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Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Creating these homeschool high school literature suggestions for teens is more satisfying now that my teens graduated. Looking back, I know their love of reading came from being exposed to a variety of genre.

Having a variety of genre to choose from is just one element of keeping teens reading into adulthood.

Beyond reading to fill a high school credit, use your time with your homeschooled teens to shape and develop their thinking.

Contrary to what some educators think, teens are still questioning beliefs. Their thinking is not fully matured. Issues raised in literature gives you the opportunity to analyze beliefs.

Too, high school and college courses require your teens to interpret literary terms and techniques. I found this was best done by classic literature.

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

The point is whether your teen is reading American, British, or World literature he is gaining a greater understanding of the world. That is something which will stick with him well into adulthood.

This high school literature list will give you a starting point in choosing the best literature for your family.

Moreover, don’t fret if your teen is still not loving to read. Some of these books will ignite a fire and did I mention some are short?

Whether you have a teen who is a voracious reader or who is an unenthusiastic reader, I have some high school literature suggestions for all.

Homeschool High School Literature

Also, it’s important to remember that there is so much more going on when a teen engages with a book

Books for your High School Teen

For example, when a teen reads

  • and the genre is historical fiction it can make the time period come alive;
  • and the prose is challenging, it can raise his reading comprehension;
  • his vocabulary is expanded; and
  • critical thinking skills are introduced.

Knowing that so much more is involved then filling a credit at the high school level, be choosy about what your teen reads.

Also, what helped me at the high school level are the self-paced online classes, Literary Adventures for Kids.

We covered a poetry unit for one of my teens in a fun way.

Look at my post Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved).

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

Teens Reading List

See, I had to learn the hard way that a teen should have a choice in what he reads.

I remember being in English class in middle school and reading about boring topics.

I was a good reader, but not an enthusiastic reader until I read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. He’s not an author I thought I would be drawn to as a teen.

However, his stories and poems invoked a love for reading detective stories along with his great storytelling. I loved everything about that poem, the figurative language, the dynamics, and the theme.

Homeschool High School Reading

The point is I would have never picked up his book on my own when evaluating my choices.

So your teen needs your help. It literally takes one book your teen can’t put down for your teen to look at reading differently.

Now as a parent, it is a learned balancing act when each teen got to the high school level.

I tried to find their interests and themes they loved to weave that with other genre they weren’t interested in or thought so at the time.

Also, another way to engage your high school kids is to learn through a theme.

We love history in our house and learning history through living literature has been one of our very favorite ways to learn history.

For 9th Grade
For 10th Grade

We love Beautiful Feet History, and have used their high school literature. They suggest the following sequence which we mostly followed.

Grade 9  |  Early American and World

Grade 11  |  Medieval History Senior High

Grade 10  |  Ancient History Senior High

Grade 12  |  Modern U.S. and World History for Senior High

Grade 11

Books for High School Readers

Although my teens had choices, I also had requirements because I wanted to invoke conversations to get my teens to think about the broader picture.

Learning to think critically means to know how to support your ideas from the book. It’s not always easy to do with just books they chose to read.

Why Some Homeschoolers Choose to Read Banned Literature

Next, I also had to decide how I wanted to talk to my teens about sensitive subjects. A lot of homeschoolers, including myself, reject some modern reading lists.

However, the similarity stops there when choosing literature. Families and teens differ in how they want to handle sensitive topic.

When you research about banned books, the Washington Post stated, “The American Library Association launched Banned Books Week in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read.”

However, every since then, the topic of banned books sparks controversy for any education. You too have to decide if you’ll present these banned books to your teen.

It’s been my experience that the sensitive subjects in books allows me the chance to direct my children about mistakes of the past.

I didn’t want to cover up mistakes in history, but to expose them so we learn from them. Most important that we don’t repeat them in the future.

Children relate to everyday things and some kids lives have had painful turns they couldn’t control. Although my kids didn’t experience the sadness of divorce and death at the time, they had friends who did.

Homeschool High School Books

It helped my sons to form a compassion for their friends. Every child has a different maturing rate and I was sensitive to each teen’s emotions.

The point is that you are the only one to know whether you want your children to read banned books or not. Me? I will do the choosing for my family and determine the values; you probably feel the same way.

Homeschool High School Reading List

I want the opportunity to help my sons’ learn from the past, but not be promoting ideologies which conflict with our worldview.

That is not always easy to do, but being familiar with literature your teen is absorbing is essential.

