Build Your Library is a secular homeschooling program inspired by Charlotte Mason. It focuses on engaging literature and a historical timeline to teach K-12 students various subjects.
Most homeschool families report completing core academic subjects in 3-4 hours per day for elementary students, compared to the 6-7 hours typical of traditional schools, due to the one-on-one instruction and absence of classroom management overhead (NHERI, 2024).
What is Build Your Library?
Build Your Library offers an education inspired by Charlotte Mason, but it’s completely secular. Emily Cook, a homeschooling expert with over 20 years of experience, created it. Instead of boring textbooks, this curriculum uses living books—exciting literature written by passionate authors. Each of the 36-week levels follows a historical timeline, moving from ancient times to modern history for grades K-12. You’ll cover history, literature, poetry, science, and art using quality books. Parents buy PDF lesson plans, which cost between $30 and $60, and find the books at libraries or bookstores.
How the curriculum is organized
The curriculum is set up along a historical timeline for all grades. Level 0 (Kindergarten) looks at cultures worldwide. Level 1 dives into ancient Egypt, Persia, Rome, and mythology, along with nature study. Level 2 explores the medieval period—think knights, castles, and Vikings—while also covering earth and space science. Higher levels continue through early modern and modern history, plus two cycles of American history. Each level gives you a 36-week schedule with daily lesson plans. You’ll find which books to read, copywork passages, narration prompts, and extra activities. Science, art, and composer study tie into the history being learned.
What you'll need to add
Build Your Library does a great job with history, literature, science, and arts. However, it doesn’t include math, spelling, grammar, or reading instruction. Families need to find separate programs for those subjects. Popular choices include Singapore Math or Math-U-See for math, All About Spelling for spelling, and options like The Good and the Beautiful or Simply Grammar for grammar. By Level 1, the curriculum expects kids to read on their own, but earlier levels are great for read-alouds.
Comparing to similar programs
When you look at other secular, literature-based programs, Build Your Library stands out for its affordability. Lesson plans cost $30-$60, while competitors charge between $500 and $1,200 for full packages. Unlike BookShark, BYL tackles evolution and scientific ideas directly. It also includes more Charlotte Mason elements, like nature journals and artist studies, but you'll need to gather 30-50 books for each level. Compared to Sonlight, BYL is genuinely secular, not blended with Christian themes. It's cheaper but requires more organization since books aren’t bundled together.
The bottom line
Build Your Library might be the most budget-friendly way to get a solid, literature-based secular education. Emily Cook’s years of homeschooling shine through in her carefully chosen books that engage students while maintaining academic quality. This program is perfect for families who enjoy reading aloud, have access to a good public library, and appreciate Charlotte Mason's focus on narration and living books. Just remember, you’ll need to do some organizing to find all those books instead of getting a complete package. For families up for that, BYL offers great value.
