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Twelve Favorite Books in 2021

December 8, 2021

You know I am kind of obsessed with reading, right?

One of the contributing writers here at Homegrown Learners, Allison, shares my obsession! And - fun fact - I first met Allison because she was the leader of a local book club I was visiting. Needless to say, Allison and I hit it off. We love being bookish friends, and now that she homeschools her children we’re homeschool friends, too!

Allison and I are always comparing what we are reading and sharing reviews, so naturally, I wanted her to share some of her favorites of 2021 with all of you.

I hope you enjoy Allisons 12 favorite books this year!

(And never fear - I will have my own reading wrap up and revisit my 2021 goals on the blog in a couple of weeks! While Allison and I share similar taste in books, I don’t think we’ve had a ton of overlap this year!)

2021 has been a banner year in my reading life and I wanted to share a few titles that I just couldn’t stop talking and thinking about.

I’ve broken them down into fiction, non-fiction, and middle grades. I hope you will enjoy these as much as I have.

Fiction Favorites

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

This was my favorite book this year and it had to be placed at the top of my list!

Patti Callahan captured me from the beginning. It was like sitting down with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket and being taken back in time to C.S. Lewis’s home at the Kilns in Oxford, England. Patti Callahan explores what led Lewis to pen his classic novels on the land of Narnia.

Where did Narnia come from? Was it based on his own life? Patti Callahan delves into these questions through the eyes of her main characters Megs and her younger brother George who is dying of a weak heart and longs for the answers to these questions.

What follows is a lovely novel and one I plan to re-read in the future.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

Another great work by Patti Callahan was this historical fiction novel covering a little before known shipwreck that occurred in 1838.

The Pulaski, nicknamed “the Titanic of the South” was a luxury steamship carrying the elite of Savannah north for the summer. Following a dual timeline, one during the voyage of the ship in 1838 and the other of the team curating a museum exhibit displaying the newly found wreckage 180 years later. Callahan delves into how we navigate tragedy differently and how we are all connected to those who have gone on before us.

Callahan has quickly become my go-to author for historical fiction!

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

I am a huge Kate Quinn fan and this was my favorite work of hers so far!

She takes the reader back in time to Bletchley Park in London during the height of World War II. Brilliant men and women have been assembled from all over the country and are working around the clock to break German codes, and ultimately defeat the Nazis. Told from multiple points of view, this story of codebreakers, which was top secret until 1974, will enthrall you until the last page. Also of interest is the storyline involving a young Prince Phillip before his marriage to the future Queen Elizabeth II.

Quinn is truly a master of historical fiction.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

Susan Meissner is another of my favorite authors and I am always anticipating her next novel. This one did not disappoint!

She writes of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake through the eyes of three different women who lived through this tragedy. The story begins with a young Irish immigrant, Sophie, who answers an ad to be a mail-order bride to escape the tenement she is living in as she hopes for a better life. As she gets to know the mysterious man she has married, events are set in motion that culminate at the same time as the city is ravaged by a terrible earthquake.

What ensues is a historical mystery that will keep you hanging on to the last word.

My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

With the success of the Broadway musical Hamilton, there has been no shortage of books on the life of this famous founding father.

This book chronicles the life of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, following her life from her childhood in a well-to-do family in New York City through her courtship and marriage with Alexander and the years after his death. The novel is meticulously researched, well-executed and engaging. Eliza truly is a woman who was involved in the very founding of our nation, but whose story is little known.

Living fifty years after her husband's death she makes it her life's work to tell her husband's story and to support the new country she has helped found. My Dear Hamilton will become a favorite for anyone interested in the American Revolution and the founding of our nation.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Another notable name in historical fiction is Kristin Hannah and her latest work covers the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s.

This heartbreaking story tells of the men and women migrating to California in search of a better life during 1934. There is not much hope for these individuals, however, the resilience they display will inspire courage in anyone reading of their plight.

Following the journey of Elsa Martinelli and her children, Hannah weaves a narrative of a woman willing to sacrifice it all for the hope of a better life for her children. Kristin Hannah tugs at the heartstrings again in this latest novel.

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

My last pick for fiction is a little different than the rest. This is the first book by Wendell Berry I have read, but it will definitely not be the last.

Berry writes of his home state of Kentucky and the men and women living in the fictional town of Port William. This particular novel is told from the perspective of Hannah Coulter, the elderly narrator as she recalls her life, the land, and her connection to the people of Port William.

The way Berry writes is so beautiful and descriptive that the reader is immediately immersed in Hannah’s world. I marked so many passages in this novel that resonated with me and loved slowly lingering over the words he shares.

For a thoughtful, contemplative read pick up this one and you will not be disappointed.

Non-Fiction Favorites

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

I’ve had Larson’s books on my shelf for years intending to read them and finally picked this one up - it was one of the best decisions I made.

Dead Wake tells the doomed tale of the Lusitania, a ship sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915 at the height of World War I. Researched in great detail and written in more of a story-like manner, Larson details the ill-fated trip of the luxury liner, the path of the infamous U-Boat, and the details of British intelligence secretly tracking all of these movements but telling no one.

