Children’s Books Featuring Homeschooled Characters

Homeschooled children often struggle to find books that show children like them. Since school is the norm, most children’s books are either set in school or are geared to prepare children for school. Fortunately for book-loving homeschooling families everywhere, there are many books featuring homeschoolers they can add to their home library. For the purpose of this compilation, a “homeschooled character” will be defined as a school-aged character who is either overtly homeschooled or who experiences sustained learning and life events over an extended period of time with no mention of school. Now for the list, which I guarantee is incomplete and ever-growing, much to the joy of homeschoolers everywhere.

Children’s Books Featuring Homeschooled Characters

The Adventures of Bellota, Avellanita, and Castanita by Elsa Bescow

The Adventures of Lil' Wolf, Twinkie, Toes, and Flower Girl in the Homeschool Forest by Jacqueline R. Campos

Allison's Story: A Book about Homeschooling by Jon Lurie

Alice, I Think by Susan Juby

Ana on the Farm by Elsa Bescow

Are we there yet?: A journey around Australia by Alison Lester

Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Brian's Hunt by Gary Paulsen

Chicken Friend by Nicola Morgan

The Conch Bearer series by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci (series) by Diana Wynne Jones

Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

Dancing with Dragonflies by Jack Francis Gorfien

Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

Drift House: The First Voyage by Dale Peck

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter and Rennard Strickland

Eloise by Kay Thompson

Feed by M.T. Anderson

From The Mixed-Up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by E.L. Konisburg

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

I am a Homeschooler by Julie Voetberg

I am Not Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos

Ida B...and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Islander by Cynthia Rylant

Jess (American Girl Today) by Mary Casanova

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

Josefina an American Girl (The American Girls Collection) by Valerie Tripp, Jean-Paul Tibbles, and Susan McAliley

Journey by Cynthia Rylant

Kandoo Kangaroo Hops Into Homeschool by Susan Ratner

Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Gouge

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Littles by John Peterson and Roberta Carter Clark

Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Gouge

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Meet Felicity: An American Girl (American Girls Collection) by Valerie Tripp

Meet Kaya: An American Girl (American Girls Collection) by Janet Beeler Shaw, Bill Farnsworth, and Susan McAliley

The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Monster of the Month Club (Series) by Dian Curtis Regan

The Moomin books (series) by Tove Jansson

The Nature of the Beast by Jan Carr

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durell

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Nim's Island by Wendy Orr

Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand

Olympus: It's Not Just a Game by Scott W. Somerville

Operation Red Jericho

Operation Typhoon Shore by Joshua Mowll

Pippi Longstocking (series) by Astrid Lindgren

Road to Coorain by Jill Ker Conway

Ruby Slippers School (Series) by Stacy Towle Morgan

Sarah, Plain and Tall (Series) by Patricia MacLachlan

The Sea Chest by Toni Buzzeo

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Shouldn't You Be In School? by Angelina Hart

Skellig by David Almond

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan

Tarragon Island by Nikki Tate

A Time to Fly Free by Stephanie Tolan

The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore

Tonia of Trelawney: A Buccaneer Girl by Jacqueline C Grant

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

What would Joey do? by Jack Gantos

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman

Wise Child by Monica Furlong

The Wizard of Oz (series) by L. Frank Baum

The Year I Didn't Go to School by Giselle Potter



Head to the library, the bookstore, or online, and pick up some of these treasures for your literature-loving family. I know I will!