Sonlight books you (and/or dc) hated?

[Momof3]

So... I keep seeing that there are Sonlight books you don't like.  :scared:

 

I have vacillated from the "Ooh, I *love* this catalog!!! I want-want-WANT Sonlight!" fantasy to the "too much $, can't do the scripted schedule thing, schedule looks disjointed" reality. The way I'm thinking right now we'll just read through the Sonlight books (readers & read-alouds), discussing them as we go. I'm currently collecting Sonlight books I find for cheap. We'll supplement with other books (I think we'll probably read way more than what Sonlight has in their schedule. My kids are always begging for more chapters...)

 

What book(s) *didn't* you like - and why? If you were doing like me - collecting Sonlight books w/o buying the whole curriculum - which books would you just get from the library, or not read at all?

 

Any books you would add to Sarita's list that aren't there?

 

My kids are young... I'm not doing this in any particular order. We'll probably read books for Cores A & B this year...and then do C next year... But I'm collecting books for any of the cores. (I can't resist. I *love* books.  :001_tt1: ) I'd like to hear your opinions about books in any of the cores.

 

Thanks!

[Kathryn]

Most of the best ones are just Newberry Award winners: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal

[Mrs. Y]

2 definite ones:

 

B:

Little Pear. The boy in the story was naughty with no consequence.  That and he attributed his well being to some lucky charm.  Not really the stuff I like to read to little kids.

 

F:

Red Sand, Blue Sky.  That one was just weird with all the Australian Dreamtime stuff.  Really, why couldn't they have picked something more like Landmark's Story of Australia or something to teach about Australia???

[lexi]

Mary on Horseback - so sad and depressing!

[Mommy22alyns]

We haaaaaaaaated Child's History of the World!  Rebecca called it "that boring book."

[SebastianCat]

Is your signature up to date?   If you are planning on covering what SL includes in both Cores A and B in the coming year, your 4 & 5 year olds would probably not like much of the Core B books.    But if they are a year or two older, it might be a different story.

 

We've used Sonlight since my now 6th grader was in K.   We've used it all sorts of ways, from following the schedule very rigidly, to not following the schedule at all and just reading the books as we got to them, to following the schedule PLUS a bunch of extra books.   There's no "wrong" way to do it, as long as your kids are learning.   

[Ameena]

We are mid-way through Core B right now. So far, the only books DD hasn't liked are The 3rd Grade Detectives ones - I just let her read A to Z Mysteries instead :)

 

We had a couple that she didn't like at first - but after the first 2-3 chapters she was begging to read more. DD actually really likes the Child's History of the World book - maybe because it normally means a timeline sticker to put in so she does that while listening.

[Momof3]

Is your signature up to date?   If you are planning on covering what SL includes in both Cores A and B in the coming year, your 4 & 5 year olds would probably not like much of the Core B books.    But if they are a year or two older, it might be a different story.

 

We've used Sonlight since my now 6th grader was in K.   We've used it all sorts of ways, from following the schedule very rigidly, to not following the schedule at all and just reading the books as we got to them, to following the schedule PLUS a bunch of extra books.   There's no "wrong" way to do it, as long as your kids are learning.   

It's almost up to date. Ds1 is 2 now. :) 

 

We've read Charlotte's Web, Homer Price, The Wheel on the School, and Mr. Popper's Penguins from Core B...the kids liked those ones. Granted, dd4 didn't get as much out of Charlotte's Web or The Wheel on the School. We'll have to read those again sometime. She's matured a lot since we read them. She *loved* Mr. Popper's Penguins. I had to explain Homer Price to both of them, but they enjoyed it. :)

 

I'm taking it one book at a time. I'm trying to line our Ancient History year up with Core B read-alouds...and then do Core C read-alouds when we cover Medieval History. (I know Sonlight doesn't exactly work with a 4-year history rotation, but I'm trying to make that fit at least. :)) Then we'll do Core D along with Early Modern/American History. Both dd4 & ds5 are strong readers... Since I'm not using the LA, I figure maybe I can make it work? 

