In two weeks, Kenny will complete the History and Geography 700 course available through Alpha Omega Publications’ Monarch curriculum. The course surveyed the social sciences, including history, geography, anthropology, sociology, economics and political science while targeting five major content strands: History, Geography, Government and Citizenship, Economics, and Social Studies Skills.
You may remember that our initial academic plan for the 2014-2015 school year was for Kenny to take Sonlight’s World History, Part 1 of 2. We have really missed the literature-rich approach to History and decided to back up and return to Sonlight this upcoming year. Here’s the problem: he already read a significant number of the readers included in the curriculum during the rainy and melt-your-skin-off days of last summer.
As I’ve done in the past when searching for American History readers, I’m asking you to help me find and decide on some history readers for Kenny. And, same as before, I will create a compilation of this community’s recommendations into a download for everyone.
Previous History Reader Compilation Downloads:
- American History Readers (up to 1850) Part 1 of 2 Middle School Book & Resources Compilation [Download]
- American History Readers (1850s and on) Part 2 of 2 Middle School Cook & Resources Compilation [Download]
Seeking World History Readers (Up to 1650) within the following parameters:
GENRE: Historical Fiction
AGE: 12+
GRADE LEVEL: 7th-grade+
Many of the Readers in Sonlight’s World History, Part 1 of 2 curriculum fall within the 5th-grade-and-up reading level and are a bit young for Kenny. The Read Alouds are less of a problem, except that he’s read a good number of them already.
For anyone unfamiliar with Sonlight’s curriculum, the Readers are those books a child can read independently (at level). The Read Alouds are those books that may (or may not) be at a higher reading level and are usually read aloud to/with the student.
World History Books Already Read
While I plan to include the books already read by Kenny in the compilation I create, I’ve listed them below for your information. You do not need to include them in your recommendations.
» Black Horses for the King (Magic Carpet Books), Anne McCaffrey | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» The Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare | Age Level: 11+ | Grade Level: 6th+
» God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekia (Living History Library), Joanne Williamson, Daria M. Sockey | Age Level: 10+ | Grade Level: 5th+
» The Golden Goblet, Eloise Jarvis McGraw | Age Level: 10+ | Grade Level: 5th+
» Greek Myths, Olivia E. Coolidge | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Hittite Warrior (Living History Library), Joanne Williamson | Age Level: 11+ | Grade Level: 6th+
» Mary, Bloody Mary, Carolyn Meyer | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» The Trojan War, Olivia E. Coolidge | Age Level: 10+ | Grade Level: 5th+
My World History, Part 1 of 2 Readers list so far…
Over the last few days, I’ve researched and compiled a book list from multiple sources: Amazon, homeschool sites, teacher blogs, the public school suggested readings and grade-level book lists.
The books we own have a **red asterisks preceding them. I would love to get some feedback on the books not marked with an asterisk since I have not purchased any of them yet.
» **Adam of the Road, Elizabeth Janet Gray | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» **The Beduins’ Gazelle, Frances Temple | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» **Beyond the Desert Gate, Mary Ray | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» Anna of Byzantium (Laurel-Leaf Books), Tracy Barrett | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Blood Red Horse, K.M. Grant | Age Level: 11-15 | Grade Level: 6-9
» **Catherine Called Birdy, Karen Cushman | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» The Edge on the Sword, Rebecca Tingle | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» **Flame Over Tara, Madeleine Polland | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» Frontier Wolf, Rosemary Sutcliff | Age Level: 14+ | Grade Level: 9th+
» Goddess of Yesterday, Caroline B. Cooney | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Hostage Lands, Douglas Bond | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» I Am Rembrandt’s Daughter, Lynn Cullen | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» **The Ides of April, Mary Ray | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» Inside the Walls of Troy: A Novel of the Women Who Lived the Trojan War, Clemence McLaren | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Joan of Arc: Heavenly Warrior (Sterling Biographies), Tabatha Yeatts | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» King of Ithaka, Tracy Barrett | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» The King’s Shadow, Elizabeth Alder | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant, Christopher Grey | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» The Leopard Sword (Empire), Michael Cadnum | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» **Mara, Daughter of the Nile (Puffin Story Books), Eloise Jarvis McGraw | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Marathon, Boaz Yakin | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» **Master Cornhill, Eloise Jarvis McGraw | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» The Mistletoe and Sword: A Story of Roman Britain (Rediscovered Classics), Anya Seton | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Nobody’s Princess (Princesses of Myth), Esther Friesner | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Peregrine, Joan Elizabeth Goodman | Age Level: 10-14 | Grade Level: 5-9
» Pharoah’s Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt, Julius Lester | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» **A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, E.L. Konigsburg | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» **The Samurai’s Tale, Erik C. Haugaard | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» **The Second Mrs. Gioconda, E.L. Konigsburg | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» **Shadow of a Bull, Maia Wojciechowska | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» **The Shakespeare Stealer, Gary Blackwood | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» **A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» A Sparrow Alone, Alicia Petersen | Age Level: 13+ | Grade Level: 8th+
» Twice Freed, Patricia St. John | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» Voyage with Jason, Ken Catran | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» The Wadjet Eye, Jill Rubalcaba | Age Level: 11-13 | Grade Level: 6-8
» Warrior Scarlet, Rosemary Sutcliff | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» The Way of the Warrior, Andrew Matthews | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
» The White Isle, Caroline Dale Snedeker | Age Level: 12+ | Grade Level: 7th+
While I did include 6th-grade and up books, I did not include any books that were rated at a 5th-grade reading level or younger. If you’d like to see the full listing of Sonlight’s Core G History curriculum, click here, scroll down and select the “What’s Included” tab.
Here is where you come in (if you want):
If you have a child (7th grade+) who has read any of the books I listed, please let me know their ages and whether or not they enjoyed the books. Also, if you have new recommendations for World History Readers up to the 1650s, I WOULD LOVE if you could share them in your comment as well.
Once I compile a purchase list from all your suggestions I will share it with everyone.
Heather Sanders helps moms pursue their passions and earn an income while staying home with their kids. If you want to raise your children while contributing to your family financially and following your dreams, subscribe to her blog now.