As you see from this quick list that the books reflect personal tastes of each teen. In the end, you want your child to enjoy reading.

I stressed way too much about balancing the genre when my focus should have been on the short time I had with each teen.

Besides being forced-fed never worked for any reader. So use this list to begin your list for your unique teen.

Lastly, this is by no stretch all that each kid read in high school.

As I pore over my huge amount of books, I’ll update this post for you.

The point today was to get this quick glance to you.

In the end what matters is creating a lifelong reader.

Remember what Francis Bacon said “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few are to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

I know you’ll love these other posts:

Hugs and love ya,

How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

One hurdle for delight-directed learning is how to easily add language arts to homeschool unit studies.

The fear of missing something huge can keep some tied to a boxed curriculum. The beauty of unit studies is being able to study topics which ignite your child’s interests.

With that being said, language art skills need to be applied to bodies of knowledge instead of learning language arts skills in isolation. This approach to learning the components of language arts makes it meaningful.

How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

5 Ways to Add Language Arts to Unit Studies

Look at these 5 ways to easily add language arts to homeschool unit studies.

1. Pair a living book with your unit study.

Although you want to include plenty of living books, depending on the unit study topic you may be using more reference type books.

So if you want to include many elements of language arts, choose one well-written living book to accompany your unit study.

Choose the living book with these things in mind:

  • Aim for the middle to highest reading level of all your children.
  • Keep in mind that it’s easier to scale down for language art components than it is to scale up for your highest level reader. Choose a higher reading level if in doubt.
  • In addition, make sure you understand not only the literary elements like plot, setting, and characters, but the theme too. It’s important for a smooth transition for the theme of the one main living book to connect with the unit study topic. The easiest themes for us in the beginning were ones like good v. evil, courage, and persistence. For example, I chose Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss for our ocean unit study. Surviving on an island as a family if you got shipwrecked appealed as a theme to my kids and is a smooth tie-in to the ocean theme.
  • You can search for booklist ideas here on my site.

Choosing the right living book means the difference with themes which ignite expressive conversations in your house about your unit study theme and your unit study falling flat and being shallow.

Language Arts For Unit Studies

In addition, look at these other components of language arts which can naturally be pulled from a living book:

  • defining vocabulary words;
  • dictation;
  • narration;
  • copywork;
  • outlining;
  • reciting an oral speech;
  • reading; and
  • topics for writing or essays.

The bottom line is that a well-written living book can equal a powerful inclusive language arts component.

When the living book is tied to the unit study topic which has already piqued your child’s interest, you’ve set yourself up for success from the start.

That is why I also love using Literary Adventures for Kids.

You choose a book and your kids can do a self-paced online language art course. Doing an online self-paced course where your child chooses the book is a great tie-in for the language arts component.

Look at my post Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved).

2. Use Quick Reference Materials Like BarCharts.

Next, I use quick study guides. Realizing how beautifully I could zero in on the exact skill my kids needed to work on, I use them frequently.

Because Quick Study Guides can put information in a nutshell and organize skill by grade level, I use them as general guides.

Look at a few tips on how to use these quick guides:

  • Keep language arts concise and straightforward by learning fewer elements.
  • With my guide in hand, I can pair the objectives on the quick study guide with our main living book to shore up my kids weak areas in language arts.
  • My kids put the guides in their notebooks to use as reference for their writing or grammar. I made copies and we used a single hole punch to add them to their notebook.
  • Also, I could use the guides as a way to orally test my kids or if I wanted to create written quizzes I had a guide.
  • Likewise as my children grew, they can independently review the guides as memorization tools.
How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

Because quick study guides focus on fewer elements of language arts, our language arts focus could be as complicated or as gentle as we need.

Besides, I’m not paying for a full language arts curriculum, but choosing exactly what my kids need to focus on. Did I mention they last years?

Also, look at this How to Put Together a Homeschooled High School Writer’s Notebook & Free Resources because we added them there. Along with adding free resources online creating a language arts notebooks works.

Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies

Too, if you live near a Barnes and Noble, I’ve collected several of their guides which are called Quamut. They seem to have more guides about hobbies, but I’ve been able to cull through the quamuts for help in language arts.

However, the SparkCharts are another line of handy references which I love also.

Don’t underestimate the power of the simple and uncomplicated to teach straightforward grammar, punctuation, and types of writing.

You’ll love filling up your bookshelves and notebooks with quick and handy references to get to the point while teaching language arts.

