We are going to Learn Around the World this school year, and I am feeling inspired and a little overwhelmed with great ideas.
Most of that is due to our Learn Around the World Facebook group. The Facebook group is filled with inspiring homeschool moms who are sharing great tips and brainstorming resources.
This post was inspired when one mom began a thread with a question: Anyone pairing up Brave Writer books with the different countries?
Great question. I decided to do a little research on the titles and sort the Brave Writer Boomerang and Arrow titles by continent and country. They are available below and in the files section of my Facebook group as a downloadable PDF.
The following titles are used by Brave Writer for the Arrow and Boomerang Literature Guides. You can simply read them aloud to your family, or if you want to dig deeper into these titles, a literature guide for each of these books can be purchased in the Brave Writer store.
The books on this list range from a 3rd-grade level through high school. Please note that you should use your own discretion when it comes to the appropriateness of a book’s content for your family.
In addition, I recommend doing your own research to be certain that a title lines up with your educational goals for that particular country or continent.
I have listed titles that take place in a specific location or help the reader better understand the experience of someone who is from that country, even if the book takes place in a different country.
Geography Using Brave Writer
{This post contains Amazon affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure.}
North America
(USA not included as the majority of titles take place in the USA)
Anne of Green Gables – Anne’s adventures take place in Canada
Esperanza Rising – Mexico and California
What the Moon Saw – Mexico and USA
Mountains Beyond Mountains – Haiti
Asia
A Single Shard – Korea
Master Puppeteer – Japan
Sadako and 1000 Paper Cranes – Japan
The Big Wave – Japan
The Ghost at Takaido Inn – Japan
The Thing About Luck – Japan
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Chinese Folklore
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze – China
Cracker! Best Dog in Vietnam – Vietnam (NOTE: content is about the Vietnam War)
Inside Out and Back Again – Vietnamese refugee flees to the US (Entire book written in freeverse poetry)
Same Sun Here – India (Immigrant from India in US)
I am Malala – Pakistan
Persepolis – Iran (Graphic Novel)
Sold – Nepal (NOTE: content is descriptive about Human Trafficking)
The Bronze Bow – Isreal
Europe
The Midwife’s Apprentice – Medieval England
Crispin: The Cross of Lead – England (14th century)
Shakespeare’s Scribe – England (Black Plague; Globe Theater)
The Inquisitor’s Tale – France
Echo – Germany (Three tales intertwine. One begins in Nazi Germany)
The Book Thief – Germany (Nazi Germany)
Diary of a Young Girl – Germany (Nazi Germany)
Number the Stars – Denmark (WWII)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich – Russia (WWII)
Endless Steppe – Russia/Siberia (family taken from Poland)
Africa
Journey to Jo’burg – South Africa
Cry, The Beloved Country – South Africa
A Long Walk to Water – Sudan
The Red Pencil – Sudan
Oceania
Kon Tiki – Polynesia
Antarctica
Mr. Poppers Penguins – takes place in the US, but a penguin is involved.
South America
Secret of the Andes – Peru
If you want to print this out as a PDF document, then you can find it in the files section of the Learn Around the World Facebook group. I’d love to have you join us.
Traveling the world through literature is just one of the many ways to study geography without leaving your home. Happy Travels.
5 Comments
Woo hoo! What a great resource list!!
Thanks friend!
I love geography! You’ve given me some great ideas!
Wow, this is fantastic! Thank you!
Thank you!! Perfect for consolidating literature and geography, around the world study! Looking forward to this year 🙂