How do you keep up with your kids reading?

[mommy123]

I have 3 middle grade kiddos, and they all are avid readers.  I can't keep up with them, so there is no way I can read every book with them.  I need suggestions for selecting literature and maybe a good source for reviews.  Some books from the library have been horrible, but I never know which ones are worth reading.  Thanks for your help!

Edited April 18, 2019 by mommy123

[Lori D.]

For FREE reading, unless it's utter trash, I don't think I'd worry too much about having to pre-read or preview every single title. If wanting to know about recently published books, Common Sense Media has reviews and ratings of current books, as well as movies and TV shows.

For your assigned literature: booklists from curriculum vendors of works at the age/grade of your student -- they tend to use very discussion-able books and well-written books. Examples:
- Sonlight -- esp. readers from Cores D, E, F, G, H, and J
- Bookshark -- "reading with History" levels 4-8)
- Exodus Books: Reading Roadmaps (book packages) -- gr. 5, gr. 5 alternate, gr. 6, gr. 6 alternate, gr. 7, gr. 7 alternate, and gr. 8 alternate
- Build Your Library -- gr. 5, gr. 6, gr. 7, gr. 8

And also "living book"-based homeschooling websites:
- Ambleside booklists (esp. years 5, 6, 7, 8 for middle schoolers)
- Charlotte Mason Home Education: Twaddle Free Literature - good books, by grade level
- Charlotte Mason Help: Books and Schedules - good books, by grade level
- An Old Fashioned Education: Classic Literature - classics, by grade level

For good books that are read independently as part of school, you might look for title ideas from one of the "good books" lists (below), and then read quick summaries of each title at Amazon -- many books have a "look inside" feature, so you can also read a few pages and see if it will work for your family. Examples:

- Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading grade 4-6 list and grade 7-8 list
- Teacher's First Recommended Reading Lists - grade 7, grade 8
- 1000 Good Books -- gr. 4-6 list, and gr. 7-9 list
- Newberry Books
- Read Aloud America - annual best read aloud lists; by age/grade range
- Listopia: Good Books: Children's Book Lists - good books by category; voted by web visitors
- Young Adult Library Services Association: annual best non-fiction book lists for teens
- The Art of Simple: Summer Reading List for Tweens
- Association for Library Services to Children: Tween Recommended Reads
- NPR Backseat Book Club: 100 Must Reads for Kids Ages 10-14

Also some possible ideas in these past threads:
"Your top picks for 7th grade literature"
"What lit for 7th and 8th grade to prepare for high school level"
"If you were only going to have your student read 10 classics" (in high school)
"Which 20 books help prepare for reading the Great Books"

And, of course, you can always post a thread every so often, asking: "Need suggestions for good books of ____ type for ___ age/grade student" 😉 Happy reading! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Lori D.

[MerryAtHope]

I didn't keep up either! What I tried to do was pre-read any I had concerns about with regard to the curriculum we were using, but I didn't keep up with all of those, much less all of their outside reading. I did keep an open dialog with my kids and asked them questions about what they were reading--not in a "grilling" kind of way, but in a casual, "so tell me what's going on in your reader" kind of way. We talked about what they were interested in, and that also gave us an opportunity to discuss anything concerning.

A few other book sources:

• Great Chapter Books (reviews of various series books)
• Magazines for Kids of All Ages
• Books for Boys and Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day (free PDF from IEW)

Have fun!

 

[cintinative]

@mommy123

I have a massive spreadsheet which is a compilation of various book lists:  Memoria Press Summer Reading, IEW Books for Boys and Kids Who Want to Build Forts all Day, Center For Lit's book recs, Ambleside, one of Notgrass' lists, the 1000 classical books list, Mensa's list, The Book Tree, Books that Build Character, etc. It is not totally exhaustive--I did leave some books off. If you want it, I can email it to you.  Just PM me. The only trouble is that it groups books by approximate grade level and does not give a true idea of content.  

Edited April 19, 2019 by cintinative

[ScoutTN]

If you are ok with a Christian worldview, Redeemed Reader is a website that reviews current children's books. 

I generally don't keep up with my kids free reading, though I may gently steer it at times. I preread anything I'm actually teaching or requiring them to read. 

[Amp]

Thank you so much for all of these resources ❤️

[Ausmumof3]

Read aloud revival podcast is good for book lists and suggestions.  Although some of her suggestions won’t make everyone happy.  Also that “give your children the world” book has some good ones.  I don’t pre read everything and this has led to a couple of hiccoughs but mostly it has been ok.  I am lucky to have read a lot as a kid and have family whose recommendations I trust.