Homeschooling Tools

Being an eight year old is a wonderful time of life. Not quite a grown-up, not quite a full child anymore, I believe all eight year olds need to have great books to accompany their lives. The reason I’ve chosen to share some books for eight-year-olds is simple. By this time, they’re pretty much done with all the easy readers, ready for something a little bit more challenging (and interesting!), but not quite ready for long books, ones with big words, or ones that take a long time to get into.

Age eight is a fun time of life. For all you children out there, I hope you’ll find some lifetime friends in the books below (I know I did when I was your age)!

Note: The first ten books, especially, have Christian themes in them.

1. Sarah Whitcher’s Story  |  Best for: Ages 5 – 10

Sarah’s family live in the new, sparsely-populated state of New Hampshire. Pa and Ma have a great faith in God, and they teach their children to love and honor God as well. Then one day, four-year-old Sarah wanders into the great forest, and gets lost. When she doesn’t appear on call, the family gets desperate—and soon all the neighboring men come to help search for the little girl. With all kinds of wild animals in the woods, hungry and alone, Sarah could easily die. Pa has faith that the Lord will direct them to where his daughter is, but as two days pass people begin to give up the search—she could be anywhere, or even dead by now. Then, a stranger comes, saying he’s had a dream of a little lost girl, and knows where she is. Has Pa’s faith in God paid off? Will the family get their sister and daughter back? With so many wild animals around, will she be safe? This is a true story, written so well that even adults will enjoy it. I loved the strong Christian themes of hope and faith through the story!

Family read-aloud times are so special. It’s a time when Mom (or Dad!) can sit down, relax, and share stories that both expand our worldview and provide good role models to follow. For years, Mom has read aloud to us, taking us around the globe into many different homes, helping us love and understand different cultures in new ways. Some books are funny, others are sad, some were read purely for the fun of good literature, others for the morals taught in the stories. Together, we siblings have had many adventures, and been able to learn to enjoy working while listening to constructive stories. Here are some of our favorite family read-alouds.

1. Twenty and Ten  |  Best for: Ages 5 – 10

Sister Gabriel is caring for twenty children, sheltering them outside a remote village until the war is over. Then she receives a note saying that ten Jewish children need a safe place to hide, and together she and the children decide it is their duty to stretch their food rations and take the risk of protecting Jews. One day, while on a food and news-gathering trip, Sister Gabriel does not return at the expected time. Then the children spot two Nazi soldiers biking up the path. Can they hide the Jewish children in time? Will their secret be found out? This is a fascinating story about World War II, perfect for introducing the war to children, or simply to be enjoyed as a well-written, gripping tale of courage.

One of Dad’s coworkers—a family friend—has told a fascinating story about his family. His family lived in Holland when the Nazis took over, and his grandfather helped to hide Jews. Along with some of the family, I believe, his grandfather was arrested—and eventually died in concentration camp. Some of his family still has a hard time talking about the Germans.

While a tragic tale, it is something that seems to be very common from places affected by the Nazis. World War II stories come up frequently—especially ones coming from an Allied viewpoint. Have you ever noticed before how few books there are that show the war from the Axis point of view? Today’s collection has a few different books in it—several sharing what it was like to live under the dictatorship of the Nazis, one about the Communists, and several others about people generally affected by the war.

All of the titles below are great as read-alouds.

1. Twenty and Ten  |  Best for: Ages 5 – 12

Sister Gabriel is caring for twenty children in a house close to a remote village, where they hope to be safe until the war is over. Then a request comes to hide ten Jewish children for a while. Even though it could be extremely dangerous if they were caught, both the children and Sister Gabriel feel like it is their responsibility to try to protect these children. Then, one day, instead of seeing Sister Gabriel coming home with food from the village, the children spot two German soldiers on the road. They must hide the Jewish children, but where? And will they have enough food to last until Sister Gabriel gets back—or the soldiers leave?