Books I Plan to Read with my Kids in 2026

One of my very favorite parts of parenting is reading aloud with my kids. I've loved it since my first was a baby (she loved to sit and be read to, even at a really young age!) and it's only gotten more fun as they've gotten older.

I share books with my kids in two primary ways--I read out of a novel with them at bedtime for 20-30 minutes each night and we have a family audiobook that we listen to together (in the car, especially on long car trips, but also sometimes while coloring at the table together). It is such a joy to share some of my favorite childhood worlds with my kids and to discover new books with them as well!

Here are the books I'm planning on reading with them in 2026:

Little House in the Big Woods + series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I've read the first two books in the series with my kids before, but I've never read the entire series together. This year, we are! We've started Little House in the Bigs Woods before bed this month and are loving it (even my four year old boy, who is just starting to follow the longer read alouds, so that's really fun!). I plan on reading the rest of the series (other than The Last Four Years, since it wasn't ever technically finished and I don't think is as good for kids) during the next few months. I have one book in the series planned for each month, so we'll probably finish up the series in August or September.

Little House Read Aloud Tracker.pdf

Download PDF • 546KB

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

When we finish up the Little House series, I want to reread Because of Winn Dixie with the kids. It's been awhile since we read it together, but it was one of their favorites when we read it years ago. It is also a quicker read, so if we need to use some of September to finish up the Little House series, we should still have time for it.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Every October, I like to pick a "Halloween" themed read aloud. I have read The Witches with the older kids, but it's been years. I think my middle child will especially like the book and I know she has no memory of reading it before. It should be a fun October read.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

I didn't read Where the Red Fern Grows until I was an adult, but it is one of my favorite books. This is another book that I read with the kids when they were younger, but none of them remember. I'm excited to revisit this one with them, though I'll have to warn them again that it is sad (anyone else get in trouble for reading sad books to their kids?). We like to watch the movie after reading this book as well, the version with the kid that has dark hair (not the one with blond hair). I always cry when reading the book, though I don't usually cry when watching the movie.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

For our Christmas read this year, I thought I'd read them Little Women at bedtime. They've never read it before and I love the Christmas scene at the beginning of the book.

The Complete Christmas Books of Lucy Maud Montgomery

I read this myself in 2025 at Christmastime and it was truly delightful. It is a collection of short stories set at Christmas and New Year's that are full of helping others and learning the true meaning of Christmas. While not all of them are middle grade, I think the kids will love and appreciate all of them (other than The Red Room, which was more of a dark, sad story which I'm planning on skipping over). I want to read this with them in December during our homeschool day.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards

I was today-years old when I found out that Julie Andrews the actress has written children's books! A neighbor brought over some books they were getting rid of for the kids and The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles was one of them. I started reading it and was instantly charmed--it is so cute and very well-written. I want to read it with the kids this year if I can find the time, whether we finish our read alouds at bedtime sooner than planned or if I end up reading it during our homeschool day. It's a quick read, so I think I'll be able to manage it.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

This is another "if I can squeeze it in" book--if we finish up Little Women at Christmastime soon enough, I want to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with the kids. It's such a good Christmastime read. We've read it a couple times together already (and the kids love the movie), but I am considering reading the entire series (which we haven't read together) next year and I want to start with this book. If we don't get to it this year, it will likely be our first read in 2027.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets + series by JK Rowling

For our audiobooks right now, we've been listening to the Harry Potter series. We finished book one at the end of December and are currently listening to book two. We've read and listened to book one before and years ago (when Parker was Oliver's age), we listened to book three, but most of my kids haven't read any others (my oldest has listened to all of them about 50 times). I'm having a lot of fun rereading the books (especially as we moved past book one, which is the one I've reread the most) and I love seeing my kids enjoying them.

The Secrets of Winterhouse + The Winterhouse Mysteries by Ben Guterson

Our December read at bedtime in 2025 was Winterhouse and the kids loved it. They wanted to read the rest of the series, but I wasn't sure I wanted to read them aloud (my memory is that I really liked the first and the next two in the series were just okay). Once we finish up the Harrry Potter audiobook series (if we finish them this year, which I think is likely), then I'll start the rest of the Winterhouse series on audio with the kids. It's easier for me to listen to the audiobook than to read it aloud.

That's what I have planned to read and listen to this year with my kids! What does your family reading time look like? What books are you planning on sharing with your kids this year? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!