- Mensa Excellence in Reading Program provides wonderfully extensive reading lists students starting with kindergarten all the way to high school. The books can be read independently by the student, read aloud by the parent, or listened to as an audiobook. ( Also, when a student completes a reading list, they receive a certificate of achievement and t-shirt.) You can find the lists here:
- Memoria Press Supplemental Reading List This is one of my favourite reading lists: a superb collection of books sorted according to grade/lexile levels.The recommended books for grades 3-up are in three categories: (1) classics (2) light reading (3) informational reading. “For each grade, books suggested are suitable for the summer before that grade, during the school year, and the summer after that grade. Books from higher or lower grades may also be good choices for your student, depending on his or her reading level and interest. These lists will be most useful for those who know the reading level and interests of their students. It is important to include books in their pleasure reading that are somewhat challenging, books that you may occasionally have to help them push through. The goal is to continuously raise the reading level of your students.”
- Read Aloud Revival Book Lists – These are incredibly extensive lists that encourage reading together and falling in love with books:) These lists include some classics but also contemporary book choices. Here is a selection (there are still more groups on the site):
- Learning Resource Center (CLRC) Reading Lists are divided in to early elementary, late elementary, and middle school. They are not exhaustive lists but a selection of excellent books that “we have enjoyed with our own children and with many children whom we have taught over the years”. They provide a good foundation in the joy of reading and listening to stories and set the stage for the appreciation of many great classical epics in later years.
Books & Movies
Read books from Monday to Friday and watch the movie version on the weekend. Great book & movie combinations are:
- Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- A Bear Called Paddingtion by Michael Bond
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Winnie the Pooh by A.A.Milne
- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
For middle grade/high school readers (grade 8 and up):
- The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte
Audiobooks
Librivox (free audio books): www.librivox.org