Keenly Kept

Ambleside Online Books

Last Updated: May 4, 2026

Below you will find linked images to reviews of books used in Ambleside Online’s curriculum. Please use their website for complete lists. Also, be sure to check age recommendations as my thoughts occasionally differ from theirs.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, let me hear from you! This will tell me which books are priorities.

Related Book Lists:
Memoria Press Books
Sonlight Books
Veritas Press Books

Drop Down To:
Year 0 (K)
Year 1  –  Year 5  –  Year 9
Year 2  –  Year 6  –  Year 10
Year 3  –  Year 7  –  Year 11
Year 4  –  Year 8  –  Year 12

Ambleside Books: Year 0 (K)

See their website (here) for the complete Year 0 list.

A Baby Sister for Frances (Hoban) | keenlykept.com
A Baby Sister for Frances (Hoban)
Bedtime for Frances (Hoban) | keenlykept.com
Bedtime for Frances (Hoban)
A Birthday for Frances (Hoban) | keenlykept.com
A Birthday for Frances (Hoban)
Blueberries for Sal (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Blueberries for Sal (McCloskey)
Bread and Jam for Frances (Hoban) | keenlykept.com
Bread and Jam for Frances (Hoban)
A Child's Garden of Verses (Stevenson) | keenlykept.com
A Child's Garden of Verses (Stevenson)
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Lobel) | keenlykept.com
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Lobel)
The Gingerbread Boy (Galdone) | keenlykept.com
The Gingerbread Boy (Galdone)
The Little Engine That Could (Piper) | keenlykept.com
The Little Engine That Could (Piper)
The Little House (Burton) | keenlykept.com
The Little House (Burton)
The Little Red Hen (Galdone) | keenlykept.com
The Little Red Hen (Galdone)
Make Way for Ducklings (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Make Way for Ducklings (McCloskey)
Miss Rumphius (Cooney) | keenlykept.com
Miss Rumphius (Cooney)
One Morning in Maine (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
One Morning in Maine (McCloskey)
Ox-Cart Man (Cooney) | keenlykept.com
Ox-Cart Man (Cooney)
Paul Revere's Ride (Longfellow, Rand) | keenlykept.com
Paul Revere's Ride (Longfellow, Rand)
Roxaboxen (Cooney) | keenlykept.com
Roxaboxen (Cooney)
Stone Soup (Brown) | keenlykept.com
Stone Soup (Brown)
The Story About Ping (Flack) | keenlykept.com
The Story About Ping (Flack)
The Story of Ferdinand (Leaf) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Ferdinand (Leaf)
The Tale of Three Trees (Hunt) | keenlykept.com
The Tale of Three Trees (Hunt)
The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Galdone) | keenlykept.com
The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Galdone)
The Three Bears (Galdone) | keenlykept.com
The Three Bears (Galdone)
Three Little Kittens (Galdone) | keenlykept.com
Three Little Kittens (Galdone)
The Three Little Pigs (Galdone) | keenlykept.com
The Three Little Pigs (Galdone)

Ambleside Books: Year 1

See their website (here) for the complete Year 1 list.

Charlotte's Web (White) | keenlykept.com
Charlotte's Web (White)
A Child's Garden of Verses (Stevenson) | keenlykept.com
A Child's Garden of Verses (Stevenson)
Father Bear Comes Home (Minarik) | keenlykept.com
Father Bear Comes Home (Minarik)
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Lobel) | keenlykept.com
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Lobel)
Grasshopper on the Road (Lobel) | keenlykept.com
Grasshopper on the Road (Lobel)
A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla) | keenlykept.com
A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla)
Little Bear (Minarik) | keenlykept.com
Little Bear (Minarik)
Peter Pan (Barrie) | keenlykept.com
Peter Pan (Barrie)
Pinocchio (Collodi) | keenlykept.com
Pinocchio (Collodi)
Saint George and the Dragon (Hodges) | keenlykept.com
Saint George and the Dragon (Hodges)
Tales From Shakespeare (Lamb) | keenlykept.com
Tales From Shakespeare (Lamb)
Trial and Triumph (Hannula) | keenlykept.com
Trial and Triumph (Hannula)
The Velveteen Rabbit (Williams) | keenlykept.com
The Velveteen Rabbit (Williams)

Ambleside Books: Year 2

See their website (here) for the complete Year 2 list.

