Want to feel what book-based learning is like before you commit to BookShark's price? My free Apple Farmer Annie unit turns one picture book into two weeks of real science, math, history, and art. It is the first unit of The Living Year, my gentler, more affordable book-based program for ages 4 to 9.
Get the free unitWhat BookShark is, and why people look for alternatives
BookShark is a secular, literature-based homeschool curriculum, created as the secular spin-off of Sonlight. Your child reads a lot of real books, and history, science, and language arts are scheduled around them over a 36-week, four-day plan. You add your own math.
You can check BookShark's current lineup and pricing here, and Sonlight's here.
It is well made. The two reasons people look for an alternative are almost always the same: the cost, since an all-subject level commonly runs several hundred dollars or more a year (verify current pricing on their site), and the rigidity, since it is a full, scheduled program, which is more than some families want, especially in the early years.
The alternatives, and who each one fits
Build Your Library (a cheaper secular pick)
Build Your Library is a secular, Charlotte Mason flavoured, literature-based program. You buy inexpensive PDF plans and source the books yourself, so it is far cheaper than BookShark. It is also built to be inclusive and feels more political. But it is a full K to 12 plan that leans on you to pull the books and lead every lesson, with no math included. It is the closest swap on price. For the early years specifically, it asks a lot more of you than a gentle, done-for-you option does.
Sonlight (if you don't need secular)
BookShark exists because Sonlight is Christian. If a faith-based program is fine for you, Sonlight is the same literature-rich format with Bible and missionary content woven in. Same idea, different worldview. Compare the two here.
Beautiful Feet Books (history through living books)
If what you love about BookShark is the history-through-stories part, Beautiful Feet Books builds history study around living books, often geography-rich, across a wide age range. It is not a full all-in-one, so you would add other subjects.
The Living Year (gentle, book-based, ages 4 to 9)
If you love BookShark's teach-through-real-books idea but want something gentler and far more affordable for the early years, try a free unit study from The Living Year. The Living Year takes one beautiful book at a time and opens it into about two weeks of real science, history, art, and real thinking, for ages 4 to 9. It is the content side of school, done for you, so you bring your own phonics and math and it carries the rest. Secular and faith-friendly, Charlotte Mason inspired. See The Living Year.
Candidly, this one is the one I'm building for my own family.
When it isn't the fit: The Living Year only runs ages four to nine and it does not include explicitly Christian or progressive content. If you want a fully scheduled all-in-one box, or a program that keeps going past nine, BookShark or Build Your Library may be a better fit.
Try the Living Year, free
The fastest way to know if a gentle, book-based year fits your family is to run one. The free Apple Farmer Annie unit turns one picture book into about two weeks of real learning, with no prep and nothing to buy.
Get the free unitHow to choose
Start with why you are leaving BookShark. If it is price, Build Your Library. If it is the Christian question, Sonlight. If you only wanted the literature-based history, Beautiful Feet. If you want something gentler and done-for-you for the early years, The Living Year.
And if BookShark feels like too much program for little kids and you want something beautiful and done-for-you for ages 4 to 9, try mine. Start with the free unit and see how it feels before you spend anything.
FAQ
What is the best secular alternative to BookShark?
For a cheaper, literature-rich secular option, Build Your Library is the usual pick. For the early years specifically, The Living Year is a gentle, done-for-you book-based option for ages 4 to 9.
Is BookShark worth the money?
It is a well-made all-in-one, and families who want everything scheduled for them often find it worth it. If the price or the rigidity is the problem, the alternatives above cost less or ask less of your week.
What is the difference between BookShark and Sonlight?
BookShark is the secular version of Sonlight. The content and format are similar; Sonlight includes Christian teaching and BookShark does not.
Does BookShark include math?
No. BookShark schedules reading, history, science, and language arts, and you add a separate math program. Most book-based programs work this way, including mine.