Students

K-12 Reading Lists

Grade-by-grade reading lists from kindergarten to twelfth grade, drawn only from works in this library and placed within each work's stated grade range.

The sequence follows the general pattern of classical Christian schools: nursery rhymes, fables, fairy tales and Bible stories in the early grades; myths, Greek, Roman and medieval stories in the logic years; and the Great Books and theology in the rhetoric years. These are suggestions, not any publisher's or school's official list. Core titles are the main reading for the year; Stretch titles suit stronger readers or extra time. Every title links to its page in the library, where you will find a summary, a student guide and, for public-domain works, the full text. Data: /api/reading-lists.json

Related: Graphic novel adaptations of library works (with content notes and buy links), and Great Illustrated Classics links on matching work pages under Get a copy.

Elementary (grades [object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object]) Your level

  • Kindergarten

    9 core · 3 stretch

    Kindergarten: Bible stories, nursery rhymes and fables read aloud, with simple picture books that build a love of language.

  • First Grade

    10 core · 3 stretch

    First grade: easy readers alongside richer read-alouds, with fables, fairy tales and Bible stories.

  • Second Grade

    10 core · 4 stretch

    Second grade: first chapter books and American history stories, with fairy tales and continued Bible reading.

  • Third Grade

    10 core · 4 stretch

    Third grade: fairy tales, Greek myths retold for children, first Narnia books and classic animal stories.

  • Fourth Grade

    10 core · 4 stretch

    Fourth grade: Greek heroes, Robin Hood, the medieval world and more Narnia, with poems to memorize.

  • Fifth Grade

    11 core · 4 stretch

    Fifth grade: the Iliad and Shakespeare retold for children, adventure classics, and the transition to longer books.

Junior High (grades [object Object][object Object][object Object]) Your level

  • Sixth Grade

    10 core · 4 stretch

    Sixth grade: the start of the logic stage, with Greek and Roman myth and history, Arthurian legend and allegory.

  • Seventh Grade

    11 core · 4 stretch

    Seventh grade: medieval and early-modern adventures, American history, and Christian testimony.

  • Eighth Grade

    10 core · 4 stretch

    Eighth grade: American founding documents and lives, classic novels, and the beginning of formal logic and geometry.

High School (grades [object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object]) Your level

  • Ninth Grade

    10 core · 4 stretch

    Ninth grade: the rhetoric stage begins with the Greeks: Homer, the tragedians, Plato and Plutarch.

  • Tenth Grade

    11 core · 4 stretch

    Tenth grade: Rome, the early church and the Middle Ages: Virgil, Augustine, Boethius and the medieval epics.

  • Eleventh Grade

    11 core · 4 stretch

    Eleventh grade: the high Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, with Dante, Aquinas, Shakespeare and the Reformers.

  • Twelfth Grade

    11 core · 4 stretch

    Twelfth grade: the modern world, American political thought and Christian apologetics, as students prepare for thesis and college.