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh) | keenlykept.com
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh)
Betsy-Tacy (Lovelace) | keenlykept.com
Betsy-Tacy (Lovelace)
Billy and Blaze (Anderson) | keenlykept.com
Billy and Blaze (Anderson)
Chanticleer and the Fox (Cooney) | keenlykept.com
Chanticleer and the Fox (Cooney)
The Door in the Wall (de Angeli) | keenlykept.com
The Door in the Wall (de Angeli)
Five Children and It (Newsbit) | keenlykept.com
Five Children and It (Newsbit)
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Sidney) | keenlykept.com
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Sidney
Happy Little Family (Caudill) | keenlykept.com
Happy Little Family (Caudill)
Heidi (Spyri) | keenlykept.com
Heidi (Spyri)
The Hundred Dresses (Estes) | keenlykept.com
The Hundred Dresses (Estes)
A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla) | keenlykept.com
A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla)
Joan of Arc (Stanley) | keenlykept.com
Joan of Arc (Stanley)
Mary Poppins (Travers) | keenlykept.com
Mary Poppins (Travers)
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater) | keenlykept.com
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater)
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Lofting) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Lofting)
The Story of Holly & Ivy (Godden) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Holly & Ivy (Godden)
Tales From Shakespeare (Lamb) | keenlykept.com
Tales From Shakespeare (Lamb)
Trial and Triumph (Hannula) | keenlykept.com
Trial and Triumph (Hannula)
Understood Betsy (Fisher) | keenlykept.com
Understood Betsy (Fisher)

Ambleside Books: Year 3

See their website (here) for the complete Year 3 list.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll) | keenlykept.com
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh) | keenlykept.com
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh)
Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) | keenlykept.com
Caddie Woodlawn (Brink)
The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh) | keenlykept.com
The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh)
The Hundred Dresses (Estes) | keenlykept.com
The Hundred Dresses (Estes)
A Little Princess (Burnett) | keenlykept.com
A Little Princess (Burnett)
The Matchlock Gun (Edmonds) | keenlykept.com
The Matchlock Gun (Edmonds)
My Side of the Mountain (George) | keenlykept.com
My Side of the Mountain (George)
Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) | keenlykept.com
Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan)
Tales From Shakespeare (Lamb) | keenlykept.com
Tales From Shakespeare (Lamb)
Trial and Triumph (Hannula) | keenlykept.com
Trial and Triumph (Hannula)
Twenty and Ten (Bishop) | keenlykept.com
Twenty and Ten (Bishop)
Twenty-One Balloons (du Bois) | keenlykept.com
Twenty-One Balloons (du Bois)
The Wheel on the School (DeJong) | keenlykept.com
The Wheel on the School (DeJong)

Ambleside Books: Year 4

See their website (here) for the complete Year 4 list.

Bambi (Sarten) | keenlykept.com
Bambi (Sarten)
Black Beauty (Sewell) | keenlykept.com
Black Beauty (Sewell)
The Borrowers (Norton) | keenlykept.com
The Borrowers (Norton)
The Chestry Oak (Seredy) | keenlykept.com
The Chestry Oak (Seredy)
The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh) | keenlykept.com
The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh)
The Cricket in Times Square (Selden) | keenlykept.com
The Cricket in Times Square (Selden)
Gone-Away Lake (Enright) | keenlykept.com
Gone-Away Lake (Enright)
Homer Price (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Homer Price (McCloskey)
The Incredible Journey (Burnford) | keenlykept.com
The Incredible Journey (Burnford)
Kidnapped (Stevenson) | keenlykept.com
Kidnapped (Stevenson)
The Matchlock Gun (Edmonds) | keenlykept.com
The Matchlock Gun (Edmonds)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien) | keenlykept.com
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien)
My Side of the Mountain (George) | keenlykept.com
My Side of the Mountain (George)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis) | keenlykept.com
WHOLE SERIES: The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis)
Pollyanna (Porter) | keenlykept.com
Pollyanna (Porter)
The Railway Children (Nesbit) | keenlykept.com
The Railway Children (Nesbit)
The Rescuers (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers (Sharp)
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp)
The Rescuers 03: The Turret (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers 03: The Turret (Sharp)
Return to Gone-Away (Enright) | keenlykept.com
Return to Gone-Away (Enright)
Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) | keenlykept.com
Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan)
The Secret Garden (Burnett) | keenlykept.com
The Secret Garden (Burnett)
The Sign of the Beaver (Speare) | keenlykept.com
The Sign of the Beaver (Speare)
Thimble Summer (Enright) | keenlykept.com
Thimble Summer (Enright)
Trial and Triumph (Hannula) | keenlykept.com
Trial and Triumph (Hannula)
Twenty and Ten (Bishop) | keenlykept.com
Twenty and Ten (Bishop)
Twenty-One Balloons (du Bois) | keenlykept.com
Twenty-One Balloons (du Bois)

Ambleside Books: Year 5

See their website (here) for the complete Year 5 list.

