Beloved + Award-Winning 2026-2027 Book Reveal

This year I have thoughtfully chosen four new guides to add to my brimming collection of Bookish Adventures. I like to mix classics and new books in order to provide our children with not only books that have stood the test of time, but also poignant novels of their time. I have chosen to create only four guides this year, both to allow families to experience past guides and to give myself time to refresh older ones.

So what is the difference between older guides and new or refreshed ones? New and refreshed guides have a brand new weekly rhythm that echoes the older guides you know and love, but is more comprehensive. Each one now includes new areas of pedagogy, blending classic and modern strategies to create a robust and engaging learning experience. These include narrations based on Charlotte Mason's philosophy and Socratic questions to strengthen our children's critical thinking muscles. They also include Sparking Curiosity cues for parents, so our children can work through information instead of simply receiving it, which builds long-term retention. And they include Circle Back cues to help children revisit what they have learned in order to reflect, revise, and grow in understanding.

You can also download a full week of my Odder guide to see the new format in action!

Every Level 2 and Level 3 guides include three main activities and 2-3 topics covered over a 4-week period, as well as curated picture book selections tied to the story's themes, a monthly overview so you can see the full rhythm at a glance, and open-and-go weekly plans with suggested reading schedules, supply lists, activity checklists, and built-in Margin Days for rest, catch-up, or following curiosity wherever it leads. A cozy morning basket section with poetry and nonfiction titles gives your days a gentle, unhurried place to begin.

Weekly Rhythm

Watch and Wonder: Each week opens with curated videos and podcasts to explore the topic before anything else, plus a Wonderings to Follow space to capture your child's questions as they surface.

Main Activity: An activity that takes a deep dive into the week's topic.

Watch and Tell: Your child watches a short video, then chooses a narration prompt to respond to aloud or in writing. The first prompt is Charlotte Mason-style narration; the second is a Socratic question designed to stretch older learners into critical thinking and discussion. Narration pages in two line sizes and printable notecards are included to support every stage.

The Writer's Desk: Each week your child studies a real passage from the book and learns from the author directly:

• Read and Notice: Look closely at punctuation, patterns, and author choices
• Exploring the Craft: Learn a writing technique drawn from the text and try it yourself
• Editor Challenge: For older students, step into the role of editor and catch intentional mistakes
• Copywork: Copy a passage by hand in print, cursive, or freehand

When you want to go deeper

One More Chapter: Optional activities and deeper dives for families who want to keep the curiosity going

A Taste of the Story: Simple, story-inspired recipes and food ideas to enjoy throughout the month or as part of your celebration

Closing Ceremony

Watch and Reflect: Close the month by watching a related movie together and talking about what you noticed.

Lingering After the Last Chapter: A gentle way to reflect and look ahead, including:

• A reading journal page
• A reflection page for your child
• A magazine-style quiz to discover what adventure to explore next

Book Club Party: A joyful, low-pressure celebration to mark the end of your adventure and create a memory your family will hold onto.

A beloved classic, and one of my favorite books (right after Charlotte's Web). It is a book that every child should read and experience, and it rightly appears on many recommended-book lists as a must-read read-aloud.

I invite you to step into the wild ponds of the Canadian wilderness with Louis, the trumpeter swan at the heart of E. B. White's beloved classic The Trumpet of the Swan. Born without a voice, Louis learns to read and write, hangs a brass trumpet around his neck, and plays his way across America to win the heart of the swan he loves.

Your family will slow down and sink into a story about finding your own voice, the patient work of going after what you love, and a father who will go to remarkable lengths for his son. Through gentle, story-led learning, you will explore trumpeter swans, the world of music and brass instruments, and how animals find their voices in the wild in a way that feels connected, meaningful, and actually enjoyable to live out at home.

Preorder now during my BOGO sale and instantly receive your guide on August 15, 2026.

A Newbery Honor winner, an Editor's Pick for Best Book of 2025, and a story that is written to be read aloud, especially during crisp fall days. Described as heartbreaking, marvelously funny, and generously redemptive, this is an adventure you do not want to miss going on with your family.

I invite you to step into the amber half-light of Deadwood Forest, where the leaves hang in a perpetual fall, with Clare, the undead fox at the heart of Aubrey Hartman's Newbery Honor novel The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest. Long ago he was given the choice to cross into the Afterlife or stay behind as an Usher of wandering souls, and he chose the lonely work of guiding the dead to their final rest, one soul at a time.

Your family will slow down and sink into a story about grief and friendship, the courage to face a hard truth, and a fox and a badger who change each other's destinies. Through gentle, story-led learning, you will explore mushrooms, foxes, forests, and more in a way that feels connected, meaningful, and actually enjoyable to live out at home.

Preorder now during my BOGO sale and instantly receive your guide on September 15, 2026.

This Christmas, your family is checking into the Winterhouse Hotel, a grand and snow-draped place full of secret passages, hidden codes, and a mystery waiting to be unraveled. For three weeks, cozy sleuthing by the fire becomes the heart of your holiday season, with the whole family pulling together as a band of detectives on a case that unfolds a little more with every puzzle you solve.

Create a case file to track suspects, log clues, and record each breakthrough as the mystery deepens. Together you will untangle logic puzzles, crack ciphers, unscramble anagrams that hide more than they let on, follow a trail of curious clues, and team up to escape a locked room before time runs out, all wrapped in the twinkling-light, hot-cocoa magic of the season.

Throughout these three weeks, we will read Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, an award-winning mystery set in a hotel brimming with secrets during Christmastime.

This is Christmas School for the older kids, made for families who still want to gather around something special in the upper years. If you've been hoping for a holiday guide your nine, twelve, or fourteen-year-old will happily curl up with, full of clever puzzles and cozy sleuthing rather than crafts they've outgrown, this is the one to share together this season.

Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Preorder now during my BOGO sale and instantly receive your guide on October 15, 2026.

A woman of unrelenting strength, bravery, and determination. A legacy that every family should know. I am honored to create a guide about Harriet Tubman and the brave people she led to freedom. A poignant read for everyone, it has been described as the quintessential middle-grade biography of Harriet Tubman.

I invite you to step into the woods and waterways of Maryland's Eastern Shore with Harriet Tubman, the courageous conductor at the heart of Ann Petry's gripping biography Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad. Born into slavery and determined to be free, she made her own daring escape and then returned again and again, guiding more than three hundred people along the secret routes to freedom.

Your family will slow down and sink into a true story of courage, faith, and an unshakable belief that every person is made for freedom and deserves to be free. Through gentle, story-led learning, you will explore the life of Harriet Tubman and the secret world of the Underground Railroad in a way that feels connected, meaningful, and deeply good to live out at home.

Preorder now during my BOGO sale and instantly receive your guide on January 15, 2027.

I hope you are as excited as I am about these new picks, and know that all the guides in my shop are beloved books, the best of the best read-alouds that I guarantee you will love to explore as a family! I will be going through all four of the new guides with my kiddos this year, so you can follow along as we dive deep into the topics and explore through fun and engaging activities. You can follow along with me here on the blog, by joining my mailing list, or on Instagram.

If you have any questions about my guides, please feel free to email me at hello@bookishadventure.com.