 

Thanks for the heads up. I'll be mulling this over. :)

[1pageatatime]

From core D--

Incans, Aztecs & Mayans (boring for ds)

The Lewis & Clark Expedition ( not as interesting as The Captains Dog)

Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman (boring for ds)

 

So far, from Core E, we've liked every book, but we are using an older IG.

 

[Chava_Raizel]

 

 

F:

Red Sand, Blue Sky.  That one was just weird with all the Australian Dreamtime stuff.  Really, why couldn't they have picked something more like Landmark's Story of Australia or something to teach about Australia???

 

I would think it's because there are so few books about Australia that are currently in print. I spent hours scouring amazon for good literature about Australia, and it's slim pickings. There is a derth of picture books and non-fiction books about the country itself, but if you're looking for a novel appropriate for children, there isn't much out there.

[LaMere Academy]

I hated The Westing Game.  Hated it.  It sounds like it would be a good story, but it was just odd.  I actually gave it away.

[freesia]

I hated The Westing Game.  Hated it.  It sounds like it would be a good story, but it was just odd.  I actually gave it away.

It was one of my favorite books from childhood. I was so excited that ds got to read it. LOL

Everyone is different.

I didn't like the Red Sand, Blue Sky book either. We also didn't finish Swift Rivers. I didn't like Strawberry Girl at all. The Lewis and Clark one mentioned above was a bit dense for a second grader.

We loved most of the books, though. I definitely would add the entire Little House on the Prairie series. And, when they are older---Anne of Green Gables.

[matrips]

We haaaaaaaaated Child's History of the World! Rebecca called it "that boring book."

See, now my kids beg me to read that one. They love it!

And we loved Mary on Horseback. I think they were 1st grade for that one, but they remember it and have re read it.

But honestly, we have loved all the read alouds, both history and literature from P3/4 through Core C. Some of the readers we haven't cared for, but that was probably because many were well below my kids usual reading level.

[quietchapel]

We LOVED Mary on Horseback. But, I am a nurse and social worker, so it was terribly interesting to me.

 

We hated Mountain Born, Third Grade Detectives, and Follow My Leader. We didn't love the Queen Elizabeth book, but we are Catholic, and it actually led to lots of great discussion about what wasn't in the book.

[aggieamy]

I hated The Westing Game.  Hated it.  It sounds like it would be a good story, but it was just odd.  I actually gave it away.

 

Blasphamy.  We all loved that book!

 

We gave up on a few but I don't think we've hated any of the books.  The ones we gave up on I remember had very hard to read aloud dialects ... at least for me.  There was one story of a grandmother telling her grandchild about getting switched as a child.  It made me feel ucky so we didn't finish it.

 

For the most part Sonlight read alouds have introduced us to some of the most amazing children's books I've read.  

[LaMere Academy]

It was one of my favorite books from childhood. I was so excited that ds got to read it. LOL

Everyone is different.

I didn't like the Red Sand, Blue Sky book either. We also didn't finish Swift Rivers. I didn't like Strawberry Girl at all. The Lewis and Clark one mentioned above was a bit dense for a second grader.

We loved most of the books, though. I definitely would add the entire Little House on the Prairie series. And, when they are older---Anne of Green Gables.

 

I love Strawberry Girl, we read it every year.  Isn't it funny how tastes are so different?  I was excited to read TWG, I thought it was going to be so good.  It may have been my mood at the time too.

[athomeontheprairie]

It's great that you want to stock your bookshelves With great books for your kids. What you love, your kids may hate or vice versa... But fill your home with a variety of books and I'm not sure you can go wrong.
we use the library a *lot* but when my kids have reading them all they are *forced* to choose something we have. Having a variety is great even if it isn't something you personally love, our nay be exactly what is needed for one of your DC...
That being said, we hatred follow my leader, mountain born, and incans Aztecs and Mayans. LOVED strawberry girl (but honestly, there are so many similarities to her worldand ours that it is uncanny .. )
also some of the books will be better received by my children when they are a little older. time has a way of changing them...

