Barefoot Bookshelf

Family Read-Aloud time isn’t just for the young ones! In other words, keep making time for Family Read-Alouds even if you have well-seasoned independent readers (including teens!). We’ve continued the fun of reading through a series by creating a specialty-titled book club, with club meetings and special events — and I love brain-storming for all the ways we can bring the elements or themes of a particular series into our homeschooling and family life! Here are a few of our favorites:

The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkein

1937

The Classic prequel to The Lord of the Rings — a must read!

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

by J.R.R. Tolkein

These were my all-time favorite fantasy novels growing up and I loved sharing them with my boys — can’t say enough about these masterpieces of fantasy literature and Christian/Catholic symbolism!

The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)

The Two Towers (1954)

The Return of the King (1955)

The Chronicles of Narnia

by C.S. Lewis

These books are shorter reads than The Lord of the Rings, but are held in high regard as classics for a reason.  C.S. Lewis was a masterful writer and contemporary colleague and close friend of J.R.R. Tolkein — Tolkein was even instrumental in C.S. Lewis’ conversion to Christianity!

Book 1. The Magician’s Nephew (1955)

Book 2.  The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (1950)

Book 3.  The Horse and His Boy (1954)

Book 4.  Prince Caspian (1951)

Book 5.  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)

Book 6.  The Silver Chair (1953)

Book 7.  The Last Batle (1956)

Swallows and Amazons

by Arthur Ransome

These are a wonderful series of adventure books that also teach  about sailing, camping and many other aspects of English lifestyle in the early 20th Century.

Swallows and Amazons (1930)

Swallowdale (1931)

Peter Duck (1932)

Winter Holiday (1933)

Coot Club (1934)

Pigeon Post (1936)

The Redwall Series

by Brian Jacques
There are 22 books in the Redwall series!  We love the storylines of these fantasy novels that primarily revolve around the adventures of animals who live in Redwall Abbey.  I highly recommend listening to at least one of these as an audiobook — they are very entertaining (performed by author and other actors) and provide clarity to some of the animals’ dialects, which can be a bit difficult to decipher while reading.

These are the titles we have read and thoroughly enjoyed:

Redwall (1986)

Mossflower (1988)

Mattimeo (1989)

Mariel of Redwall (1991)

Salamandastron (1992)

Martin the Warrior (1993)

The Green Ember Series

by S.D. Smith

These are a recent series for younger readers, but our whole family has enjoyed them as read-alouds.

Great examples of virtue and Christian symbolism throughout!

Book 1.  The Green Ember (2014)

Book 2.  Ember Falls (2017)

Book 3.  Ember Rising (2018)

Book 4.  Ember’s End (2020)

Audiobooks

Audiobooks are another wonderful way to enjoy the read-aloud lifestyle, if you are like us and find yourselves on the road frequently (road trips are one of our favorite things to do!).  My experience with audiobooks is that not only does the story have to be captivating, but the narrator’s voice has to be one that is to our liking. Here are a few of our recommended, thoroughly-enjoyed, listens:
  • Redwall, by Brian Jacques (1986) (Narrated by Brian Jacques and other Performers)
  • Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome (1930) (Narrated by Alison Larkin)
  • The Railway Children, by Edith Nesbit (1906) (Narrated by Virginia Leishman)
  • Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, by Mary Mapes Dodge (1865) (Narrated by Christine Marshall)
  • The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly (1928) (Narrated by Ron Keith)
  • The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911) (Narrated by Finola Hughes)