3. Use an Ungraded, Multi-Level Resource.

Then, one of my earliest purchases was one of my best purchases which has stood the test of time.

Kathryn Stout created a series of how-to or reference books for subjects which are basically guides for grades K to 12.

My first purchase was Comprehensive Composition and I used it extensively in my unit studies.

Like the author, Kathryn Stout stated on her site she wrote the Design-A-Study guides to provide both a framework of objectives and detailed methods for teaching basic subjects effectively.

Homeschool Language Arts

For example, having a scope and sequence for composition which can be applied to any unit study for all your kids at one time is sanity-saving.

Equally, despite the age differences between your kids reference guides which lays out objectives and goals keeps composition related to the topic.

What I learned from teaching my kids about composition until high school is that boredom springs from writing about meaningless topics.

An ungraded, multi-level resource gives you freedom to learn how to write well on topics which are meaningful to your family.

However, another useful feature of filling your shelves with resources like these is that you’re using them for years. Unlike curriculum where you’re constantly switching out, a multi-age resource is timeless.

Look at few more resources for multiple grades:

Also, another long time keeper in the homeschool world is the book If You’re Trying to Teach Kids How to Write . . . Revised Edition: You’ve Gotta Have This Book! which is from Preschool to 12.

Having books to give you the big picture along with details of how to implement language arts daily keeps unit studies fun. Plus you know you’re not really missing any big language arts gap.

Then, other newer versions of helps for multiple levels have come along like Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook.

4. Play games.

Also, playing games is another fun and easy way to add language arts to unit studies.

While playing games is a fun way to learn language arts, it’s not always a smooth tie-in to a unit study topic. However, I love having options.

I use games sometimes to keep language arts front and center if I don’t have an exact language art tie-in to our current unit study.

  • Another favorite is Scrabble. Attempt to think of words used in your unit study and spell them. It helps with vocabulary too.
  • Mad Libs are timeless and fun play.

Don’t forget that I have the Ultimate Unit Study Planner. Having an eye for detail and creating many unit studies with multiple levels of kids, I know you’ll love it.

5. Free Curriculum Online.

Then of course nothing beats free – ever. However, I didn’t list free resources first because sometimes it’s harder to use free resources.

Not always related to your unit study curriculum, free curriculum can be hard to tie to your subject.

So what I’ve learned through the years is to cover the parts of language art which naturally fit into my current unit study.

Then, I can add in supplementary or free resources.

How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

Do not let fear of missing something make you miss out on delight-directed learning.

Fill your shelves with more how-to books so that you truly enjoy the freedom of homeschooling in the way that best fits your children.

Do you have any favorite multi-level teaching resources or ways you add language arts to your unit studies?

You’ll love some of these other helps:

Hugs and love ya,

Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m so excited to share this free printable editable movie report to compliment the 7 Step DIY Homeschool Planner and other learning forms I have here.

Editable Movie Report for Homeschool

Although I feel we need to teach our kids how to write a book report or two, some of the same learning concepts can be done assigning a movie report.

Don’t misunderstand me, I didn’t assign a lot of books reports.

However, a required book report or two helped my kids to prepare for literary analysis in high school. The same can be done with an oral report. It’s great to have choices is my point.

Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool

So I think you’ll love adding this free editable movie report to your language arts curriculum.

Look at how I created it:

  • There are two versions of the same copy. One version has color and if you need to preserve your ink, one version is grayscale.
  • Both versions are editable. If you want your kids to practice his beautiful penmanship, just print without using the editable fields.
  • If your child prefers to use the editable form, type to fill in and then print.
  • Also, I created more of a book-ish type of report meaning I encourage writers through my form to think deeper than what is happening on the screen. That is how we want to sneak in a bit of critical thinking through the fun of watching a movie.

Movie Review Form

Movie reports are not only fun, but have a way of reviving a love lost in writing or analyzing.

Too, if a child has special needs, he may not able to read without great difficulty or write well. Still, he certainly can be encouraged to express himself in beautiful language.

An editable movie report form can help him to jot down fascinating facts and still think about the elements of literature.

Through a movie, his thoughts can be formed in a visual way instead of reading the pages of a book.

In addition, on the last page I have a place for a writer to draw his or her favorite scene/s. This page is unnumbered so that your writer can decide if he wants to illustrate more than one scene and print the same page multiple times.

On the other hand, he can divide the last page into 4 squares using his pencil and illustrate more than one scene on the one page.