[athomeontheprairie]

Dp.... please ignore all the typos... I'm on my phone and auto correct and I aren't getting along today

[Chris in VA]

I liked Westing Game, but I tried it as a read aloud first, and it was probably the most difficult to understand book I ever read to dd! And she's bright, too. We both read it independently, but found it a little hard to follow.

 

We tried Sonlight's early Am hist, old Core 3, I believe. Dd didn't really enjoy many of the stories. I coordinated with SOTW 3. I ended up reading about 1/2 the books, and then just going with SOTW 3 recommendations. She was in fourth grade, and it was the year she decided she did not want me to read aloud to her anymore, and that she wasn't that into historical fiction anymore. (insert sad face!) It was also our last year of homeschooling. I wish I had given up Sonlight instead of trying to make it work, but I know many who thrive on it, and I do believe it's a great program for many.

[TXMary2]

DS didn't like Eagle of the Ninth.

 

I haven't seen their book list lately, but I think they should add, Breaking Stalin's Nose if they haven't already.

[Indian summer]

I can't think of any Sonlight books that we didn't like. I wasn't fond of The Westing Game, but the kids loved it. There are some that one kid or another didn't like, but someone else did, so they've all been worth it. I'll admit there are a few that we never got around to reading though.

We've done all the cores from P3/4 to F and are working on G now.

[ByGrace3]

LOL SL books are our favorites...we have never read on we haven't enjoyed...that said, we skipped a few. ;)  We skipped Walk the Worlds Rim and Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas. There are probably more but those are the two that come to mind so far. We have read most of the Core B, C, and D books. 

[...................]

We didn't get through The House of Sixty Fathers. It was too depressing and intense. It sits there with no one wanting to even finish it.

[sixpence1978]

While my DD loved Follow My Leader, I didn't particularly like reading it aloud.  There were a lot of conversations between the characters.  Too much quoting always is difficult for me to read aloud.

 

My DD had no interest in Pedro's Journal so we didn't finish.

[Momof3]

This is great! Thanks for all the feedback so far. Curious to check out TWG at the library & see what I think of it (so many opinions in both directions). :) 

[freesia]

We didn't get through The House of Sixty Fathers. It was too depressing and intense. It sits there with no one wanting to even finish it.

That's another one we really liked. It ends well.

21 Balloons was another huge favorite both times we read it. Also, Wheel on the School (and the one in Core D by the same author about WW2).

And count us in as ones who liked Follow the Leader.

So, OP, you really need to check the books out yourself. LOL

[Meg4]

Mary on Horseback - so sad and depressing!

Agreed!!!   I'm not sure why they put this in their K program, it seems like it would be more meaningful at an older age.  

 

We have done P 4/5 and Core A .

 

We did not like P4/5 at all.. although I know a lot of people really love it.  

 

Core A was a struggle for us to get through.  I didn't like the way it was organized, but the kids have loved most of the read alouds from this core. 

[Laura Corin]

The Wheel on the School.  It was the only read-aloud that we ever abandoned.  I suspect it was a translation problem - really turgid.

 

L

[srs]

I found Richard Scarry's Please and Thank You Book from Core A really tedious. My children loved it. Otherwise, we have read most of our Core A books this year (out of order) and we have really enjoyed them.

[abacus2]

Several things mentioned are books we really like: Follow My Leader, Little Pear (it gives a living picture of a completely different culture), Third Grade Detectives.
Mary on Horseback is intense and sad even for me.
The only book I think isn't good of what we've read so far is I Heard the Good News Today.

[chicagoshannon]

Hated Little Pear.

We really enjoyed Wheel on the School but it was a bear to get through. The chapters were just so long!

[bensonduck]

We loved Wheel on the School! Understood Betsy though...that was tedious!

