The Best Read Alouds of 2024

Each kid in our family has a little notebook that they use to record their reading adventures, books they have read on their own and those we have read together. Not long ago, Landon, my most prolific reader, was flipping through his notebook after he had made a recent entry and made the comment:

“I used to think this was dumb but now I wish I had written more neatly.”

I nearly choked on the words “I told you so” but instead managed to praise him for humbly admitting his mistake. I also repressed the urge to give a lecture about “a stitch in time saves nine” etc., and instead sat down to help him decipher the messy entries. 

Thankfully, my skill at reading careless chicken scratch is well-honed (let’s just say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree) and we were able to decode and re-write many entries so that his reading adventures are now accurately and legibly chronicled.  

I too keep a running list of all the chapter books I have read aloud with the kids since 2012 when I first read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to Palmer and Haddie. That was the first entry. 

Every year at this time, I like to flip through the book, just like Landon did, with special attention to the year that has just passed. It is a simple way to remember and reconnect with wonderful gems that infused both humor and humbling realities into our year. Stories that introduced us to foreign places and long ago times. Tales that expanded our understanding beyond our own experiences. 

And thankfully, I wrote neatly. Well, neatly enough for me to read anyway.

Here are seven gems from 2024.

Best Satire & All Around Delightful Book: 

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill

The boys and I read this one for book club and it was truly a delight. The absurd scenario of a “war” between pushcart peddlers and truck drivers in New York City serves as a metaphor for real war, power struggles, and the way warring parties go about engaging each other in battle. The story is humorous, entertaining, educational, and poignant all at the same time. That is quite a feat. 

Best Mystery: 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

This was another book club book for Bridger and Landon, and it was as fun for me to read this time around as the previous two times I’ve read it. Maybe even more fun as I picked up on clues and foreshadowing that I missed before. (It helps when you already know the answer to the mystery!) The story begins with a scene that is a little creepy and the whole thing is presented as a murder mystery, but as the story unfolds, it is actually about clever puzzles, restoring relationships, reordering of priorities, old wrongs made right, and people coming back to themselves. I look forward to reading it again with Soren in a year or two.

Most Helpful Historical Fiction in Studying The Revolutionary War: 

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

I still maintain that the best way to make history come alive is through historical fiction. Johnny Tremain is a wonderful companion for any study of the Revolutionary War, one that makes pre-war Boston seem not so distant and far away. I appreciate that Johnny, a Patriot, struggles to see his Tory neighbors and acquaintances as enemies, as someone to kill in battle. Through Johnny’s eyes, we see that, in war, nothing is black and white. 

Most Helpful Historical Fiction in Preparing for a Trip to Rome: 

Twice Freed by Patricia St. John

Strange award title, I know, but it is accurate. We read Twice Freed before our epic family adventure to Europe. It was one of a handful we read in preparation, but I especially loved how this one not only transported us to Ancient Rome but also gave us a vision of how the early church fit into it all. The story is a fictional account of the biblical character Onesimus. Though St. John used her imagination to fill in information gaps, she clearly took great care with historical and biblical accuracy and the result is a compelling tale that provides a precious glimpse into the ways of the early church and the world of Ancient Rome.  

Favorite New Fantasy World: 

The Tales of Hiberia: The Master of Tides by Jamin Still 

The boys didn’t like Cora’s hard-hearted, stubborn ways at first. But she had reasons. This book doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that tragedy happens, and when it does, people cope in different ways. Of course, the friend Cora didn’t want is exactly what she needed and together she and the delightful Will have a fantastic adventure where they encounter bad guys, good guys, a magic circus, winter wolves, a sea monster, and lots more in their quest to save the day. 

Favorite Beloved Fantasy World Revisited: 

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

As noted above, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first novel I read aloud and it was time to revisit, not just that one, but all of the Narnia books with the younger boys to make sure no one had missed a single Narnian adventure. This time around The Silver Chair and A Horse and His Boy each struck me afresh and challenged me to believe more deeply and love more fully. I also read in parallel The World According to Narnia by Jonathan Rogers. This book is a wonderful companion to the Chronicles. Each chapter offers a wonderful analysis of one of the books, peeling back layers of meaning to reveal a deep beauty. 

Favorite Classic Revisited: 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Will I read it every Christmas? Maybe. For the most part, I love Dickens’ rich and verbose use of language though in some novels I find myself thinking You need an editor! However, in A Christmas Carol I have no problem with the excessive use of language since it is still a short read. I hadn’t read it for a couple years and this Christmas it touched me in new ways, probably because I experienced it in new ways. With Bridger and Landon, I listened to a wonderful audio version read by Hugh Grant. I also read it aloud to Soren from Joe Sutphin’s lovely new illustrated version. The characters are animals but the story and language are otherwise all Dickens. My favorite line is the first; “Marley was dead.” Best opening line ever. 

My favorite read aloud moment of the year came from our reading of Dickens. On day in December, I watched Landon as he lay on the couch listening to the end of A Christmas Carol while following along in the illustrated edition. His eyes were bright, his smile was big, and he laughed out loud as Scrooge dropped his gruff act and told Bob he was going to raise his salary! 

That is a truly joyful moment and it was made all the more joyful because we shared it together. 

May your year be full of reading adventures, and if you choose to write them down, make sure you write legibly!

Happy Reading!