Book Recommendations

Book Recommendations, Homeschooling, Parenting

Seven Laws of the Learner

September 19th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

The same Hebrew word means to learn and to teach. Do you realize the significance of that? We can’t separate teaching from learning … Teaching is what the teacher does in the student.
Seven Laws of the Learner by Bruce Wilkerson

Seven Laws of the Learner changed my outlook. I had taught at two universities and homeschooled my sons over a decade before I read Wilkerson’s book and watched his DVD series. I more clearly saw my ultimate responsibility with both parenting and homeschooling and made immediate changes.

I had expected too much maturity and independence from my teenagers. If they weren’t learning, whether academically or non-academically, then I wasn’t teaching.

Regarding homeschooling, I took ownership of their weekly literature and biology vocabulary. Tiddlywinks were the markers and M&Ms the reward for Bingo vocabulary games. (My youngest claims he would have learned the words faster if I had let him fill up on M&Ms before Bingo started.) I looked for hands-on activities as I had done in earlier years. I stopped assuming that my guidance and creativity were less needed.

Another excellent parenting /teaching resource is Summarization in Any Subject: 50 Techniques to Improve Student Learning by Rick Wormeli.

Book Recommendations, Homeschooling, Parenting

A Year Of Learning

September 5th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

With Miss Agnes the world got bigger and then it got smaller … she told us all the things that were bigger than us, the universe and all that, and then all the things that were smaller. Too small to even see.

Before Miss Agnes came, we didn’t know people like us could learn that much …
The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

I was intrigued when I first saw The Year of Miss Agnes in a catalog. While I was on a library waiting list, a dear friend gifted me this book.

As I read about this Alaskan, one-room schoolhouse in 1948, I longed for a slower pace that allowed for more music, the wall map from my homeschooling years, and the timelines I never made.

I wasn’t alone. The villagers in the book get drawn into the learning adventure. One carries a timeline in his pocket. Another studies the class map. A few meet with Miss Agnes after hours to improve their reading. For me, it was a reminder to be a life-long learner.

I think I’ll work my world map puzzles.

PS There’s a sequel, Miss Agnes and the Ginger Tom.

Book Recommendations, Parenting, Relationships

A Fresh Start: Gordon Korman

April 4th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Gordon Korman is one of my favorite authors. I binge read his books after I discovered them. (See here and here.) My friend Barb recently reminded me of my favorites, The Unteachables and Restart.

In the aftermath of celebrating Easter, The Unteachables and Restart would be good family read alouds for those ten and older. While not explicitly Christian, they explore two good questions: What does it mean to forgive and be forgiven? What does it mean to have the opportunity to start a new life?

In The Unteachables, teacher Zachery Kermit was shunned and relegated to the worst classrooms after an eighth-grader’s folly. Twenty-seven years later, Mr. Kermit’s former student repents, seeks to make amends, and be forgiven. His teacher resists while simultaneously helping his current students rise above injustices done to them.

In Restart, Chase has amnesia after falling off a roof. Why is his stepsister afraid of him. Why do classmates avoid him? As Chase’s memory returns, he is appalled he was a bully and wants to change.

Although the themes are serious, the creative plots and memorable characters entertain and lead to great discussions. Can we forgive the deep hurts inflicted on us and by us?

Book Recommendations, Parenting

Our Children’s Books Matter

March 7th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Which came first? The love of the color blue or the love of the blue sweaters and blue jeans worn by the children in Pat Hutchins’ art work? My son wonders. He does know his earliest memory of loving the color blue is linked to Hutchins’ illustrations.

It doesn’t matter which came first. What does matter is that the words and art of the books we read aloud to our children, and the ones they later read independently, linger in their hearts.

I recently read a children’s book that was rich in memorable characters and adventure. It was also rich in laughing over brief episodes of profanity and glossing over hinted promiscuity. Otherwise, the stories were excellent. I wondered. With caveats about inappropriateness, could I read them aloud to impressionable children?

The next day, my son called. Our conversation turned to Piggins, a picture book we enjoyed thirty years ago. He told me the details that impacted his thinking and compared Piggins to another favorite, Brambly Hedge. At that moment, I knew I had to abandon the questionable book. The risk was not worth taking.

I am a part of everything that I have read. Theodore Roosevelt

Book Recommendations, Parenting

Books For Our New Year

January 10th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

What’s your calculus teacher like?
Mollie

He’s obviously a last born.
College-aged Son

I’ve read many parenting books over the years, but two non-parenting books have been among the most helpful—The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman and In My Father’s House by Corrie ten Boom.

My boys were in high school when we read The Birth Order Book as a family. It was engaging enough to keep their interest and the information stayed with them as seen from the quotes above. What did I learn? Helpful information I still use but most importantly, middle children stuff their thoughts and feelings. I should have known because I’m a middle child.

What did I remember from Corrie ten Boom’s autobiography? A simple life lived for others affects children profoundly—in the best way. I also learned wise answers to the hard questions children ask. (See here and here for more.)

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman is another good New Year’s read.