Read-at-Home Mom Report: October 2025

October Favorites

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

I love Hemingway's writing. This was really sad, and I didn't love it as much as The Sun Also Rises, but I still really enjoyed it. I also loved learning that he wrote so many different endings before deciding on one. 

A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan
I always enjoy Sarah Morgan's holiday books. This was a perfect blend of family drama and romance.

The Shock of Holiness: The Romance of Everyday Life by Michael Pakaluk 
I reviewed this excellent essay for Catholic Mom. Read my review for my full thoughts.

Ordinary Jack: Being the First Part of the Bagthorpe Saga by Helen Cresswell
This was a hilarious and entertaining read aloud. The kids loved it, and so did I. 

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, 11 years, 10 months)

*She provided the star ratings.

• Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinneli ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

C. (girl, 10 years, 1 month)

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 
• Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
• The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
• Veronica Ganz by Marilyn Sachs 

E. (girl, 8 years)

• This New Land by G. Clifton Wisler
• The Man Who Was Don Quixote by Rafaello Busoni (selected sections)
• The Adventures of Don Quixote by Leighton Barret and illustrated by Warren Chappell  (selected sections)
• Homes in the Wilderness: A Pilgrim's Journal of Plymouth Plantation in 1620 by William Bradford

R. (boy, 5 years, 7 months)

• Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
• Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
• White Bird by Clyde Robert Bulla 
• Summer Magic by Ruth Chew 
• The Hidden Cave by Ruth Chew 
• Halloween Treats by Carolyn
• The Little Leftover Witch by Florence Laughlin 

A. (girl, 5 years, 7 months)

She read a ton of easy readers, including: 

• The Tortoise's Gift by Lari Don
• Never Trust a Tiger by Lari Don
• I Wish I Was a Wolf by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Llama by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I Was a Gorilla by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Kangaroo by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Monarch Butterfly by Jennifer Bove
• The Witch Who was Afraid of Witches by Alice Low
• Gus Gets Scared by Frank Remkiewicz
• Hoot, Owl! by Shelby Alinsky
• Slither, Snake! by Shelby Alinsky
• Emmett's Pig by Mary Stolz
• Railroad Engineers and Airplane Pilots: What Do They Do? by Carla Greene
• Hidden Animals by Millicent E. Selsam
• Edgar the Super Dolphin by Nathaniel Benchley
• George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley
• Monkey Friends by Edward W. Dolch 
• Tony's Birds by Millicent E. Selsam
• Woodchuck by Faith McNulty
• Happy Jack by Malcolm Carrick
• The Bug that Laid the Golden Eggs by Millicent E. Selsam
• This is the House Where Jack Lives by Joan Heilbroner 
• Warton and Morton by Russell E. Erickson
• Who's a Pest by Crosby Bonsall
• Tom and the Two Handles by Russell Hoban 
• Abu Ali by Dorothy O. Van Woerkom
• Baltimore Orioles by Barbara Brenner
• Elephant Seal Island by Evelyn Shaw
• Steven and the Green Turtle by William J. Cromie
• Seahorse by Robert A. Morris
• Flap Your Wings by P.D. Eastman 

My husband 

• American Sons: The Untold Story of the Falcon and the Snowman by Christopher Boyce
• Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
• The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
• Bilgewater by Jane Gardam