Read-at-Home Mom Report: Summer Reading 2026

June Favorites  

• Brighter than Before by Courtney Walsh 
• Julia at the Drive-In by Rainbow Rowell 

July Favorites

• The Baby-sitters Club Fan Edition: Baby-sitter Summer
• Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon 
• Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett 
• The White Mountains by John Christopher 

August Favorites 

• Sociopath by Patric Gagne
• There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury

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June Read-Alouds & Audiobooks

• The Pinballs by Betsy Byars (with M. and C. only)
• Mark Toyman's Inheritance by Christopher Webb (pen name for Leonard Wibberley)
• Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (audio in the car)
• William S. and the Great Escape by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (audio in the car)
• Masterpiece by Elise Broach (audio in the car)

July Read-Alouds & Audiobooks 

• Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (audio in the car)
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively 
• The Castle of Yew by Lucy M. Boston (audio in the car)
• The White Mountains by John Christopher 

August Read-Alouds

• The Trouble Begins at 8 by Sid Fleischman 

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Family Reading Lists 

M, age 12 (girl)

June 

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton 

July 

• Beneath the Hill by Jane Louise Curry 

August 

• Burt Breen's Barn by Walter D. Edmonds 

C, age 10 (girl)

June 

• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin 

July 

• The Moon by Night by Madeleine L'Engle (read-aloud with me)
• Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith 
• The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs 
• Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary 

August 

• Beverly Right Here by Kate DiCamillo
• Who Comes with Cannons by Patricia Beatty
• The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens
• Hakon of Rogen's Saga by Erik Christian Haugaard

E, age 8 (girl) 

June 

• The Last Battle by Leonard Wibberley 
• Bull Run by Paul Fleischman 

July 

• The Black Stallion by Walter Farley 
• The Borrowers by Mary Norton (read-aloud with Mom)

August 

• The Fox Cub Bold by Colin Dann

R, age 6 (boy)

June 

• America Travels by Alice Dalgliesh (read-aloud with me and A.)
• In the Grip of Winter by Colin Dann 

July 

• The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting  
• Miss Pickerell Goes Undersea by Ellen MacGregor 

August

• Fox's Feud by Colin Dann 
• Mattimeo by Brian Jacques 
• Perfect Gifts by Paul McCusker (read-aloud with me and A.)
• Hidden Treasures by Paul McCusker (read-aloud with me and A.)
• Wings Around South America by Alice Dalgliesh (read-aloud with me and A.)

A, age 6 (girl)

June

• Orange-level stories from SRA
• America Travels by Alice Dalgliesh (read-aloud with me and R.)

July 

• Reading for Comprehension Level B- Continental Press

August

• Gold-level stories from SRA
• Perfect Gifts by Paul McCusker (read-aloud with me and R.)
• Hidden Treasures by Paul McCusker (read-aloud with me and R.)
• Wings Around South America by Alice Dalgliesh (read-aloud with me and R.)
  
  

Dad

June

• Prince Henry the Navigator and the Highways of the Sea by Thomas C. Chubb
• Travellers in Time: Past, Present, and to Come by Eleanor Cameron
• The Pinballs by Betsy Byars

July

• The Pirate Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans by Robert Tallant
• Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett

August

• Gettysburg by MacKinlay Kantor
• The Visitors by John Rowe Townsend
• Stonewall Jackson by Jonathan Daniels

Homeschool Update 2025-2026: 2nd Grade

This is what my third daughter used for school this past year. 

E., Age 8

Math

• Khan Academy 8th Grade Math
• Singapore 4A and 4B Reviews 
• Life of Fred: Farming
• Life of Fred: Goldfish
• Life of Fred: Honey 

English 

• Vocabulary from Classical Roots 4 and 5
• Daily Grams 
• Sentence Diagramming Beginning and Level 1 

Science

• The Fairyland of Science by Arabella Burton Buckley
• The Private Eye by Kerry Ruef 

History 

By Genevieve Foster: 

• The World of William Penn 
• The World of Captain John Smith
• George Washington's World
• The Year of the Horseless Carriage 
• Abraham Lincoln's World 

Music 

• Denes Agay Book 1
• "Stars and Stripes Forever" soprano recorder 
• Recorder Time: Sweet Tunes Book 2

Art

• Concordia University course, grades 5-8 
• Rainbow Loom
• Crochet 
• Drawing contests with C.
• Coloring with markers 

Religion

• New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism
• Advent wreath
• Weekly Mass
• Monthly TLM

Latin

• So You Really Want to Learn Latin? Book 1 (and videos) by Nicholas Oulton 

Homeschool Update 2025-2026: 4th Grade

Here is a wrap-up of my second oldest child's curriculum for this past school year. 

