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100 Books - a 7 year family adventure



“When you read a book as a child,

it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.”

― Nora Ephron, You've Got Mail


Today my kids and I finished our 100th read-a-loud! We started keeping track of our chapter books 7 years ago when my oldest was in preschool and today we reached a pretty cool milestone.


As I look back on the past few years there are certainly things I regret or that I would do differently, but one thing I feel really good about is the amount of time we have spent curled up in the same story all together. We have laughed and cried and walked beside the same characters - many of whom have surprised us or taught us something new or contributed to our inside jokes and "family language." We have journeyed to the North Pole and the Great Plains and the coast of Africa. We have travelled through time and through various realms and met a wide-range of personalities and talking animals. We have watched redemption unfold and good triumph over evil time and time again, and we have no plans to stop. In fact, while I realize read-a-loud time may be harder to find as the kids age, I hope to add another 25-50 books to our list before my oldest graduates!


But for now, we are going to pause and celebrate this accomplishment and share our list with you in case you'd like to enjoy a book or two or 100 with your family! (I will put a star next to the titles that were the most loved by my crew.)


I am very thankful for Honey for a Child's Heart and Readaloudrevival.com for their helpful booklists and ideas!


The first 100 novels we read aloud:


  1. Eight Class Pets by Vivian Vande Velde

  2. *Stuart Little by E. B. White

  3. Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel

  4. New Toes for Tia by Larry Dinkins

  5. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

  6. The Treasure Tree by John Trent

  7. Michael Hague's Treasured Classics

  8. Usborn Stories from Around the World

  9. Dark Day in the Deep Sea by Mary Pope Osborne

  10. The Magic Treehouse books 1-8 by Mary Pope Osborne

  11. *Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

  12. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

  13. *Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

  14. The Magic Treehouse books 9-17 by Mary Pope Osborne

  15. Mozart the Wonder Boy by Opal Wheeler

  16. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh

  17. McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm

  18. Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne

  19. Christmas at Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne

  20. *The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

  21. Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

  22. Songs of Victory by Betsy James

  23. Papa's House by Betsy James

  24. Abe Lincoln at Last by Mary Pope Osborne

  25. Usborne Big Book of Little Stories

  26. *The Boxcar Children

  27. Mr. Popper's Penguins

  28. My Father's Dragon

  29. Mary Poppins

  30. Mrs. Noodlekugen

  31. The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties

  32. *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

  33. Ramona the Brave

  34. Surprise Island (boxcar children)

  35. The Yellow House Mystery (boxcar children)

  36. Animal Inn by Paul DuBois Jacobs

  37. Fortunately the Milk

  38. Mystery Ranch (boxcar children)

  39. Captain and Matey Set Sail

  40. Mercy Watson to the Rescue

  41. The Evergreen Woods

  42. *The Mouse and the Motorcycle

  43. Pippi Longstocking

  44. Sable

  45. Robin Hood by Paul Creswick

  46. Happy Little Family

  47. *Because of Winn-Dixie

  48. *Gone Fishing by Tamera Will Wissinger

  49. What Would Jesus Do by Helen Haidle

  50. Little House in the Big Woods

  51. Schoolhouse in the Woods

  52. Twelve Kinds of Ice

  53. Stallion by Starlight by Mary Pope Osborne

  54. A Boy Called Christmas

  55. Hurry up Houdini by Mary Pope Osborne

  56. Around the World Stories - Germany

  57. *The Adventures of a South Pole Pig

  58. Lions at Lunchtime by Mary Pope Osborne

  59. *The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

  60. The Littles

  61. God's Smuggler

  62. *Runaway Ralph

  63. Voyage of the Vikings (Imagination Station)

  64. *The Trumpet of the Swan

  65. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

  66. *How to Train Your Dragon

  67. Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise

  68. Squanto

  69. The Matchlock Gun

  70. *The Indian in the Cupboard

  71. The Family Under the Bridge

  72. *The Sign of the Beaver

  73. Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin

  74. Love Does (for kids) by Bob Goff

  75. The Woodshed Mystery (boxcar)

  76. Ribsy by Beverly Cleary

  77. Meet Abraham Lincoln (landmark books)

  78. Amon's Adventure by Arnold Ytreeide

  79. Gone Camping - a novel in verse

  80. *The Secret Garden

  81. *The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden

  82. Pinnochio

  83. The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue

  84. Tumtum and Nutmeg - the rose cottage tales

  85. *Anne of Green Gables

  86. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

  87. *The Very, Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-El

  88. *Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr

  89. Greenglass House by Kate Milford

  90. *Just Beyond the Very, Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-El

  91. Tuck Everlasting

  92. The Adventures of Miss Petitfour

  93. *Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

  94. *The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

  95. *The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews

  96. Wonderland by Barbara O'Connor

  97. Little Pilgrim's Big Journey

  98. Old Yeller

  99. Doctor Doolittle

  100. . Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson


You may also enjoy my articles:

Raising Readers - which includes some practical tips on how to incorporate more reading into your daily rhythms and

5 Ways to Enjoy Books with Your Kids - picture book picnics, tea and poetry, cozy couch pile-ups...all the magical moments you long to create




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