Books With Homeschool Characters
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Read on to see the list of more than 150 books with homeschool characters!
There are so many fun books about kids going to school, but there don’t seem to be quite as many about kids who are homeschooled. So, I decided to put together a list of books with homeschool characters that I have found. Â There are more than I thought! I have read some, but not all of these & look forward to reading more of them with my kids.
There is something special for a homeschool kid to read a book about a child who is like them. Â So many of the books for kids take place in school settings, so I like to find those that don’t!
If you make it to the end of this monstrous list and see that I missed something, Â let me know!
Books With Homeschool Characters
Addie McCormick and the Computer Pirate by Leanne Lucas
Adventures in the Neighborhood Woods (series) by Jesse Honn
The Adventures of Lil’ Wolf, Twinkie, Toes, and Flower Girl in the Homeschool Forest, by Jacqueline R. Campos
The Adventures of the Kerrigan Kids (series) by Gilbert Morris
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Carry on Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Chicken Friend by Nicola Morgan
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Chicken Friend by Nicola Morgan
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci (series) by Diana Wynne Jones
Cody Greene and the Rainbow Mystery by Linda Fields
Cody Greene and the Rainbow Mystery by Linda Fields
The Conch Bearer (series) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Courtship of Sarah McLean (series) by Stephen B. Castleberry
The Cleveland Mysteries (series) by Elaine J. Dalton
The Cleveland Mysteries (series) by Elaine J. Dalton
Cross-Country Treasure Hunt (And the Mystery That Followed) by Gwen Lepkowski
Dear Pirate: The Buried Treasure Mystery (series) by Carole Marsh
Double Trouble Squared: A Starbuck Family Adventure, Book 1 (series) by Kathryn Lasky
Drift House: The First Voyage by Dale Peck
The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter and Rennard Strickland
Drift House: The First Voyage by Dale Peck
The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter and Rennard Strickland
Eight Cousins by Lousia M. Alcott (free on Kindle!)
Eloise by Kay Thompson
Emily The Strange: Dark Times by Jessica Gruner and Rob Reger
Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Fractured Fate: There’s A Reason It Stayed Lost by Caja Coyote
Freya and Heath Are Home Educated by Kim Holding
From The Mixed-Up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by E.L. Konisburg
The Game by Diana Wynne Jones
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Gawgon and the Boy by Lloyd Alexander
Gunrunner Moon by Ed Ditto
Hannah’s Island (series) by Eric Wiggin
Hatchet (series) by Gary Paulsen
Heidi by Johanna Spyri (free on Kindle!)
Henley and the Book of Heroes (series) by Dr. Jane H. Smith
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (free on Kindle!)
The Homeschool Detectives (series) by John Bibee
The Homeschool Experiment by Charity Hawkins
The Homeschool Liberation League by Lucy Frank
Homeschool on a Battlefield by Jennifer Lynn
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
The Howling Vowels by Leslie Schultz
I am a Homeschooler by Julie Voetberg
I Am Learning All The Time by Rain Perry Fordyce
Inkheart (series) by Cornelia Funke
Ippie Unschooled by Nicole Olson
Island Boy by Barbara Cooney
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Islander by Cynthia Rylant
Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (free on Kindle!)
Jess (American Girl Today) by Mary Casanova
Joey Pigza (series) by Jack Gantos
Kandoo Kangaroo Hops Into Homeschool by Susan Ratner
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Katy by Mary Evelyn Notgrass
Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
The King of the Trees by William D. Burt
Laddie, A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter
Lexi’s Homeschool Diary by Cheryl and MacKenzie Moeller
Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Gouge
Little Britches by Ralph Moody
The Littles by John Peterson and Roberta Carter Clark
The Little White Horse by Elizbeth Goudge
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Free on Kindle!)
The Lonesome Gods by Louis L’Amour
The Lost Da Vincis by Don and Aneladee Milne
Love Lessons (series) by Margaret Daley
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Meet Felicity: An American Girl (American Girls Collection) by Valerie Tripp
Meet Kaya: An American Girl (American Girls Collection) by Janet Beeler Shaw, Bill Farnsworth, and Susan McAliley
The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Miss Smithers by Susan Juby
Monster of the Month Club (series) by Dian Curtis Regan
The Moody Family Books by Sarah Maxwell
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
My Mommy, My Teacher by Johannah Bluedorn
My Name Is Mina by David Almond
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
No More School by Meg Harper
Novel Concept by Teagan Bentley
Nurse Matilda (series) by Christianna Brand
Olympus: It’s Not Just a Game by Scott W. Somerville
The One and Only Miss Violet Remy by Angie Renich
Operation Red Jericho (series) by Joshua Mowll
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (Free on Kindle!)