C., age 10 

Math

• Textbook: Jacobs Geometry
• The Great Courses: Geometry: An Interactive Journey to Mastery with James S. Tanton
• Khan Academy High School Geometry
• Life of Fred: Ice Cream
• Life of Fred: Jellybeans
• Life of Fred: Kidneys 

English

• Paragraph assignments from Jensen's Format Writing (2002)
• Sentence Diagramming 3 
• Editor in Chief 2 
• Vocabulary from Classical Roots B
• Easy Grammar 

Science 

• BFSU Volume 2
• Cells: Building Blocks of Life by Alvin Silverstein
• Forces and Motion by Alvin Silverstein 

History 

• The World in Ancient Times series 
• various Great Courses lectures 

Music

• Denes Agay Book 2
• The Great Courses: How to Play Piano with Pamela D. Pike 
• "Sonatina" on piano 
• Alto recorder part for "The Stars and Stripes Forever" 
• 50 Graded Studies for Recorder by Paul Harris and Sally Adams

Art

• Concordia University, Grades 5-8
• Knitting 
• Rainbow loom 
• Art contests with E.
• Coloring with markers

Religion

• New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism
• Advent wreath
• Weekly Mass
• Monthly TLM

Latin

• So You Really Want to Learn Latin? Book 1 (and videos) by Nicholas Oulton 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: April/May 2026

April Favorites

• Teenage Wasteland by Anne Tyler
• The Catbird Seat by James Thurber 
• The Giver by Lois Lowry 
• The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith 

May Favorites 

• The Last Song of the World by Joseph Fasano 
• The Shippers by Katherine Center 
• The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
• Chasing the Clouds Away by Debbie Macomber 

April Read-Aloud

• Mission to Marathon by Geoffrey Trease 

May Read-Aloud 

• Coot Club by Arthur Ransome 

M. (girl, 12)

April 

• The Giver by Lois Lowry 
• Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 

May 

• The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden

C. (girl, 10)

April 

• The Horse and his Boy by C.S. Lewis 

May 

• The Three Brothers of Ur by J.G. Fyson
• The Journey of the Eldest Son by J.G. Fyson
• Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle (read-aloud with me)

E. (girl, 8)

April 

• Robert Fulton and the Steamboat by Ralph Nading Hill 
• Leopard's Prey by Leonard Wibberley

May 

• Red Pawns by Leonard Wibberley 
• Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (read-aloud with me)

R. (boy, 6)

April 

• Freddy's Cousin Weedly by Walter Brooks
• The Story of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting 
• Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton 

May 

• Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne (read-aloud with me and A.)
• Mossflower by Brian Jacques 

A. (girl, 6)

April 

• Three Boys and a Lighthouse by Nan Hayden Agle 
• The Little Girl and the Tiny Doll by Edward Ardizzone 

May 

• Sophie Mouse books 5, 6, 7, and 8 
• Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary 
• Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Horse in the House by Erica Silverman
• Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne (read-aloud with me and R.)

Dad

April

• Underrunners by Margaret Mahy 
• House of the Glimmering Light by Jane Shaw

May 

• Men, Microscopes, and Living Things by Katherine Shippen
• Red Planet by Robert Heinlein (audio in the car)

Read-at-Home-Mom Report: March 2026

March Favorites 

The Year of My Humiliation by C.J. Sursum
This reminded me of The End of the Affair. It explored issues of faith and morals without tying things up neatly in a bow, and the somewhat unreliable first-person narrator worked so well. 

Everybody's Favorite Guy by Katherine Center
This short story was an enjoyable second chance romance to transition from winter to spring.

Good Writing by Neal Allen and Anne Lamott 
I love Anne Lamott's books, and this collaboration with her husband gives some solid writing advice that I found practical as well as entertaining. 

Family Reading Lists 

M. (girl, age 12)

• The Galleon by Ronald Welch

C. (girl, age 10)

• On Boston Bay by Melissa Wiley
• On Tide Mill Lane by Melissa Wiley
• The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs 
• The Three Investigators in the Case of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur, Jr.

