Her First One Hundred Books

Links may direct to affiliate sites. Purchases made through these links support our family’s work in spreading the Gospel to unreached areas.

In November, I shared that John Mark had reached a family milestone— logging his first 100 books read. I included the list of the titles he’d read, as well as some insight into why this milestone was particularly sweet for him. Since then, I’ve had repeated requests to share Birdie’s list, and today, I’m doing just that.

Her First 100 Books

Birdie is a very different reader than her older brother. She completed her first 100 (in July of 2019) at 8 years and 9 months of age. She is a simply voracious reader whose can goes beyond her should. You know what I mean, right? She’s the precocious 4th grader who could easily handle the technical reading level of literally anything I could pull off a shelf. However… she’s also still very much a little girl, and exposing her to literature beyond her years, maturity-wise, isn’t on the table. Just because she can, doesn’t mean she should. Instead, it falls to me to curate a deep list of things she ought to read, things of value, things that will engage. It’s a part-time occupation, I tell you, because she flies through books.

This list is in order of completion, beginning with Birdie’s first solo chapter book read. I’ll repeat two points I noted when I shared John Mark’s list: I do not require my kids to read “at level” or “challenging” books all the time. Everyone needs a simple read from time to time! Also, you’ll see some decided twaddle represented. Serial fiction serves a purpose for emerging readers, I believe, in building a love of reading. While I’m selective about the twaddle, I don’t forbid it outright as a pure Charlotte Mason homeschooler would.

Want to know more about how our family encourages a culture of reading? This post might help!