Your writer decides if he wants to illustrate one scene per page or various scenes on one page, or print one page per scene. I love options while teaching and I know you do too.

Also, adding the unnumbered last page in this download allows you the freedom of including your youngest learner. He may be at the drawing pictures stage right now. This way your youngest learner is part of language arts instruction for the day.

Another important component I added to the form to help with older learners is a comparison between the movie and the book.

Because this section simply asks the child to compare the two, you decide which literary elements of the book and which movie parts you want your child to compare.

Lastly, the movie report shares some of the same literary elements or the elements of fiction included in a book report like:

  • plot;
  • setting; and
  • characters.

Another important distinction I made in this form because my kids had a hard time with it too is making the distinction between the plot and the theme.

Teach with Movies

So I have both a Main Idea (more like the theme) section and Plot so that your kids can learn the difference too. It helps them to think critically when filling out these parts.

Some kids do understand the difference between plot and theme until the teens years which I find is normal.

And filling out the section about what is advertised as the main idea about the movie, versus what are the plot and theme (Main Idea on form) can lead to many interesting observations about the movie.

Analyzing literature is something I’ve tried to make fun in our house; analyzing movies is another way to bring fun to language arts.

I hope you’ll love this form. Do you see other ways you can use this form?

Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool

How to Download this Freebie.
It’s a Subscriber Only Gift.

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Too, when you join my email list, you get access to my Subscriber’s Only Exclusive Library of Freebies.

This is how you get access to this form quickly.
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IF you are already a follower/subscriber, PLEASE do NOT email me asking how to find it. You may not want to wait on me replying since I get bombarded with emails.

IF you’ll find the MOST RECENT email from me, the password and link to the Subscribers Area are ALWAYS at the bottom of every email. Look for the most current email since I change the password frequently.

You’ll love these other tips and posts:

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Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

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Homeschool unit study spines can make or break your unit study.

While you can use any living book for a great unit study, some resources are more helpful than others to help you plan quickly.

Homeschool Unit Study Spines

Too, I’ve used many resources through my years of planning unit studies; choosing a spine is key to a successful unit study.

Before I jump into listing some helpful unit study spines, look below at the definition of a spine.

What is a Homeschool Unit Study Spine

A homeschool unit study spine can be a living book, magazine, mentor, reference book or chart, art or art object, play, musical piece, brochure, movie, encyclopedia, or any other type of book, object, or person which is the main reference or authority for your unit study topic.

In addition, a unit study spine is used to launch your lesson plans, topics, and sub-topics.

To easily plan, a superior spine will support additional ideas, projects, objectives, and concepts about the main topic.

It guides you down a trail to dive deep into the topic.

All research revolves around your spine; it is the backbone of your study and it is the main resource for your chosen theme.

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

Additionally, depending on the type of unit study, some resources will be more helpful than others.

For example, if you’re doing a literature unit study, a beautiful dictionary is a must.

Also, as I moved away from all-in-one language arts, I used bar charts and quick study guides to zero in on skill subjects. To learn the difference between a skill and content subject read What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them? Part 1 of 3.

Now look below at a few handy charts which promptly get to the nitty-gritty of language arts skills.

Further, while comparing and choosing books, here are features I look for when choosing a superior resource:

  • Background information about the topic in the text.
  • Ideas for hands-on projects.
  • Anecdotes.
  • Words for vocabulary.
  • Diagrams or charts.
  • Questions in the text or at the end.

With that being said, look at the breakdown for the different types of unit study spines which help you to plan in a few hours.

The very first reference books I started with were DK Eyewitness books.

They’ve improved through the years; they’re timeless. A wonderful collection is an inexpensive way to prep for a unit study beginner.

Science Homeschool Unit Study Spines

One of my favorite and timeless publishers is Nomad Press. They have many books which make for great themes. Look at some of them below.

More Science Unit Study Spines

Another set of books are the DK Smithsonian Encyclopedia which are keepers for science unit study spines.

Look at some of the timeless ones we have used below along with some new ones.

Moreover, there are no shortages of books and references for nature; I prefer field guides which are concise nuggets while teaching a nature unit study.

Of course taking the guides to our outside classroom is the best reason.

Nature Homeschool Unit Study Spines

Further, many times I’ve used two unit study spines as companions.

For example, the resources I’ve listed above are reference books. I find reference books are extremely easy in helping me to plan a unit study because they put topics in a nutshell.

Living Books For Homeschool Unit Study Spines

However, along with a reference book, some unit studies are better taught alongside a living book. I find when I add a living book, language arts becomes a natural fit and not a forced fit.