What ensues is a “truth is stranger than fiction” story that will enthrall anyone interested in military history.

I Am: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is by Michelle Cushatt

Do you ever read something and wonder how the author was able to put your exact thoughts into words so eloquently?

Well, that is exactly what happened with this devotional. I literally marked lines on almost every page and savored it over several months. This book is set up as a devotional to be read daily, but it took me much longer than 60 days as I spaced it out not wanting it to be over.

Cushatt has lived through cancer multiple times and while I haven’t had this experience, her words on grief, trauma, and self-doubt definitely rang true for me. I quickly picked up all of her other works and devoured them all.

She was a fresh new voice of frankness and encouragement for me this year and I was so grateful to find her.

The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education by Leigh Bortins

As newbies to the world of homeschooling and Classical Conversations, I’ve taken some time this year to read more about classical education and its benefits for my children.

This book was one of the best I’ve read and really introduced me to what classical education is, why it matters and how to implement it in my home. It gave me confidence and made me believe I was capable of successfully educating my children at home in a classical way. I look forward to reading her next two books for older children in the coming year.

Middle Grades Favorites

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

This lovely novel follows three siblings who are evacuated from London during World War II and sent to live in the countryside of England.

While that’s a common storyline of many books, this one differs in that the children are orphans and their legal guardian has also died. They are hoping to find a “forever family” and what follows is an absolutely beautiful story of what family really means.

They meet some very horrible people, but also some very loving individuals during their time in the country - this heartwarming tale is so full of hope and redemption. This one would make a truly delightful read during the Christmas holidays.

My children who are 11 and 6 also loved it, as did my own mother. It’s perfect for all ages!

The Vanderbeeker’s of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

The first in a series, this book follows the five Vanderbeeker children living in a brownstone in Harlem as they seek to save the home they are soon to be evicted from. Their crotchety building owner and neighbor, who hasn’t left his home in 6 years, is unwilling to renew their lease. The children set about to change his mind and what happens will delight readers!

This book also speaks to loving those who sometimes seem unlovable and not jumping to conclusions. We really never know what someone else is going through. Fall in love with the Vanderbeekrs and then pick up the rest of the series!

Thanks for letting me share and I would love to hear your favorites from the year so I can add them to my To Be Read list in 2022!

Many of these books can be found on Scribd - it’s a wonderful (and cost-effective) way to have digital and audiobooks at your fingertips - plus they offer so much more, too!

You can read free for 60 days by using this link.

This is post is from Homegrown Learners contributor, Allison. She is a wife and mother with a passion for reading. With a background in Early Childhood Education as well as experience working in Corporate America, the events of the past year exposed her to the rewards of teaching her own children at home.

She hopes to encourage anyone who has ever been anxious about taking this leap with her own personal successes and failures of her family's first year of homeschooling.

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How to Set Reading Goals with Children

Reading Widely and Well

How to Set Reading Goals with Children

November 29, 2021

Do you set reading goals for your homeschool? Or individual reading goals for your children?

With the New Year approaching it has me contemplating ways I can use goal-setting to help us be more productive in this next phase of our school year.

Typically, over the holidays I take some time to ask myself what is going well with our schooling? Could our schedule use tweaking? Is there a new routine or concept that would be helpful to introduce? What units or studies do I want to make sure to get in?

These next few weeks I am still going to ask myself those questions to see where we need to go from here, but I also want to try setting a few goals for our learning. More specifically, I want to focus on personal reading goals.

Let me encourage you: I am not a natural planner or someone that sets official goals.

Actually, “flying by the seat of my pants” is a more accurate description of my planning skills, but that doesn’t mean to say that I do not plan or do not have goals. Quite the opposite.

Reading feels more complex and open-ended to me than other subjects like math, history, and science, so setting specific, measurable goals is beneficial to help streamline my objectives.

We are anywhere from 20% to 46% more likely to accomplish a goal if we write it down. Our chances get even better if we tell someone else about it, especially if those “someones” are our children! (That last part was not a statistic, that is just what I have found in my experience.) I don’t know about your children, but mine are excellent at holding me (and their siblings) accountable.

Setting Goals to Encourage Reading More Books

Initially, when I was planning our first goal-making session, my focus was on encouraging my boys to read more books. I have written a post in the past about how keeping a list of the books my boys complete has motivated them to read more. That one simple thing jump-started my oldest son’s reading life and it is still going strong.

My middle son was excited about his growing list at first, but after a while his enthusiasm wore off. I decided to try a different approach by sitting down with each of my kids one on one and talking about their reading habits. Next, I worked with them to set a measurable goal that we could track over a month. We decided to set a goal for a certain number of books that they thought they could read in that month.

I was prepared to rein them in if they went off the rails and tried to set a ridiculously high or unchallenging low number. Remarkably they set very reasonable goals and I was sure to let them know I was going to be monitoring how much effort they put into reaching their goal.

This first goal was a learning experience for me - and it probably will be for you, too!

All three of my boys were very successful in reaching their goals. They were all motivated to read more in their free time and they all increased the number of books that they would typically read in a month.