Here's a Penny from Core A has become a favorite. We even read the sequel (replaced Mary on Horseback with it).

[Mandy in TN]

We used pieces of SL for a number of years. It was a really good fit for my oldest, but I always tweaked it. If I knew we wouldn't like it, I skipped or used a substitute. However, the things we disliked your family might really enjoy. We used the old core 5. I bought the IG and started tweaking and ditched all the Christian biographies. We also skipped Red Sand, Blue Sky. We watched Rabbit Proof Fence, the Crocodile Hunter, and some documentary type movies from the library. After tweaking those things, the books in core 5 were some of my boys favorites. I now have 2 copies of All the Small Things, the poetry from that year. Year ago we combined the two old American history cores and core 100 spreading it over two years. I purchased the guide for 100 was gifted the guide for what was then core 3 and the next year just scooped in the books I wanted from core 4. I don't remember exactly what I used and didn't use, but I know we used the Hakim books and ditched a lot of the history portion of 3 and 4. We did use The Story of the USA workbooks. We did not use Landmark. We used pretty much most of the read-alouds and readers including the advanced reader from all three programs. I don't remember which ones we skipped or why, and undoubtedly the lists have changed a lot since I did this when my middle ds was in third and fourth and now he is in his second year of college.

Anyway, go through the lists and read the book descriptions. If it looks like your family won't like it, then don't read it. If you are questioning a certain book, ask for specific info about that title. Don't hesitate to substitute, add, or ditch titles. If you start reading and it is just not hoing to work, toss it and move on. Use the curriculum. Dictate how it can be most useful for your family. Don't let the curriculum dictate you homeschool. I could go through old stuff in my homeschool closet and tell you just what we did, but this is a personal opinion thing and you are best suited to determine what will work for you and yours.

HTH-
Mandy

[LaMere Academy]

We didn't get through The House of Sixty Fathers. It was too depressing and intense. It sits there with no one wanting to even finish it.

 

That was a slow book, so was Daughter of the Mountains, Walk the World's Rim and a few others.  Usually books I thought were boring though, my kids still enjoyed them. 

 

I agree with Eagle of the Ninth too, it may be a great book to read to yourself, but as a read-aloud we didn't get through the first few chapters.  I was reading it to both my kids, so I'm not sure if it was scheduled to be an RA or a reader.

 

All this is making me miss my Sonlight days, we used K-6.  I think my favorites were Cores 1 - 4.  Back when they were called that.

[AngelBee]

I challenge you to pick up a couple you think your family WON'T like and try them. :) WE have been surprised by some that did not appeal to us at first.

[Tanikit]

My daughter has enjoyed all the books I have read her - the ones that went down less well with her were things like Living Long Ago and What's under the Sea? - I think she likes there to be either a full story or less business per page - even Richard Scarry did not go down as well with her probably because of how bust the pages are. My younger one however liked those books more. We also have used the readers for her and they have sparked a love of reading that I do not think I could have managed if I had had to choose books at those reading levels.

 

Wheel on the School was one of our favourite books - personally I think that book would make a good literature study in Middle School as there are a number of issues raised (or that could be raised) in that book that cannot possibly be dealt with by children of this age.  

 

I would just get all I could and if you are not enjoying them then you can drop them (or leave them til your children are older - sometimes just leaving a book 3-6 months at the ages of your children is enough to make them love a book they were not interested in at first.)

[Charlottetown]

I'm going to concur with Little Pear.  We didn't even finish that one!

[Momof3]

I challenge you to pick up a couple you think your family WON'T like and try them. :) WE have been surprised by some that did not appeal to us at first.

Good advice! :) I'll probably take you up on that. :) 

 

I'm thinking I'll just check them out from the library, read them, and see which ones I like enough to buy.