Living books contain two main important things.

  1. The book is written by an authority on the topic; and
  2. They are written in a narrative form meaning a book would explain events and give vivid details in a story form which engages the mind of readers.

In addition, a living book should stir a reader’s emotion and imagination even doing so in a picture book.

However, one of the best features of a living book is that a reader doesn’t realize that he is learning facts in a natural way. Living books are opposite of textbooks.

Lastly, I look for classic books, but they aren’t always living books. Foremost I look for a well-written book which has a high literary quality.

Adding a living book alongside a reference book has been the key to my family covering almost all the subjects in a unit study.

Below, I’ve listed just a few books we’ve used through years; I want you to have examples of living books for the various ages.

I’ve divided the living books into three sections or lower, middle, and upper reading levels.

Living Books for Beginning Reading Levels

Living Books for Middle Reading Levels

Living Books for Upper Reading Levels

Moreover, a series of books like the Shakespeare Can Be Fun introduces sophisticated literature to younger kids in a fun way.

Let a young learner’s introduction to Shakespeare be one he understands. There is plenty of time in middle and high school to learn about literary terms.

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

Next, I want to share a few more reference books which I’ve used plentifully. The books below are by Chicago Review Press.

Even though these resources are some of my favorite, they are by no means an exhaustive list. My focus in this roundup is to give you visual examples of unit study spines which ease lesson planning by giving you a plethora of examples.

How Unit Study Spines Are Cost Effective

In conclusion, but certainly not less important is knowing the value of unit study spines. Homeschool unit study spines are cost effective for several reasons:

  • spines cover many ages and that means I divide the price by how many years I’m using it or by how many kids are using it for one year,
  • there is less waste of resources because we choose exactly what we want to study,
  • because unit studies are a mastery approach, less money is spent on covering one topic for several years, and
  • spending less time on curriculum which may not cover our specific educational goals and focusing exactly on my kids’ needs is not only a huge savings, but an outstanding education.

What do you think? Are you ready to give unit studies a try?

You’ll love these other unit study helps:

Hugs and love ya,

How to Choose the Best Middle School Literature And Favorite Resources

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today in how to choose the best middle school literature I want to help you conquer the overwhelm by giving you a few seasoned homeschooler secrets.

Best Middle School Literature

When I approached the middle school years, there was no lack of middle school literature lists.

I loved having the lists, but I quickly learned that having tips on how to choose literature for my teen was better.

So first, look at these four questions asked and answered full of tips to help you decide which books are best for your family.

Four Middle School Literature Questions Asked and Answered

How to Choose the Best Middle School Literature And Favorite Resources

Question 1.
Should I Read Every Book My Child Reads?

The answer is complicated. It’s both yes and no. The way you determine if it’s a yes or no is your purpose.

For example, if you’re wanting to use literature for analysis and to engage your child with understanding an author’s purpose it’s hard to do that unless you read the book.

Middle school is the time that most kids can do some introductory analysis. If you’re wanting to fill the literature requirement for just reading or for enjoyment, the answer is no.

I couldn’t read every book my kids chose, but focused on reading the few we would used for analysis. That secret tip helped me conquer the literature overwhelm in middle school.

In addition, this site for Banned and Challenged Books gives you an idea of the theme or worldview behind some books.

Question 2.
How many books should my kid read each year?

That is another subjective answer. Some kids are voracious readers others not so much.

But if you’re using the literature to fill a credit (yes you can get high school credit in middle school), you’ll want to set your goal for a realistic amount.

Looking over some literature lists for middle schooled kids, I’ve seen some unreachable numbers.

Whatever the number of books you come up with lower it. It’s so much better to get through a handful of books with meaningful discussions than to overestimate and rush through them.

That is disheartening for both teacher and kid. Remember you can always add more literature for analysis anytime during the year.

I’ve had different requirements with each kid as my circumstances were different each year, but a good rule of thumb at this age was to analyze between 4 to 6 books or less.

Some years we did more, other years I struggled to get through three books, but it was still solid language arts.

The other books were pure pleasure and met my reading requirement.

Middle School Homeschool

Again, this is NOT all your child will read, but it’s the amount you want him to read to help him with the critical thinking part of literature.

Question 3.
Do I want my child to integrate other subjects or skills or to use literature as stand-alone?

My answer is to integrate as much as possible. My preference from the time I learned about how to integrate was to use this method for all literature.