This was an especially good goal for my middle son because he had not previously been reading very often on his own. He also had a perpetually bad habit of starting a book, reading a couple of chapters, and then putting it down never picking it up again. This particular goal really motivated him to finish the books that he starts. He now makes sure that he has a book with him whenever we leave the house, and I have caught him so many times happily reading for fun. Mission accomplished.

My older son was already an avid reader so of course, he blew his goal out of the water. Looking back though, this was not the most productive goal for him because he is already reading a lot of books. My youngest son is a beginning reader, and while he did read more often than he usually would have, at this early stage, there are goals that would have been more beneficial to him.

Setting Individual Goals Through Reading Conferencing

This is a technique from my public school teaching days.

Meet with each of your children and ask them:

What are your struggles with reading?
What do you enjoy about reading?
What is something that you do well/something that you need to work on as a reader?

To finish the conference, I would pick one thing that I wanted them to work on in their reading and leave them with a compliment of something that I noticed them doing well.

In theory, conferencing is a powerful teaching tool. Until you have 20+ students. Then it becomes very difficult to manage and to keep it effective. However, as a homeschooling parent, conferencing is a great way to work with your child to set a goal focused on their individual needs. Once that goal is mastered, they can set a new goal.

Homeschool for the WIN!

Possible Reading Goals

Read a book by a new-to-you author
Read a book from a new genre
Start and finish books that I choose
Go back and reread when what I’m reading doesn’t make sense
Take a 2 second stop when I get to a period
Explore a book of poetry and find 2 poems that you enjoy
Read a book related to (current history or science topic)

I’m willing to bet you naturally do this when you are teaching your children to read. This method is a great way to be a little more strategic by identifying a needed goal, discussing it, writing it down, and putting it into action.

Book Discussion Goals

After setting that first monthly goal all three of my boys have been flying through so many books! I am proud to see their growing lists, but it also left me reevaluating.

Is increasing the number of books they read the most important goal?

Books are the ultimate teaching tool. For a while now I have used the studies from Progeny Press and Brave Writer to use quality literature to teach vocabulary, literary and writing techniques, and character analysis. I make a point to find books related to the history, science, and math topics that we are learning so that they can make those literature connections.

I was content with our course of study, and I felt like we were checking all the boxes of a well-rounded reading education.

Then I read Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids, and the Bond of Reading, and I was blown away. It was written by a husband and wife that started family book clubs with their 2nd-grade daughter, several of her peers, and their families.

Through strategically chosen books, the Goldstones led these families through discussions that taught, not only literary concepts, but many social themes such as moral courage, facing your problems, and the value of learning.

Beyond that, they used multiple titles where the author skewed data to present a biased or even inaccurate point of view. They taught the kids to question what they read, do their own research, and not always assume that everything that an author presents is fact.

What a lesson for the ages!

I was so inspired. The families enjoyed these discussion groups so much that they continued them until their daughter was well into middle school.

Can you imagine those conversations and the relationships that were fostered?

Teaching our children to move past passive reading to dig deep into a book, decipher the meaning behind the author’s words, push past inaccuracies, and have meaningful conversations about what they have read, now THAT is my ultimate goal.

Maybe one day we will start a discussion group with other families but for now, I decided to start on a much smaller scale. We began with Babe: The Gallant Pig and I had my older two sons read a chapter a day to me. After they both finished the book, we had a dinner date with just the three of us to discuss.

How to Set Reading Goals for Your Children

Let me be honest. It did not go exactly how I pictured it in my head. (How many times has this happened in YOUR homeschool?)

They were not thrilled to be doing “schoolwork” even though the only work being done was thinking and talking. They got off topic often, had silly moments, but overall, they contributed intelligently to our conversation and (I hope) learned the deeper meaning underneath the story. We found clues about the setting and discussed some of the character relationships. We defined “prejudice” and talked about examples from the book and how it can reflect situations in our own lives.

I’m hoping that the more we have these book discussion dates, that it will become second nature for them to analyze and discuss what they are reading.

Quality books are such a great way to introduce tough topics, teach us to be thinkers, and to open up the line of communication between parents and children. My hope is that over time my boys will start to look forward to and value our discussions.

Right now, my goal is for us to have a Book Discussion Date every other month. That might be too ambitious and it’s important to keep in mind that goals can always be adjusted.

I want my boys to understand that the effort put into reaching the goal and the learning that takes place while working towards the goal is far more valuable than the goal itself.

I know this has been a lot of information but I would like to issue you one piece of advice I heard at a women’s conference a few years ago:

You will get overwhelmed, and you will fail. Pick ONE small thing that you want to work on and do that ONE thing enough until you do it well.

And, this is really applicable to ANY aspect of our lives and homeschools, right?

This is hard for me because I have all the ideas and I want to do all the things and I want them to all be done well… and right NOW. Unfortunately, that is not how we will see success, and doing too much will push our children away from reading. I think choosing one reading goal and putting our focus on that one thing will give us so much more success and we will begin to see real growth in our children’s reading lives.

I hope you enjoy this reading conferencing sheet - download it here for free and I hope it helps your readers set and achieve their goals!