50 Books in a Year


Once, when scouring the net, I read about a homeschool family which required their children to read 50-100 books in a year. At first, I thought that was way beyond my daughter’s ability; she was nearing the end of first grade and had only made it halfway through Saxon Phonics before we gave up and decided to move to something else. I didn’t think she would be able to handle the pressure of reading so many books, but the idea still lingered.

Within a few weeks, I decided to give it a try and found her to be enthusiastic and receptive to the task. Soon, she had one, then two chapter books under her belt. As she became more confident, the books came pouring in. I ended up visiting the local thrift store to get more. The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary is still among her favorites. Another great series is Gertrude Chandler’s Box Car Children series. In fact, there are so many of these, that we haven’t finished it yet.

This year, her challenge is to read 100 chapter books, InshaALLAH and my son must read 50. This reading is to be done outside, during their leisure time. When they are finished, they must present a brief summary of the books. My son must narrate what he has read and will be required to read aloud. He’s not ready for chapter books just yet, so we are practicing by reading as many simple books as we can. I expect he may be ready when the school year’s halfway mark is reached. My daughter will record her summaries in a commonplace book, InshaALLAH.

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