July 2024 Family Book Reviews
This past month was a busy week of summer reading. I thought I would begin sharing the books our family has read along with our rating and a review.
Books I Read in July:
1. Little Lord Fauntleroy ★★★★★
Despite it being a classic, I've never read Little Lord Fauntleroy before. But this summer, as I enjoyed this book, it became one of my favorite books of all time. The author, Frances Hodgson Burnett, also wrote The Little Princess and Secret Garden, which are two of my childhood favorite movies. I watched those movies repeatedly along with Pollyanna, so it is no surprise that I loved Little Lord Fauntleroy. Because I have only seen The Little Princess and Secret Garden movies, now I feel I absolutely must read these other books by Frances Hodgson Burnett. She will likely become one of my favorite new authors.
Little Lord Fauntleroy is about a boy who finds out he will become heir to his grandfather's estate and title as earl. There is so much to learn in this book. It will be a definite read-aloud for our family so we can discuss together all that there is to learn in this book. I plan to create a literature unit study to use in our homeschool this year. I will link it here when it is ready. 5 Stars!
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief ★★★★★
I must be living under a rock because we have never seen the Percy Jackson movies, tv series, or read the books. Just this month we finished the first book of the Percy Jackson series. I read it as a read-aloud to my kids. While they both have loved it and beg me to keep reading at the end of each chapter, my 11 year old definitely appreciates the story more than my 8 year old. I feel the book is better for older elementary and up.
My kids both absolutely love greek and roman mythology, so they love the fact that they can learn about mythology in a modern story. We give this book 5 stars!
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3. The Sign of the Beaver ★★★★★
This was another 5 star book. I haven't read The Sign of the Beaver since middle school, and to be honest, I think I only read the Cliffs Notes back then, so I really didn't remember a single thing about the story. This was a book I've been eyeing for my 11 year old son, but I wanted to make sure it would be on his level and interesting for him. I found a winner. I think he will absolutely love it. It's all about a boy who must survive on his own in colonial times as his father leaves to bring the rest of their family to the cabin they built. He is befriended by Indians who help him survive. The book refers to Robinson Crusoe often, which can be a difficult read, so I found the Classic Starts version of Robinson Crusoe for my son to read first and we can make a dual literature study out of it. This one was definitely another new favorite!
4. Hatchet ★★★★★
Hatchet is about a teenage boy who must survive in the Canadian wilderness alone after his plane crashes. I would recommend parental discretion for this one because the story mentions several times that the boys parents are getting a divorce because the mother was cheating on the father. Because this is a more mature topic I would recommend the book for ages 12-13 and up. The mentions of this situation are not graphic, and it is subtle.
5. Boy of the Pyramids ★★★★★
I read Boy of the Pyramids as a pre-read to see if my son would like it. He will love it and he definitely will read it soon. It's about a young boy of an ancient Egyptian noble family, who puts others before himself and helps solve a mystery. It's a wonderful addition while studying ancient Egypt.
6. Odder ★★★★
Odder is a sweet little book written in free verse about an Otter who is rescued and cared for by scientists. It's written from the Otter's perspective and is such a beautiful way of learning about this adorable little animal. If your child loves otters or ocean animals, they will really love this book. Add it to your ocean study as a read-aloud companion!
7. The Door In the Wall ★★★
I have heard such wonderful things about The Door in the Wall, but I have to admit I didn't love it. It's very educational as it is set in the medieval times and you learn quite a bit about life during that time period, but the story just didn't keep me wanting more like a really good book should. I do recommend this to be added to your medieval history studies, but it just didn't keep me captivated like I expected, so I gave it 3 stars.
8. Ramshackle Roost ★★★★
If I'm being honest, the main reason I bought Ramshackle Roost is because the cover is just too cute. When I bought it, I knew it would look so good on the shelf with all the other pretty hardbacks. I pre-read the book so I could see if my boys will enjoy it and I do think they will like it. It won't be their favorite book of all time or anything, but it's a great piece of classic literature with a wonderful story that teaches several meaningful life lessons such as the benefits of making the most of a negative situation, patience with others, and discovering and appreciating the wonders and joys of outdoor childhood play. It would be a great read-aloud to share with your children.
Books My 11-Year-Old Read in July:
1. Wings of Fire Books 12-15 ★★★★★
The Wings of Fire books have been a true blessing! These are the first books that my son is actually excited to read. He doesn't complain about reading and sometimes I actually find him sitting and reading without being told! He wants to read the entire series again, but I told him to broaden his horizons because there are so many great books out there! He can always go back and read them again later. If you have a child who loves Wings of Fire, please leave a comment below for another book series suggestion that my son might love just as much as this one. It would be much appreciated.
Books My 8-Year-Old Read in July:
1. The Adventures of King Arthur ★★★1/2
I didn't think my 8-year-old would be quite ready for these Usborne graphic legends books because the text is a little small, but he saw it on the shelf and wanted to try it. He absolutely loved it and was ready to read the next one.
If you like this post and want to ask a question or submit a suggestion, comment below. I would love to hear about your book recommendations!
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