All the books we’ve read-aloud in 2021. *Mostly middle-grade/pre-teen*
We’re a home-edding family of 6 and we love reading aloud.
We recently shared 17 Epic read-alouds you’ll love as much as your children 🙂
But today we’re taking that a stage further and sharing all the books we’ve read aloud this year. All the chapter books, at least. Along with some non-fiction and picture books we revisited over more than one sesh. We also read many more picture books not included in this list.
In this whopping collection you’ll find a smattering of audiobooks on permanent repeat (they’re that good), a few e-books, and a load of library lends. Most of the books on this list were read in paperback or hardback format.
These books were all enjoyed by my youngest daughter who turned 9 three-quarters of the way through the year. So most of these books are particularly suited for middle-grade/pre-teen listeners, dependent, of course, on their preference and sensitivities.
Many of these books were also enjoyed by her 16 year old brother, and 20-something sisters – quite a few of them read aloud by these guys too, a few by their dad, but most of them read by me. Making many of these books perfect for the whole family 🙂
Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and decide to buy I may earn a small commission from the sale, at no extra cost to you. I am super picky about the links on my site and only share resources I believe will bring value to your life. Thanks in advance if you follow any of my links, I hope you find them helpful. Full disclosure policy here.
Because it’s that time of year when you might be on the lookout for some gorgeous gift ideas, where possible I’ve linked to bookshop.org who support independent bookshops. But as I say, we got loads of these from our local library so hopefully, you can too!
On with the books…
Read-aloud round-up 2021
Fabulous Fiction
Our most recent reads –
The House with Chicken Legs – Sophie Anderson
Alice’s Farm – Maryrose Wood
The Angels of Wallaby Way – Sue Elvis
Pippi Longstocking – Astrid Lindgren
2 series’ on read and repeat all year –
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood – our go-to books for taking out and about and reading whenever we have a spare moment, there’s always one in the car or bag 🙂
The Long-Lost Home (#6, not yet read this year, but read and loved in 2020)
Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder – regular bedtime books as we’ve read them through twice already and they’re so familiar and reassuring to wind down with at the end of a busy day 🙂
The First Four Years (#9 not yet read this year, but read and loved in 2020)
More classics we loved 🙂
What Katy Did – Susan Coolidge
What Katy Did at School – Susan Coolidge
What Katy Did Next – Susan Coolidge
Charlotte’s Web – E. B. White
Emily of New Moon – L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery
Classics revisited –
Return to the Secret Garden – Holly Webb
Malory Towers: New Class at Malory Towers: Four brand-new Malory Towers stories – Rebecca Westcott, Narinder Dhami, Patrice Lawrence & Lucy Mangan
Awesome adventures –
The Hobbit – J. R. R Tolkien
Star Wars : From A Certain Point of View – Various authors
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones (Alcatraz #2) – Brandon Sanderson
Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (Alcatraz, #3) – Brandon Sanderson
Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens (Alcatraz, #4) – Brandon Sanderson
The Dark Talent (Alcatraz, #5) – Brandon Sanderson
(Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, #1, read in 2020)
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox (#6) – Eoin Colfer
(Artemis Fowl – #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, read in 2020)
Talking of fairies –
Fairy Ponies : Enchanted Mirror – Zanna Davidson
Fairy Unicorns : Star Spell – Zanna Davidson
2 audiobook series on regular repeat –
The print books of these are often enjoyed alongside the audio versions.
