Sonlight Curriculum Recommended Reading

Against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Dickens unfolds a masterpiece of drama, adventure, and courage featuring Charles Darnay, a man falsely accused of treason. He bears an uncanny resemblance to the dissolute, yet noble Sydney Carton — a coincidence that saves Darnay from certain doom more than once. Brilliantly plotted, the novel culminates in a daring prison escape in the shadow of the guillotine.

Across Five Aprils is the touching story of Jethro Creighton. When the Civil War breaks out, his family is split, with brothers joining both sides of the cause. When cousins also join the war, the two families join forces to keep the farm going. Jethro's father dies unexpectedly, and young Jethro is now the man of the family. 

Eleven-year-old Adam loved to travel throughout thirteenthcentury England with his father, a wandering minstrel, and his dog, Nick. But when Nick is stolen and his father disappears, Adam suddenly finds himself alone. He searches the same roads he traveled with his father, meeting various people along the way. But will Adam ever find his father and dog and end his desperate search?

Intended at first as a simple story of a boy's adventures in the Mississippi Valley--a sequel to Tom Sawyer--the book grew and matured under Twain's hand into a work of immeasurable richness and complexity. More than a century after its publication, the critical debate over the symbolic significance of Huck's and Jim's voyage is still fresh, and it remains a major work that can be enjoyed at many levels: as an incomparable adventure story and as a classic of American humor.

And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz is the story of Paul's famous ride before the Battle of Lexington on the eve of the Revolutionary War. Jean Fritz historical children's books are written sort of journalistically (if that is a word), but she has this great knack for finding unusual tidbits about famous historical figures that make them pop from the page and come alive.

Balto, the Bravest Dog Ever, is based on the true story of an Alaskan sled dog. In 1925 there was an outbreak of diptheria in Nome, Alaska.  Two children desparately need medicine, but the train bearing the life-giving medicine is stuck in the snow 700 miles away. 

Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia is back in print! A Landmark Book. Full of interesting facts and a lively biography for kids involving the events surrounding the birth of our nation as seen through the eyes of Ben Franklin. This is one of the books necessary to complete the PA Keystones 2 history study.

Palestine, first century A.D.-the Jews have revolted against Roman occupation. The ten Greek cities of Palestine-the Decapolis-want only to continue their peaceful trading existence, but they find themselves caught in the middle of the uprisings. Apollodorus, a merchant of Philadelphia, takes a risk and rescues a man whom a Roman patrol has left to die in the desert. When Apollodorus is killed by robbers, his three sons are left almost penniless and must each find a way for themselves. 

Bound for Oregon is based on the true story of the Todd family (written by the daughter) as they left Arkansas for the Oregon territory.  Experience the hardships of trail life: raging rivers, sickness, death, trying to beat the first snow, hunger, fear, and even birth.  This exciting story is told through the eyes of a ten year old girl.  Such a great story - and more than that, because it's true.  Your homeschooled child can "experience" the sacrifice of our country's pioneers through the pages of this book.

This entertaining volume sheds light on the life of England's King George III. It begins when he was a bashful boy who blushed easily, goes on to his early days as king, and finally examines his role in the American Revolution - when Americans ceased to think of him as good King George. Fascinating history made accessible for young readers.

Elizabeth was born into an age of religious strife, in which plots and factions were everywhere and private beliefs could be punished by death. When she became queen, her counselors urged her to marry quickly and turn the responsibilities of governing over to her husband, But she outwitted them by stalling, changing her mind; and playing one side against another, as she steered her country to the glorious era of peace and security that would be called the Elizabethan Age.

When the great Velazquez was painting his masterpieces at the Spanish court in the seventeenth century, his colors were expertly mixed and his canvases carefully prepared by his slave, Juan de Pareja. In a vibrant novel which depicts both the beauty and the cruelty of the time and place, Elizabeth Borton de Trevino tells the story of Juan, who was born a slave and died an accomplished and respected artist.

Johnny Tremain is the Newbery Award winner by Esther Forbes. Set in Boston during the Revolutionary war, Johnny Tremain is the story of a brilliant orphan boy who was apprenticed to a silver smith. Though young, Johnny has a bright future before him as he is quickly recognized as the driving force behind the silver smith. With marriage to the master's daughter in view, and the eventual ownership of the shop, things are looking up for Johnny, until a jealous fellow apprentice plays a prank on Johnny that literally ruins his life. 

In the winter of 1856, a storm delays the lighthouse keeper's return to an island off the coast of Maine, and his daughter Abbie must keep the lights burning by herself.

Long Way to a New Land is an "I Can Read" book (level 3) for grades 2-4. It follows the story of a young Swedish boy and his family as the emigrate from Sweden during a time of starvation. The book depicts what it would have been like to leave behind everything you know and love, to travel in unsanitary, cramped conditions on a ship, and to arrive in a land where you don't even know the language. This book would make an excellent addition to any study of immigration and American history. Set in the post-Civil War era.

George Washington grew up in the English colony of Virginia. He was tall and strong, fair in judgement, and respected by his friends as a good leader. As he grew older, George saw how England took advantage of the American colonies--and he didn't like it. When the colonies declared their independence, George was chosen to lead their army as its general. And when the colonies won their freedom, George was elected to lead the new nation as its first president.

"Mere Christianity" is the most popular of C. S. This book brings together Lewis's legendary radio broadcast talks in which he set out simply "to explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times". Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity's many denominations, "Mere Christianity" is Lewis's term for the essential Christian message--the theological core on which diverse Christian traditions can stand together.

A masterpiece of storytelling and symbolic realism, this thrilling adventure and epic saga pits Ahab, a brooding sea captain, against the great white whale that crippled him. More than just the tale of a hair-raising voyage, Melville's riveting story passionately probes man's soul. A literary classic first published in 1851, "Moby-Dick" represents the ultimate human struggle.

This Newbery Award winning story follows the lives of 2 families - the one is Jewish, and the other is the Danish family that hides them from the Nazis that have invaded their land. The two daughters of the families are best friends. Your young reader (grades 5-7) will see the horror of World War II through the eyes of these 2 young girls as they face deprivation, danger, and death. An excellent addition to any study of World War II.

Peter the Great, crowned tsar of Russia at the age of ten, believed that whatever he wanted he should have -- and the sooner the better. What he wanted most was to bring his beloved country into the modem world. He traveled to the West to learn European ways -- the first tsar ever to leave Russia -- disguised as a common soldier.

The drama of natural disasters provides prime material to entice young homeschool readers in this little "Step into Reading" book. In this volume, the account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius describes Roman village life 2,000 years ago, the eruption itself and its aftermath, and the excitement when the buried town was rediscovered centuries later. A lively and factual glimpse of a devastating moment in history.

This classic story of a shipwrecked mariner on a deserted island is perhaps the greatest adventure in all of English literature. Fleeing from pirates, Robinson Crusoe is swept ashore in a storm possessing only a knife, a box of tobacco, a pipe-and the will to survive. His is the saga of a man alone: a man who overcomes self-pity and despair to reconstruct his life; who painstakingly teaches himself how to fashion a pot, bake bread, build a canoe; and who, after twenty-four agonizing years of solitude, discovers a human footprint in the sand... 

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the Newbery Award winning story of an African American family living in Mississipi in the early part of the 20th century. Segregation was the norm, with black and white children living in separate social strata, attending separate schools, and subject to different rules. The story explores difficult subjects such as segregation, prejudice, and the KKK. Written for grades 6-8. This story would make an excellent addition to any study of recent American history.

An Indian boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his Inca ancestors.