A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

September’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections show what’s possible with courage and the support of a trusted sidekick or family member—all while exploring the writing, mechanics, and literary devices featured throughout these stories.

And this month’s Quill is designed to spark interest and ingenuity! Get inventive as your family reads picture books, sizes up schematics, and explores biographies!

Inventions & Inventors

Are you ready to get inventive with a brand new Quill? Check out our Inventions and Inventors book list to start curating your September read-aloud stack!

In this Quill, we’ll:

• scour the pages for schematics and sketches;
• take an up-close-and-personal look at biographies;
• spell out some step-by-step instructions;
• invent a writing implement;
• tally kitchen-related math-inspired inventions; and
• get our wheels turning with a close look at circles!

Get the Quill.

Ra the Mighty: Cat Detective by Amy Butler Greenfield

Can a lazy cat and his sidekick, a beetle, really crack a mystery? Find out when you read this comical mystery brimming with historical details and wacky fun!

This month’s literary device is red herrings.

Inside this Dart we’ll also:

• make some hoopla about a terrific opening hook;
• explore a setting full of palm trees and papyrus;
• click some onomatopoeia into place;
• contemplate context clues;
• unpack articles;
• enjoy a good action beat as we discover dialogue punctuation;
• deploy some dots in an array of end marks; and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

Wildoak by C.C. Harrington

Join Maggie and a snow leopard named Rumpus in Wildoak Forest. This beautifully written story—a triumphant celebration of the interconnectedness of the human, animal, and natural worlds—is a perfect read aloud.

September’s literary device is Alternating Points of View.

In this Arrow we’ll also: 

• pause to ponder the prologue;
• savor the suspense that hooks us as readers;
• keep things short and sweet with sentence fragments;
• listen to the rhythms of alliteration, assonance,and consonance;
• sniff out the power of sensory details;
• immerse ourselves in the imagery and lyricism of the writing; and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee

This work of historical fiction provides a rare look at North Korea on the brink of war in 1950. We’re confident this important story will inspire thoughtful conversations in your homeschool.

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

• feature flashbacks;
• savor sensory detail;
• bask in the book’s back matter;
• compare characters: main, secondary, and minor;
• hear about the hero’s journey;
• highlight historical fiction; and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.