Integrate means to combine several skills or to combine subjects. By integrating skills or subjects,

  • your child learns the practical application of grammar, vocabulary, or writing in a way that makes sense;
  • the areas of language arts that your child is weak at can be strengthened. For example, he sees the correct spelling of a word in literature and applies it to his writing;
  • your child can choose literature choices based on his interests or to cover a subject he may not like as well. Unlike public school, your child doesn’t have to follow arbitrary lists. Too, if he is not passionate about history, then well-written fiction prose can help him to fill a history credit. Literature can make a history time period come alive while filling both a literature and history requirement in a more fun way; and
  • one unexpected benefit was that my kids learned study skills and research skills.

Literature Analysis for Middle School

Question 4.
Should I require my child to write book reports?

Although it’s not necessary for kids to write book reports, understanding the purpose of a book report lets you decide if it’s for your family.

Book reports, oral or written, are the blueprints for high school literary analysis.

The point is not whether you assign a book report or not, it’s that your child understands things like elements of fiction, genre, and figures of speech.

Whether you choose to do this orally, through a book report, a lapbook, or reading journal, it’s your choice. I have only one kid that loved book reports, but I orally reviewed with each kid the assigned books.

Next, look at this list of questions to include in a written book report or to go over them orally:

  • Was it better that . . . ?
  • What do you think . . . ?
  • In your opinion . . . ?
  • How would you change the character to . . . ?
  • How is ____ tied in or related to ____?
  • What choice would you have made ____?

Now that you have a quick overview of some of the general tips about how to choose middle school literature, look at this list of books.

Remember that you can choose classics, follow a history theme, favorite author or do a balance of genres. There are many genres to choose from.

Of course, if your child is college bound you will want to do a variety of genre even in junior high.

Literature for Middle School Homeschool

And one final thought there is a huge difference in maturity between sixth grade and eighth grade.

Keep that in mind in looking over this literature list as I provided options for different reading levels. This list below is a mix of literature that works well for this age, but you can always add to it.

Books for Middle School Kids

Alternatively, you may want to use something besides just a reader or the literature.

Middle School Literature Teacher Guides, Themed Guides and All-in-One Curriculum

For my first time teaching literature at the middle school level I loved using teacher helps and many times I used them as life happened. Why reinvent the wheel?

You can choose a book along with a teacher guide to help you teach the important parts of the book or use an all-in-one guide or curriculum.

Look at some of your options below.

How to Choose the Best Middle School Literature And Favorite Resources

I love Lightning Literature and they’re perfect for the older grades because they have a schedule which helps when you’re first beginning to teach literature.

Still, I had the tendency to over teach literary analysis, but key to keeping it fun is to do a bit each day.

Then, Language Arts Through Literature series is timeless. Their middle and high school grades are solid.

It is a Charlotte Mason gentle approach to literature and fits a lot of my likes; it takes an integrated approach which aligns with how I feel beautiful literature should be learned.

However, one of my VERY favorite resources for middle school kids was created by another homeschool mom.

You’ll love Literary Adventures for Kids which is online and self-paced. You choose the books and course and your child goes at his own pace. All the stress and prep for learning about literature was taken out.

If you’re looking for something that your child can do on his own, or you don’t have time to read every book, you’ll love Literary Adventures for Kids.

Also, Progeny Press Study Guides have been timeless.

My kids can pick the book they want to read and we find the accompanying study guide. The guides cover background information, vocabulary, literary analysis, and more.

In addition, be sure you check out the discounted resources at Homeschool Buyers Co-op Language Arts section. There are many discounted providers for literature guides.

Homeschool Helps for Middle School

Another favorite has been the literature unit guides by Teacher Created Resources. Although they are created for a classroom, I’ve been able to get many ideas to flesh out with my kids.

Additionally, Memoria Press literature guides are grade level literature units which also have helped me at this age.

Next, Beautiful Feet literature are some of my favorite themed literature units.

Covering history and literature simultaneously helped us to learn how to utilize our time and widen our reading diet.

If your child loves history, then integrating history and literature together makes practical use of your child’s time.

Did I mention that reading doesn’t become a chore, but becomes a time you and your child look forward to during the day?

Finally, paying attention to detail looks different for each book with each child, but that is the purpose of literature analysis. Too, our children can come to view each book loved as an artistic expression. It’s quite possible.

What books are you using for literature analysis for middle school kids?

You’ll love some of these other helps for middle school kids.

Hugs and love ya,