I wanted the kids to have a stronger literature base, however, than just what was included in the program. Each year, the students read five novels as part of the language arts. We're a reading household, though, with each of us reading multiple books simultaneously...some for school, some for fun, some for bedtime (and in mom's case, one for the elliptical -- you can find Mom's Books here).
One question I'm often asked if how we keep the plots separate, but as a long-time, avid reader, it just comes naturally. I mean, as long as you're not reading very similar books (ie, don't be reading three WW2 books at the same time). But I digress....
When choosing books to add to the language arts program, we took into consideration the other core classes the kids were doing each year and built a library around those studies. You guys know I'm a huge proponent of learning through literature -- hence all the novel studies -- and we've been doing that for several years now.
When we first started homeschooling, we used a curriculum called A World of Adventure, which was AMAZING for families who want to do unit studies together. Honestly, I have no idea why the author quit writing 2/3 of the way through. Many of the books we used with that curriculum are on the list of fleshed out reading my young son does today as part of his high school.
Broken down by subject, here are our recommend reading list for additional high school studies.
- Books that are included in the TGTB Library line are starred.*
- Books that we have unit studies for are highlighted.
Ancient History
(Choose six books from different periods)
- Adam and His Kin - 4000 B.C.
- Gilgamesh the Hero—2700 B.C.
- Mara, Daughter of the Nile—1500 B.C.
- Window in the Wall - 1451 B.C.
- The Golden Goblet—1400 B.C. + unit
- The Cat of Bubastes—1250 B.C.
- Hittite Warrior—1200 B.C.
- Black Ships Before Troy - 1200 B.C.
- The Art of War—400 B.C.
- Augustus Caesar’s World—14 B.C. - 44 A.D.
- The Bronze Bow - 30 A.D.
- The Eagle of the Ninth—119 A.D. + unit
Medieval History
(Choose seven books from different periods)
- Beowulf—500 A.D. + unit
- King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table—600 A.D. + unit
- The Saracen Steed - 732 A.D.*
- Son of Charlemagne - 781 A.D.
- One Thousand and One Arabian Knights—600-900 A.D.
- Falcon of Eric the Red - 980 A.D.* + unit
- A Single Shard—1100 A.D.
- Adam of the Road - 1210 A.D.
- The Magna Charta—1215 A.D.
- The Golden Hawks of Ghengis Khan—1218 A.D.* + unit
- Call It Courage - 1300 A.D. + unit
- The Door in the Wall - 1300 A.D.
- Pedro's Journal - 1450 A.D.
- The King’s Fifth—1556 A.D.
Early Modern History
(Choose eight books from different periods)
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond—1687 A.D. + unit
- Adventures of Phillippe - 1688 A.D.*
- Zeke and the Fisher Cat - early settlers*
- Amos Fortune, Free Man - 1725-1802 A.D.
- Sign of the Beaver - 1769 A.D.
- Three Gold Doubloons - 1775 A.D.*
- Johnny Tremain—American Revolution + unit
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch - 1779 A.D.
- Fever 1793 - 1793 A.D. + unit
- Black Hawk - 1800 A.D.*
- By the Great Horn Spoon - 1849 A.D. + unit
- Bound for Oregon - 1852 A.D.
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin—pre Civil War
- Across Five Aprils - Civil War
- Red Badge of Courage—Civil War
- Redwood Pioneer - 1870 A.D.*
- Race for the Prairie - 1892 A.D.* + unit
Modern History
(Choose six books from different periods)
- Animal Farm - Russian Revolution + unit
- Out of the Dust - Great Depression + unit
- To Kill a Mockingbird - Civil Rights + unit
- The Diary of Anne Frank - WW2 + unit
- Number the Stars - WW2 + unit
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Civil Rights + unit
- Through the Wall - post WW2*
- Nine, Ten - 9/11
- Fahrenheit 451 - dystopian + unit
- The Giver - dystopian
Download a printable version of this list here.
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