Read-Aloud Revival ®

Have you ever read a book and thought, “Wow, how did the author do that?!”  Or maybe you’d love to sit down with your favorite author and pick their brain about their writing process or tips and tricks for when you get stuck. Today, the Read-Aloud Revival team has compiled some of our favorite advice about getting creative from the archives of RAR Premium’s Family Book Clubs.  Whether you write, d...

If you’ve been around the Read-Aloud Revival for a minute, you might know that C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters is one of my all-time favorite books.  It’s the book I have read and re-read the most, and it’s also the source of some of my favorite read-aloud memories with my young adult son. Today’s guest has written a book in a similar style with the modern woman in mind, and in this episode we...

On the last episode of the Read-Aloud Revival, we talked about why Shakespeare is not a school subject. I hope we were able to convince you! But if we know that Shakespeare isn’t a school subject or an item on a checklist, how do we actually do it? And how do we make Shakespeare not just doable in our homeschools, but delightful? Today, we’ll talk through a simple framework your family can use to...

Why should we read the classics?  So many of us want to read and enjoy them, but we don’t want to spend our precious free time feeling like we’re incompetent because we just don’t get it or that the internet has completely ruined our brains (is this just me?). This winter in RAR Premium, we did a whole retreat about falling in love with your reading life again, and today I'm sharing one of those s...

In this episode, RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy and I sat down to tackle some of your listener questions.  We put our heads together to answer questions about loved ones who don’t support your choice to homeschool, curriculum overwhelm, reading aloud with older kids or a wide age range of ages, how to encourage your kids to read high quality literature, and more! In this episode, you’ll hear:...

Today, one of my very favorite authors returns to Read-Aloud Revival.  You know him as the author of Sweep, The Night Gardener, the Peter Nimble series, and The Fabled Stables . That’s right–Jonathan Auxier is back! This time, we’re talking about the much-awaited conclusion to the Peter Nimble series, The War of the Maps. In our conversation, we delve into the guiding questions he explores during...

One of my favorite reads of 2024 was The Myth Makers by John Hendrix. This gorgeous graphic novel tells the story of the remarkable friendship of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. I thought I already knew quite a bit about these Inklings, but there was even more to uncover. Today, I’m delighted to share my conversation with the author and illustrator of The Myth Makers, John Hendrix. We dive into hi...

What comes to mind when you think of C. S. Lewis’s Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings? There’s a good chance a lot of us are seeing very similar pictures. We’re seeing images that swept us into the whimsical world of wonder beyond the wardrobe (and into the Shire).  The beloved images of these childhood stories remain with us.  But it’s likely we don’t know much about the woman who...

Today, I’m thrilled to share a peek at the riches inside RAR Premium, our online community that helps you make meaningful and lasting connections with your books and helps homeschool mamas become the peace-filled, joyful mamas they’re called to be. Last summer, our Family Book Club selection was On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, the first book in the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. And...

Have you ever read a book and felt like you’d actually been to that place? Me too. Once, while standing in line at an amusement park, I met a couple who told me they were visiting from Maine. And I almost said, “Oh, I was just in Maine!” Except I’ve never actually been to Maine. I had just read a book that was set in Maine, and it was so immersive, it felt like I’d been there. That’s the power of...

Lately here at RAR we’ve been talking about reading for refreshment—reading for the pure joy of it—and how our own reading lives can be a source of energy and joy even in the throes of the busiest seasons of motherhood. This week on the podcast, we're revisiting an episode that dives into why reading isn’t just good for us and our kids, but why reading for fun is also an important part of our jobs...

Dear Duck, Please Come! is the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book.  But writing the words is only half the story for a picture book. Which is why today, I’m delighted to share my conversation with the illustrator of Dear Duck, Please Come! , Charles Santoso. Charles was born in Indonesia, raised in Australia, and now lives in Singapore. He’s illustrated tons of books we love here at Read-Aloud...

At the start of a new year, we are overwhelmed with the phrase “New Year, new you!” And of course, we want to be better wives, better mothers, and better people.  This desire to improve ourselves filters into our reading lives, too. It’s easy to justify a lot of our reading if it helps us be better for our families and communities.  But what about reading for fun? What about reading fiction? When...