 

FWIW, we *loved* The Wheel on the School. I think b/c the pace *was* slow & the plot was so sweet & simple...and yet intense, too... We don't own it yet, but when I find it... :) I liked that it was exposing them to another culture, and I also liked the lessons they were learning about relationships. I like how the author addresses children relating to *adults* as well as to each other. Anyway, I thought it very interesting how many of you mentioned liking or not liking that book! :)

[shawthorne44]

I am doing like you described.  I think it started that way because half of P3/4 was in my parent's attic and had been mine as a child.  

I went through and looked for every book that the library had, and we read those.  I don't think I've felt compelled to buy any yet.  Although, DD is like me and would rather read a new book. 

I think that tossing the schedule makes it easier to get books from the library.  What we couldn't get from the library I picked up as cheaply as I could.  

 

There is one that Sonlight has a collection of that i think is worth reading as original.  Author's name escapes me but "Blueberries for Sal" is one of the books.  The illustrations are just too cute to see smaller.  

[athomeontheprairie]

SL's awful books: anything written by John Holzman is just dreadful. Most of what Sarita picked is either 80s era Newbery or tripe. Amy is guaranteed to give you 2 grade levels below academic standard.

I give up. How do you know who picked them? sometimes I don't think there is consistency within the level of difficulty between certain material. sometimes I think this is intentional. give your brain a break before you work back on harder material. other time I don't understand...

and I will definitely agree that everything by John holzman can be dropped!

[simplemom]

There is one that Sonlight has a collection of that i think is worth reading as original. Author's name escapes me but "Blueberries for Sal" is one of the books. The illustrations are just too cute to see smaller.

The author is Robert McCloskey, and I agree about the illustrations. Actually, several McCloskey books have great illustrations.

[lifesadream83]

We use sonlight BUT we stick to the upper end of the age recommendations, dd did. Core B at 8 and C at 9. Last year she read the 3rd grade readers this year the 4/5 readers. She has loved all the books, we didn't finish Strawberry girl but I have it on audio for the car, Ginger Pye we did as a read aloud dd loved it I hated it (we have an older core c.) Keep in mind als A Childs History of the world was written for a 4th grader. I have pieced all my cores together for super cheap buy purchasing a used ig and getting the books used also.

[cindydanleo]

Core A - Mary On Horseback.

 

My 7 year old is not overly sensitive but we couldn't even finish the book.  One day I got it out and my tough "all boy" son started crying.  I told me he hated that book because everyone dies and is sick.

[ondreeuh]

Detectives in Togas was really torturous to read aloud. If my son hadn't asked me to keep going, I would have quit many times. All said, I don't think he really understood the story. Way too many kids with Greek names speaking in the same conversation. It's on my list to read year after next with my youngest, but maybe he will read it himself.

[Mommy22alyns]

If you're looking at any cores, I personally hated Uncle Wiggily from P 4/5.  Sylvia loved it, but it was torture to read.

 

I loved The Westing Game and so did Rebecca, but it wasn't done as a read-aloud.  The girls loved Mountain Born; we've read it twice (once with SL, once with MFW).  Understood Betsy was tedious to read to a second grader - I don't think she got much out of it, so I'd skip it for such young kids.  I might give it back to the girls for a personal read though.  DH hated reading Strawberry Girl because of the dialect.

[Mommy22alyns]

If you're looking at any cores, I personally hated Uncle Wiggily from P 4/5.  Sylvia loved it, but it was torture to read.

 

I loved The Westing Game and so did Rebecca, but it wasn't done as a read-aloud.  The girls loved Mountain Born; we've read it twice (once with SL, once with MFW).  Understood Betsy was tedious to read to a second grader - I don't think she got much out of it, so I'd skip it for such young kids.  I might give it back to the girls for a personal read though.  DH hated reading Strawberry Girl because of the dialect.

[...................]

We loved Wheel on the School but it moves slow. You have to learn to love the characters before you really care about the wheel and their search and their wait. And it takes about 100 pages before you love the characters! But after that it became one of our most treasured read alouds ever.

[1pageatatime]

Half Magic. ds HATED it, and he rarely HATES Sonlight choices. Hated it!