E. (girl, age 8)

• The Story of Thomas Jefferson by Earl Schenck Miers
• Ramona and her Mother by Beverly Cleary

R. (boy, age 6)

• Choose Your Own Adventire: Vampire Express by Tony Koltz
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• Bunny and Clyde by Megan McDonald
• Bunny and Clyde on the Lam by Megan McDonald

A. (girl, age 6)

• Captain Cat by Syd Hoff
• Ups and Downs with Oink and Pearl by Kay Chorao
• Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower by Peggy Parish
• Amelia Bedelia Helps Out by Peggy Parish
• Fox on the Job by James Marshall 
• Bony-legs by Joanna Cole
• Fish Out of School by Evelyn S. Shaw
• Nate the Great and the Sticky Case by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat 
• Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss 
• Forest by Laura Godwin
• Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Smiler Levinson
• Barn Owl by Phyllis Flower
• Arthur's Prize Reader by Lillian Hoban

Dad 

• Shen of The Sea: Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
• The Beachcombers by Helen Cresswell 

Homeschool Update 2025-2026: 6th Grade

We moved (only one house down!) at the start of this school year and I never sat down to write up our plans for this blog. Now we're more than six months in and winding down on some things already, but I wanted to give a little glimpse into what everyone is doing. To make it a little more manageable, I'll do one post for each grade level we have this year, starting with the oldest. 

M., 6th grade 

Math 

• Textbook: Jacobs Geometry
• The Great Courses: Geometry: An Interactive Journey to Mastery with James S. Tanton 
• Khan Academy High School Geometry
• Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra I with Economics
• Singapore Math: Challenging Word Problems 4 

English

• Essay assignments from Jensen's Format Writing (2002)
• Sentence Diagramming 2
• Editor in Chief Beginning 2
• Daily Grams 

Science 

• The Great Courses: Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology with John J. Renton
• The Great Courses: Meteorology: An Introduction to the Wonders of Weather with Robert G. Fovall 
• Monthly meetings of the Future Rockhounds of America
• Participation in the Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show of the Gem, Lapidary, and Mineral Society of Montgomery County MD

History

• The Great Courses: The Rise and Fall of the British Empire with Patrick N. Allitt (first half)
• The Great Courses: War, Peace, and Power with Vejas G. Liulevicius (first half)
• Tuttle Twins: America's History Part I

Music

• Minuet in G on Piano from Anna Magdalena Bach's Notebook
• "Taps" on French horn 
• Scales and "Stars and Stripes Forever" on tenor recorder 
• Denes Agay Book 3
• The Great Courses: How to Play Piano with Pamela D. Pike 

Art

• Concordia University course, grades 5-8 
• Rainbow loom bracelets
• Alcohol markers
• Oil pastels
• colored pencils 

Religion

• New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism
• Advent wreath
• Weekly Mass
• Monthly TLM
• Arise girls group (Also covers health topics)

Latin

• So You Really Want to Learn Latin? Book 1 (and videos) by Nicholas Oulton 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: February 2026

February Favorites

• Exiles Come Home by Winefride Nolan
  This is a vintage British children's novel about the discrimination against Catholics during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, James I. (It's the sequel to Rich Inheritance.) It was so well-written and captures an experience that American kids might not be familiar with. I like the redemption arc for one main character and the mystery plot involving the kidnapping of a child.
• The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery
  This is another vintage British children's novel. This one involves an American soldier being held as a prisoner of war in a British family's home, and his relationship with both the family and with his friend, another prisoner who is ill. 
• Hearts on the Fly by Toni Shiloh
  This unapologetically Christian romance with a touch of the miraculous was such a breath of fresh air. It's a hockey romance, but a wholesome clean one with a player's blindness after injury at the center of the plot. 
• All of Us: The Collected Poems by Raymond Carver
  I took a class on Raymond Carver short stories in college, but found the analysis aspect difficult and stayed away from his writings for years. But as a writer I'm inspired by his economy of language, and I was in the mood for poetry, so I listened to this and loved it. 

Family Reading Lists 

M., girl, 12 

• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
• The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder  

C., girl, 10

• The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
• Holes by Louis Sachar 

E., girl, 8

• The American Revolution by Bruce Bliven, Jr.
• The Secret Diary of Jeb and Abigail by Jean Fritz 

R., boy, 5 

• Walt Disney's World of Nature (selections)

A. girl, 5 

• McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader (selections) 

Dad 

• Two Little Pilgrims' Progress: A Story of the City Beautiful by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Trial Valley by Vera Cleaver 
• How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort by Janet and Isaac Asimov
• The Key Word and Other Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
• The Disappearing Man and Other Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
• Kidnapped by Accident by Arthur Catherall