Gather your aspiring writers and littlest book lovers for this episode.  I am so excited to welcome back author Millie Florence to talk about the beautiful book we created together, Beyond Mulberry Glen. Millie and I are chatting about the making of the book from inspiration to final draft with a series of fun questions from what scene was the hardest to write to what character she’d want to hang...

What if I told you there’s an Icelandic Christmas tradition where the whole point is to spend an evening sitting around, sipping hot cocoa, and reading books? Sign me up, right? Today, we’re talking about Jolabokaflod, which loosely translates to “Yule Book Flood,” how it started, and how you can bring the magic of this bookish tradition into your home this Christmas. In this episode, you’ll hear:...

"Marley was dead, to begin with." That is one of the most famous first lines in English literature. It comes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, which is perhaps the greatest Christmas ghost story ever told. What is it that speaks to so many of us about this story of Scrooge and his ghosts? Today I want to talk about what makes this story so beloved and enduring–from its original bestsellin...

As homeschooling moms, we often focus more on what we’re not doing than what we are doing. We fret about the lessons we should be teaching or the projects we should be creating. But here’s what we want you to remember (and what we try to remind ourselves): what you’re already doing is powerful. It’s purposeful. And best of all, what you’re already doing builds an enduring family culture. In this b...

How do you know a good book when you see it? I remember walking into the big, beautiful children’s section at the library with my oldest, who was a baby. I wanted to find books to read aloud to her, but it was hard to know which ones we would love.  That longing to find good books for my children was the spark that eventually became the Read-Aloud Revival podcast and RAR Premium community, where w...

A library should be a kind of paradise, don’t you agree? Author and illustrator Barbara Cooney certainly thought so.  Barbara Cooney was an extraordinary author and illustrator of over 100 children’s books with stories that span the world, from the shores of Greece to the mountains of Appalachia. The more I learned about Barbara, the more I wanted to tell the story of this beautiful artist who, in...

Raising creative kids is a beautiful, worthwhile endeavor, but not one that is always neat and tidy!  In today's episode, I’ve invited two of my good friends and fellow creatives—authors S. D. Smith and Carolyn Leiloglou—for a conversation on how our creative work as adults impacts our kids. We discuss everything from the challenges of nurturing creativity in our families to the influence of stori...

What if I told you that your homeschool could be relaxed, bookish, and ordinary? If you’re anything like me, that’s music to your ears.  Our kids thrive–and we do too–when our day-to-day homeschool is relaxed, bookish, and ordinary. In fact, that's what over 726 experienced homeschool moms told me were the three most important qualities.  Today, I’m sharing a recording from a session I did at a se...

Which of these two activities would be easier for you?  Describe the best life you could achieve over the next twenty years. Describe the best things that have happened to you over the past twenty years. I know that as a busy wife and mama, dreaming for the future can feel daunting. As I was reading Jon Acuff’s book, All It Takes Is a Goal this summer, I was struck by how this exercise can shift o...

Do you have a child who dreams of being a writer? Or maybe it’s your dream? How do you support those dreams and foster creativity while also raising kids and running a household? Today, I’m delighted to welcome back author Laura Martin, who’s giving us her very best advice for how to nurture your child’s creative dreams and your own. Laura Martin is the author of some of my very favorite page-turn...

We recently took a poll in RAR Premium about favorite reading genres, and it turns out that historical fiction isn’t just my favorite genre, but it’s the favorite of many of you as well. Today, I’ve invited historical fiction lover and award-winning author Anna Rose Johnson to join me to discuss just what it is about historical fiction that draws us in.  We’re also chatting about the inspiration f...

If you’re a homeschooling mom, chances are good that you’re familiar with Sally Clarkson. She is one of the most beloved names in homeschooling worldwide, and it’s no wonder why.  She homeschooled her own four kids to adulthood and has been writing and encouraging homeschool moms for decades. She also happens to be one of our most frequently requested guests here at Read-Aloud Revival. So we have...