How do I choose a novel study?

It is wise to consider more than reading level when choosing a novel study.  Some books, like The Hiding Place, Words by Heart, and The Giver deal with mature topics that reading level alone does not indicate.  Your students may be mature for their age but not ready to tackle heavy subject matter.  A book children may breeze through on their own may prove challenging when used in this program.  Recreational reading is not the same as studying..

Consider these factors when choosing a novel study:

Reading Level
Keep in mind that reading level designations for each book are based on recreational reading standards. Studying a book is more difficult than merely reading it. You may wish to see "Barbara's Notes" located with the book descriptions for grade level suggestions.

Developmental Level
We recommend beginning this program at 3rd grade or above, occasionally in the second semester of 4th grade. Consider two areas when determining if your student is developmentally ready. The first to think about is eyesight. The print used in paperback novels is often too small for young readers. It can harm their developing eyes to focus for long periods of time on the small type, and doing so usually frustrates them. Secondly, consider readiness for abstract thinking. Typically, before 5th grade, children develop concrete thinking skills; e.g., they can explain what happened, when, by whom. Abstract thinking asks them to analyze why, consider what if, recognize cause and effect and look for inferences. Introducing students to this type of thinking before they are ready will frustrate you and them.

Maturity Level
Your student may be able to handle the reading level and be developmentally ready for abstract thinking, but still be too young to handle the content of some of our deeper books. We know of students who, after studying Words by Heart, have felt anger and questioned God’s care and fairness. The same reaction can happen when young children study The Hiding Place. Wait until your students have reached a level of spiritual maturity that allows the reading of these excellent books to increase and strengthen faith

Other Recommendations

We recommend using one novel study per quarter--a total of three to five per year with short breaks between. The speed with which the novel studies are completed depends on your particular situation. Doing language arts four days a week, one hour each day allows us to complete one unit per week--some of the time. It has been our experience, that generally, a six-unit study will take nine weeks to complete; a seven-unit study will take ten weeks and so on.

Besides a reading book and study guide or student packet for each student, we suggest providing flash cards (make your own or purchase colored index cards), colored markers (for use with the flash cards), lined notebook paper, a dictionary (for class-room use), and a thesaurus (for classroom use).

The novel studies are based on books that have met rigid requirements. Most are Newbery Medal or Honor books, are frequently checked out from libraries and listed in books recommending quality literature for children. They are of interest to both male and female readers and contain enough depth to justify spending several weeks using them as texts. We do not agree with all the philosophies presented in the books. For example, The Call of the Wild promotes evolution--a theory we strongly oppose. We read the book with excitement, however, as a tool for teaching discernment. Regardless of the author's viewpoint, every study guide takes a Christian perspective.

Please note that some of the books are not written by Christian authors and contain controversial or secular elements. We believe that all of the books offered are valuable for Christian study, but realize that there are differing opinions and recommend that if you are in doubt about a particular book, read it yourself first. Every book on our list has been challenged by someone! Some of our books are more appropriate for independent study; they may contain scenes or language that would be undesirable in a mixed class-room. Not every book is appropriate for every age level or every student.