Literature Books

Explore 18 curated literature books for homeschoolers and educators. Each resource has been reviewed for quality before being listed.

Learn about the great literature from a variety of historical periods and cultures. Find learning materials here and the books themselves to gain familiarity with the great literary works everyone should know. Regardless of your grade level, you can find something to pique your interest.

Across Five Aprils

Newbery Honor novel following an southern Illinois farm family through the five Aprils of the American Civil War.

Bud, Not Buddy

Newbery Medal novel following a ten-year-old orphan across Depression-era Michigan in search of the father he thinks he has found.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Newbery Medal novel about a Black family holding onto their Mississippi land during the Depression and Jim Crow.

Amos Fortune, Free Man

Newbery Medal biography of an African-born man enslaved in colonial New England who bought his freedom and that of others.

The Sign of the Beaver

Newbery Honor survival story set in 1768 Maine, in which a settler boy and a Penobscot boy teach each other to live in the wilderness.

Johnny Tremain

Newbery Medal historical novel following a Boston silversmith's apprentice into the events of the American Revolution.

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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Newbery Medal biography-novel of Nathaniel Bowditch, the self-taught sailor-mathematician who rewrote the book on navigation.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Newbery Medal novel about a Barbados-raised girl adjusting to Puritan Connecticut in 1687 and the witchcraft accusation that follows.

The Golden Goblet

A Newbery Honor novel set in ancient Egypt, commonly paired with ancient-history studies for grades 5-8.

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad

Rosemary Sutcliff's vivid prose retelling of Homer's Iliad, widely used to introduce middle-grade students to the Trojan War.

The Bronze Bow

Elizabeth George Speare's Newbery Medal novel set in Roman-occupied Galilee, a mainstay of ancient-history literature lists.

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

The classic illustrated introduction to the Greek gods, goddesses and heroes — a staple read-aloud in classical homeschool programs.

The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of the Odyssey

Sutcliff's companion volume to Black Ships Before Troy, retelling Homer's Odyssey for middle-grade and early high school readers.

Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 2 Pack

This year students begin by reading a beautiful picture book each week. Towards the end of the year, students move to classic chapter books. The Teacher's Guide contains comprehension questions on the reading (and answers), instructions for the...

Lightning Literature & Composition Pack Grade 1

The pack contains the Student Workbook, the Teacher Guide, and Aesop's Fables for Children. See each item for descriptions. The regular retail price of the pack is $92.88. The pack price reflects the 10% pack discount. Pack Contains: Lightn...

Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 3 Pack with Book of Poetry

Students read chapter books for Grade 3. Included are classics such as Charlotte's Web, Newbery Award winners like The Wheel on the School, and new friends like The Rickshaw Girl. The Teacher's Guide contains comprehension...

The Boomerang

The Boomerang is your boots-on-the-ground master tour guide, intrepidly leading you through the challenging terrain of high school literature. Each month, your language arts field guide: Chooses a powerful novel to read Selects four insightful p...

A Time to Heal

A Time to Heal contains 60 selections of essays, narratives, and poems; 5 are Biblical selections, and 11 contain Anabaptist themes. The study exercises are more extensive than in Grade 8. The paragraphs in the text are numbered, and literary termino...