Pippi Longstocking series by Astrid Lindgren
The People in Pineapple Place by Anne Lindberg
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
Red Rain by Aubrey Hansen
The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame
Road to Coorain by Jill Ker Conway
Ruby Slippers School (series) by Stacy Towle Morgan
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Savvy (series) by Ingrid Law
Schooled by Gordon Korman
The Schoolroom in the Parlor (series) by Rebecca Caudill
The Sea Chest by Toni Buzzeo
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Free on Kindle!)
The Secret of the Lost Colony by Rebecca Price Janney
The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge by Ian Wilson
Shadow Children (series) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Shouldn’t You Be In School? by Angelina Hart
Skellig by David Almond
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Sonrise Stable (series) by Vicki Watson
The Society of S by Susan Hubbard
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Storm (series) by Cynthia Rylant
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss (Free on Kindle!)
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss (Free on Kindle!)
Tarragon Island by Nikki Tate
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos (series) by R.L. LaFevers
This Girl Is Different by JJ Johnson
Thomas Edison- Childhood of Famous Americans by Sue Guthridge
The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore
A Time To Fly Free by Stephanie S. Tolan
Tonia of Trelawney: A Buccaneer Girl by Jacqueline C Grant
Too Smart Jones (series) by Gilbert Morris
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman
The Wizard of Oz (series) by L. Frank Baum (Free on Kindle!)
Wright on Time (series) by Lisa M. Cottrell-Bently
Williwaw! by Tom Bodett
Wise Child by Monica Furlong
The Year I Didn’t Go to School by Giselle Potter
A Year with the Potters: The Adventures and Lessons of a Homeschooling Family by Rebekah Jones
The Year I Didn’t Go to School by Giselle Potter
A Year with the Potters: The Adventures and Lessons of a Homeschooling Family by Rebekah Jones
Do you know of any more books with homeschool characters that I missed? Â Let me know in the comments so I can add it to the list!
Great list! So many I have never heard of or didn’t think of!
I love this list! Thanks for sharing!
Some of these I hadn’t even thought about how the characters were home schooled.
Ok, so funny thing is I was just telling hubby the other day how there were NO books about homeschooled kids! Thanks for sharing and linking up at the Homeschool Linky Party!
Awesome list! Also check out Homeschoolliterature.com as it has reviews on some of these books and more!
Have you ever visited the site HomeschoolLiterature.com? It has reviews and even interactive games and activities for many of these!!
What a wonderful list and resource!! I am definitely bookmarking this page to reference throughout the school year 🙂
Hi there, I had no idea there were so many out there – in fact, that’s why I wrote one myself 😉 You are welcome to add it to your list. Published by a South African traditional publisher, Naledi Books, in May 2013. Seekers of the Lost Boy follows a homeschooling family on an incredible journey after they find a message in a bottle on the beach. You can read more here: http://tarynhayes.com
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Thanks so much for sharing! I will add it in! 🙂
My children love these books
http://www.rosieboom.com/books/the-barn-chronicles/where-lions-roar
Thanks for this great list! I’m going to share it – obviously linking to this post – on my own blog and also share it with my online homeschool groups.
One addition you could make: There is a sequel – called The Other Side of the Mountain – to My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Those who enjoy the first book will like the main character’s continued adventures.
This is really a great resource, thank you SO much! One thing I notice a lot with my preschool & Kindergarten aged children is that a lot of the books for their level focused very much on traditional school experiences & while we still enjoy them, I have wanted to find some good read-alouds that centered around kids who had a life more similar to theirs. I really do appreciate this list more than I can explain!
Thank again,
Chantal
Great list! There’s a wonderful middle grade novel called This Journal Belongs to Ratchet that features a young homeschooled girl.
It may be a little elementary but my kids love Charlie Goes to School!
(And thank you for the list btw.. Bookmarking it! I didn’t realize there were so many 🙂 ..)
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray (first of a series) is another one with a homeschooled main character.
http://www.amazon.com/A-Thousand-Pieces-You-Firebird/dp/0062278967
Also, my new one, Oswald Spoon and the Trouble With Invisibility. Has full-time homeschoolers of the unschooling persuasion. 🙂 It’s my debut novel.
Like this list! I would love to read. There were a few on here I hadn’t heard of, so thank you. 🙂
Dangerous, by Shannon Hale.
Great list! The Nellie Nova series also features homeschooled characters.