ABOUT THE NOOK

 

The idea for the Nook stemmed from two things: over 40 years of combined reading between two book nerds and a book list started back in December 2015.

A lot of the families in our homeschool co-op are full of avid readers. We often get the questions, “Do you have any books that my [12-year-old, 14-year-old, 3-year-old, etc.] would like?” or, “I got this book for my [12-year-old, 14-year-old, 3-year-old, etc.], but I don’t really know if it’s appropriate for them; have you read it?” We’d hastily begin ripping pages out of notebooks to give out booklists, regardless of whether we had an immediate answer. If there was a kid interested in reading, we needed to find books for that kid right then and there.

 

In 2015, we decided to get organized.

The list was a simple chart divided into several columns by age range and maturity level, and from there we began filling it with every book we had ever read and enjoyed. The chart broke everything down so that we could provide a simple way to help younger readers find books they would love. Nearly a year later, we decided to make these booklists more available. Hence, the Nook was created: a website with the goal of pairing young readers with great books. We break down books into "starting age" categories, based on the philosophy stated by C.S. Lewis: "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." Thus, our books are sorted into categories such as 8+, 12+, etc.

​

The quest to find wholesome, age-appropriate reading material for our younger siblings and their friends led to the creation of this website, where we are dedicated to reviewing and recommending children's literature. We are lovers of literature and firmly believe that any child can develop of a love of reading if only they find the right book.

​

​