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling –
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Malory Towers by Enid Blyton –
Where the animals steal the show –
A Sheep Called Skye – S. R. Harris
To Skye With Love – S. R. Harris
A Patch of Skye – S. R. Harris
No Place Like Skye – S. R. Harris
A Forever Home for Bella – Linda Chapman
Little Penguin Rescue – Rachel Delahaye
The Mystery Kitten – Holly Webb
Winter Tales – Various authors
Some Shakespeare –
The Comedy of Errors – Retold by Tim Knapman
King Lear – Retold by Martin Howard
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Retold by Marcia Williams
Shakespeare Tales : A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Retold by Terry Deary
Tales from Shakespeare – Charles and Mary Lamb
Tales from history and legend –
Greek Myths – Ann Turnbull
Stone Age Tales: The Great Storm – Terry Deary
The Willow Pattern Story – Allan Drummond
Lin Yi’s Lantern : A Moon Festival Tale – Brenda Williams
Fun family stories –
Sophie Is Seven (Sophie, #5) – Dick King-Smith
Sophie’s Lucky (Sophie, #6) – Dick King-Smith
(Sophie’s Snail #1, and Sophie #2, #3, #4 read in 2020)
Fangtastic! (My Sister the Vampire, #2) – Sienna Mercer
Re-Vamped! (My Sister the Vampire, #3) – Sienna Mercer
Vampalicious! (My Sister the Vampire, #4) – Sienna Mercer
(Switched – My Sister the Vampire #1, read in 2020)
The Angels of Gum Tree Road (#2) – Sue Elvis
(The Angels of Abbey Creek #1, read in 2020)
Non-fiction
Nature –
I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast: A Celebration of Plants Around the World – Michael Holland and Philip Giordano
National Trust: 2021 Nature Month-By-Month: A Children’s Almanac – Anna Wilson
Exploring Nature with Children: A Complete Year-Long Curriculum – Lynn, Raising Little Shoots
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate : Discoveries from a Secret World – Peter Wohlleben
Migration: Incredible Animal Journeys – Mike Unwin
Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife, Day by Day – Brett Westwood
I Love This Tree : Discover the Life, Beauty and Importance of Trees – Anna Claybourne
More World Matters –
What’s Science All About – Alex Frith et al
Stickmen’s Guide to Science – John Farndon
A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson
The History of Everything in 32 pages – Anna Claybourne
The Story of Britain – Patrick Dillon
Great Stories from British History – Geraldine McCaughrean
Shakespeare: His Work & His World – Michael Rosen
Kings and Queens – Tony Robinson
If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World’s People – David J. Smith
Peoples of the World – Gill Doherty & Anna Claybourne
Numbers –
What’s the Point of Maths? – Dorling Kindersley
STEM Quest: Fabulous Figures and Cool Calculations – Colin Stuart
How to Measure Everything: A Fun First Guide to the Maths of Measuring – Dorling Kindersley
Gaming –
Minecraft Guide to Enchantments and Potions – Mojang
Minecraft Guide to Ocean Survival – Mojang
Tales from the Sea of Thieves – Paul Davies
Health and Well-being –
The Worry (Less) Book: Feel Strong, Find Calm, and Tame Your Anxiety! – Rachel Brian
Making A Baby: An Inclusive Guide to How Every Family Begins – Rachel Greener
Phew. And there we have it. A bumper read-aloud round up!
Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and which are your favourites.
And now you know the kinds of books we love, how about some recommendations? Please share your suggestions in the comments.
Find more beautiful book lists at the takingakinderpath bookshop.
And if you love parenting books, you might enjoy my Top 10 Respectful Parenting Books.
We keep track of all the books we’re reading on Goodreads, find out more about that here and here.
Enjoy x
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Reading aloud to children is an excellent way to foster a love of reading and to spend quality time together as a family. The article’s comprehensive list of books, including classics and newer titles, provides an excellent resource for parents looking for read-aloud suggestions. Additionally, the author’s mention of supporting independent bookshops and using local libraries is a great way to help build strong communities.
Thanks for your comment, Adrian. Glad you liked the selection of books. We had great fun reading them and putting together this post. We’d love to know if you’ve read any from our list 🙂
This is an amazing list and… holy Maloney! Syou read this much in a year??! We love reading aloud but we’ve read like 10-20 books, tops, I reckon (maybe I need to go count them!) My kids read their own things, independently… but your shared family-reads list is HUGE!!! Kudos to you! 🙌
How much do you read a day? And how often a week (7 days?)
Hey Hannah, we read aloud most days and often more than once! And we usually have multiple books on the go at any time. Even so, I was amazed when I went back and looked at how many we’d got through. And some of them have been absolute crackers, it’s been a bumper year for sure!
Love to know if you’ve enjoyed any of the same titles? Thanks for stopping by 🙂