I may be overthinking it, but I hope I didnt make it sound like I have an aversion to the classics on a classical homeschooling forum. I fear I may have in the last paragraph. I'm very new to the board and, looking back, my post wasnt as clear as it couldve been. To clarify, he's still reading older books/those that have stood the test of time (right now it's The Egypt Game, which was a childhood favorite of mine). I find it easy to find those books, either because I've read them or am familiar with them or they're on book lists, or have won awards. Ive found it challenging to come across middle grade books that have been written more recently that have value, but I have found them. We're currently reading aloud The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf, a Malyasan author, and it's very well done. It's by a Muslim woman who lives in a country with which we have little familiarity, and I appreciate the story for itself, but also for the different perspective. As ds gets older though, I am finding this gap in newer books, which up until now have had an important place in our reading lives. So while we will still lean heavily on the classics, probably even more so as he gets older, I do wish there was more quality modern literature for the 13-15 crowd. And like some of you have suggested, I may have to skip YA altogether. It's sometimes challenging to be marching to the beat of our own drummer over here, but I'm glad to know there are others who can relate. Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

That's a great suggestion too! We just read it as a family read aloud around Halloween.

Thank you to both of you! I hadn't thought of finding adult books that might appeal to him. Revisiting classics that had previously been too advanced is a good idea too.

It's funny you should mention Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings, because a used copy is on its way to my house thanks to a recommendation from another thread on this forum. I never would have found it otherwise and it's a great suggestion. Tolkien is a huge favorite here. In terms of older books, I agree with everything you've said (he's read and loved Prydain and Treasure Island but hasn't gotten to the Twain books). I'm not familiar with Sutcliff, but we enjoy historical fiction and will be sure to check it out. Im a huge fan of the classics, but I asked about newer books for a couple of reasons. One, because I feel like I generally have a good handle on the older books that are out there. (On second thought though, it's a very good bet that many people on this board-like you😃- could suggest works I'm not familiar with.) Also, I like to mix in own voices books, and newer books tend to give us a more diverse selection of authors. Every now and then I find a modern story with beautiful writing that offers a perspective we haven't heard, and it's magic. Thank you very much for your help!

If you're looking for more structure with your breathing based meditation, the free app Insight Timer has lots of guided meditations for relaxation and mindfulness. Best wishes to you and your family.

Another option that I used for my sister's wedding was Azazie. I'm new and unsure how to post a link, but they have lovely dresses and, for no extra charge, they will fit the dress to your exact measurements. Her wedding was last September (also outdoors) and it was so nice to be able to get a custom fitted dress without having to go anywhere. They carry mother of the bride dresses.

Congratulations! I hope your daughter has a beautiful day. I'm going to break with the group and say I like the first one. The v-neck and dip in the back is pretty and the flowers would tie in with the elegant nature theme.

I feel the same. I don't begrudge my children anything, but I do often see their relationship with each other and wish that I would have had the kind of family life that fostered such closeness. In a similar way, I see the amount of freedom they have to follow their interests, the types of books and ideas that they're exposed to and think about how much i would've absolutely loved to have those kinds of opportunities when I was growing up. I had a Catholic education that had some classical elements, but an individualized education at home has proven to be a unique experience to say the least! I cant imagine feeling the type of jealousy that implies resentment, though. I've actively worked to encourage their closeness, their intellectual curiosity, etc.

Whether you're intentional about it at first or not, religion and its place in the human experience will naturally pop up all over the place when you're reading and discussing great books, science, history, art, music...We dont generally have a specific time designated to learn about religion for that very reason. When we run into a reference/myth/story that we're not familiar with, it's easy to look it up or find a couple of other books that give us more context. I'm often learning alongside my kids. It's astonishing to me (and a lot of fun) when a topic we just learned about pops up again a short time later and we all get that much more out of the reference. One of my favorite books for younger kids is Classic Myths to Read Aloud: The Great Stories of Greek and Roman Mythology by William F Russell. The first selection of stories are suitable as read alouds for ages 5 and up, the second for 8 and up.

My seventh grade son sounds a lot like yours. I'm drawn to Brave Writer and like to implement some of Julie Bogart's ideas more informally, but the free form/creative assignments didn't work for him. He and my fifth grade dd completed Write Shop 1 last year and it was a success. The assignments stretched them without being too challenging and they enjoyed most of them. The only thing that was a bit cumbersome was flipping between the teacher's manual and the student book, but I got used to it.

Fantastic. Thank you to both of you. Between Star Wars Shakespeare and a Terry Pratchett series I didnt know existed, he'll have fun with these. I appreciate the nonfiction titles as well. Great suggestion to look into magazine subscriptions as he's been aging out of our old favorites...he's grown up a lot this year and it's kind of taken me by surprise. Just when I had everything all figured out😉

Thank you for your kind welcome and your great suggestions! I've been lurking for years and have gotten so much out of following the discussions here that I finally mustered up the courage to join in. I was looking for pleasure reading ideas and he hasn't tried Artemis Fowl or Ranger's Apprentice, so I'll check out both. He's my oldest, and he used to sit on the bench at our kitchen table during mealtimes because he needed somewhere to set whatever he was in the middle of reading. Part of the change may come down to expanding interests as he's getting older too, but a couple of new series would be welcome. Thanks again!

Please help! My DS (13) seems to have fallen into a gap between middle grade and young adult literature. (I'm hoping his love of reading will remain intact when he climbs out🤪) The middle grade books often feature 11 or 12 year olds and are feeling too young for him, but the young adult skews to 16 or 17 and the concerns of kids in that age group, which neither he nor I are ready for. Has anyone else encountered this issue and, if so, do you have any suggestions for newer books that would appeal to an upper middle schooler?

I second that Lori D offered a fantastic list. Some modern books we've enjoyed for this age range: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (fantasy series), Circus Mirandus and The Bootlace Magician (fantasy), Nevermoor (fantasy series), Elijah of Buxton (historical fiction/adventure), The Mad Wolf's Daughter (historical fiction/adventure), Sweet Home Alaska (historical fiction/survival), The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming (historical fiction/adventure).