 50,000-word manuscript in just 30 days. It is not for the faint of heart, and even some of the most gifted of writers still find themselves unable to complete the full 50k. But it’s a challenge that few writers can pass up.
For younger writers, I recommend checking out https://ywp.nanowrimo.org for their Young Writers program! It’s basically the same thing as the main event, but the final word count and stress level are lower. Additional resources are also provided, like workbooks for story-planning and daily writing prompts to keep the story going if you get stuck!
I always try to participate, but this year I’ll be sitting it out. Perhaps next year will be my year to finally write that novel bouncing around in my head! Are you going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year?
“Read Aloud Book Club” Pack
Our monthly “Read Aloud Book Club” subscription pack is finally back! The November 2021 theme is “Extra, Extra, Read All About It!” This month’s selection is a graphic novel memoir about a girl who becomes a cub reporter for her local newspaper. It’s a great story about following your dreams, even when it’s hard! The perfect read-aloud for the whole family!
Also we’ll be doing something new! I had always planned on there being a book club aspect to the Read Aloud Book Club (hence the name), but life just got too busy to really make that happen. Well, I’m collaborating with my oldest daughter, Sarah, who is graduating from college this spring. Her dream job is to be a children’s librarian, and so she is going to be leading the book club discussions starting with the November book! I’ll have more information about that coming soon, but we are both really excited about it!
Please Note: We posted a picture a couple weeks ago in reference to how few “Family Reading Crate” boxes we have left. Once our supply of cardboard shipping boxes are gone, the FRCs are no longer available. We are not purchasing any more crates, no matter how many materials are still left. If there were any of these left that you might want, please order while we still have a small stack of boxes left.
“Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Streams
We hope you all enjoyed our last “Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Stream. If you missed our “Literature-Based Learning with Reluctant Readers“ discussion in October, you can find a recording by scrolling our Facebook or direct links on our past events page.
This livestream also spurred a request for a huge list of book suggestions, categorized by specific topics. Those can be found in the following blog posts:
- Specific Book Recommendations for You! – Part 1
- Specific Book Recommendations for You! – Part 2
- Specific Book Recommendations for You! – Part 3
Our next Facebook Live will be December 3, 2021. Every other month, I host a 30-60 minute Build Your Library homeschooling chat. You can ask questions about homeschooling, using Build Your Library curriculum, book recommendations, etc. We will announce the date ahead of time, and you will be able to submit questions you would like to cover. Additionally, you can also ask questions during the interactive live stream. Grab a mug of tea (or coffee) and cozy up with our virtual hangout!
Build Your Library Support
For a comprehensive, everything you ever wanted to know about homeschooling with Build Your Library, check out our “Build Your Library University (for Parents).” We have collected the definitive list of articles, videos, and books about Build Your Library, Charlotte Mason, and general homeschooling, all categorized in a logical order for you to peruse.
BYL Social Media Shout Out
We always have our Social Media “chicklets” at the bottom of our newsletters and webpage, but we wanted to make sure you are following us on our other platforms. The Build Your Library Facebook is our go-to social media site, and we post there frequently with cool Amazon products and book recommendations we think you would like, as well as 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.
Wrap Up
If you are looking for some homeschool inspiration, here are some articles you might find helpful:
- Tips for Budding Writers from a College Creative Writing Student
- Ah, critiques. Oh how I fear thee… (from our Tips for Young Writers series)
- Favorite Fall Reads
We have well over 100 blog posts on various homeschooling and book-related topics if you want to browse for more.
I think 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 where ever you are surfing!
Thanks and Happy Reading! Emily
See Also:
