10 Homeschool History Books That Every Child Should Read
At last count, we had over 100 homeschool history books, from encyclopedias to classic novels. In this list, I will share with you our 10 favorite books that in my opinion, every child should read at least once.
History is our second favorite subject in our homeschool, nothing can top our love for math!
My son absolutely loves reading, check out our favorite book lists for kids there are over 20 book lists included for kids of all ages, for school, for reading, and for every season. Plus lots of free book printables.
In this post, I am going to share with you our top 10 homeschool history books every child should have (or at least read.) I will then share with you our 3 favorite homeschool history curriculum resources for middle school.
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History Books For Kids
These homeschool history books are aimed at upper elementary grades and middle school students.
10 of the best homeschool history books you are going to need this year.
The first 2 books have been used with every history curriculum we have used, and are the most important. The last 4 books are our favorite homeschool history reading books.
This history book is a must-have item if you are studying American history.
With 320 pages it spans from when the first Europeans traveled to North America in about 1000CE through to modern times.
It includes the US Presidents (up to Trump), the United States facts. the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the USA, the amendments, and the Gettysburg address.
This encyclopedia covers the following:
The Ancient World 40,000-500BC
The Classical World 499 BC-AD 500
Early Middle Ages 501-1100
The Middle Ages 1101-1460
The Renaissance 1461-1600
Trade & Empire 1601-1707
Revolution and Independence 1708-1835
Unification and Colonization 1836-1913
The World at War 1914-1949
The Modern World 1950-present day
This covers the same period as the book above.
The pictures in this Encylopedia are very good and we use this book as a supplement to the first 2 books.
These workbooks are excellent as a supplement to other curriculums.
We are yet to do this American history one, but we will use it towards the end of grade 7 when we have finished with our Sonlight curriculum (see below)
We used this world history notebook in grade 6, we used it alongside Crash course on youtube and a mix of other history curriculums.
I think they are excellent as a refresher, which is why we have them all, but personally, I don't feel this could replace a proper curriculum, certainly not for middle school and above.
This Horrible Histories box of books is completely gruesome and aimed at British history, including the measly middle ages, terrible Tudors, and much more.
If you are not familiar with these they have a youtube channel and the kids are going to love them, I promise! The songs alone are super catchy!
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a classic, and has featured in every history curriculum we have tried recently.
It is an excellent book that the kids are going to love.
In 1776, Sophia witnessed the execution of Nathan Hale in New York, which was newly occupied by the British.
Sophia is horrified by the event and resolves to do all she can to help the American cause.
This is another excellent reading book when studying American history.
Is a wonderful book that my 12 year old son could not put down.
This historical fiction novel is based on the creation of the Iroquois Confederacy, and is a must-read book.
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a classic tale from England where Robin would steal from the rich and give to the poor.
It is a great history book for kids and when they have read it, why not let them compare the book to the movie, use our books vs movies comparison report!
Homeschool History Curriculum
Now I have shared our favorite homeschool history books, now it is time to share my favorite homeschool history curriculums.
These are mostly secular, but we have actually found a few religious curriculums we also enjoy.
Beautiful Feet have an excellent selection of secular homeschool history books, and a full curriculum to work through.
Check out our Beautiful Feet Books review for more information.
History Odyssey from Pandia Press is a secular homeschool curriculum for grades 6 and above. Check out our history odyssey review.
Christian curriculum for grades 4-7, despite being secular homeschoolers we actually really like this Sonlight curriculum.
It comes with all of the homeschool history books you need for the year (it's a lot!) and this is the one we are currently using, we are even reading the Bible for the first time.
In my opinion, even if you are secular homeschoolers as we are (I am agnostic, and my husband and son are atheists) you can avoid the religious parts if you want to.
Other History Resources you will enjoy:
Let me know what your favorite homeschool history books are by leaving me a comment below.
Other educational books for kids
- Homeschool Science Books
- Shakespeare books for kids
- Trekking Through History board game review
- Gifts for history lovers
- Geography books for kids
- Anatomy books for kids
Last Updated on 4 March 2023 by homeschoolof1