A Christmas Carol (Dickens) | keenlykept.com
A Christmas Carol (Dickens)
Across Five Aprils (Hunt) | keenlykept.com
Across Five Aprils (Hunt)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain) | keenlykept.com
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain)
Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) | keenlykept.com
Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery)
The Chestry Oak (Seredy) | keenlykept.com
The Chestry Oak (Seredy)
The Cricket in Times Square (Selden) | keenlykept.com
The Cricket in Times Square (Selden)
Homer Price (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Homer Price (McCloskey)
Lad: A Dog (Terhune) | keenlykept.com
Lad: A Dog (Terhune)
Little Women (Alcott) | keenlykept.com
Little Women (Alcott)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien) | keenlykept.com
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien)
Oliver Twist (Dickens) | keenlykept.com
Oliver Twist (Dickens)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Wiggin) | keenlykept.com
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Wiggin)
The Rescuers (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers (Sharp)
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp)
The Rescuers 03: The Turret (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers 03: The Turret (Sharp)
The Story of the Treasure Seekers (Nesbit) | keenlykept.com
The Story of the Treasure Seekers (Nesbit)
Treasure Island (Stevenson) | keenlykept.com
Treasure Island (Stevenson)
Trial and Triumph (Hannula) | keenlykept.com
Trial and Triumph (Hannula)
Return to Top

Ambleside Books: Year 6

See their website (here) for the complete Year 6 list.

The Ark (Benary-Isbert) | keenlykept.com
Legends & Leagues: South
The Bronze Bow (Speare) | keenlykept.com
Legends & Leagues: South
The Call of the Wild (London) | keenlykept.com
Legends & Leagues: South
The Chestry Oak (Seredy) | keenlykept.com
The Chestry Oak (Seredy)
The Cricket in Times Square (Selden) | keenlykept.com
The Cricket in Times Square (Selden)
The Hobbit (Tolkien) | keenlykept.com
Legends & Leagues: South
Homer Price (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Homer Price (McCloskey)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien) | keenlykept.com
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien)
The Rescuers (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers (Sharp)
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp)
The Rescuers 03: The Turret (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers 03: The Turret (Sharp)
Snow Treasure (McSwigan) | keenlykept@gmail.com
Legends & Leagues: South
Trial and Triumph (Hannula) | keenlykept.com
Trial and Triumph (Hannula)
Where the Red Fern Grows (Rawls) | keenlykept.com
Where the Red Fern Grows (Rawls)

Ambleside Books: Year 7

See their website (here) for the complete Year 7 list.

The Hobbit (Tolkien) | keenlykept.com
Legends & Leagues: South
The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow (French) | keenlykept.com
Floss (Lewis)

Ambleside Books: Year 8

See their website (here) for the complete Year 8 list.

Reviews to come to this section eventually–message me if you have specific questions (I have read many of their suggested titles).

Ambleside Books: Year 9

See their website (here) for the complete Year 9 list.

Reviews to come to this section eventually–message me if you have specific questions (I have read many of their suggested titles).

Ambleside Books: Year 10

See their website (here) for the complete Year 10 list.

Reviews to come to this section eventually–message me if you have specific questions (I have read many of their suggested titles).

Ambleside Books: Year 11

See their website (here) for the complete Year 11 list.

Reviews to come to this section eventually–message me if you have specific questions (I have read many of their suggested titles).

Ambleside Books: Year 12

See their website (here) for the complete Year 12 list.

Reviews to come to this section eventually–message me if you have specific questions (I have read many of their suggested titles).

Return to Top

PLEASE REMEMBER:
The above lists will never be complete. Always refer to Ambleside Online’s website for up-to-date information. Thank you!

Join the bookish fun...

Subscribe for the monthly update and access to exclusive freebies.