Home › History & geography › Comparisons
Two homeschool history programs, compared on what actually decides the fit: faith content, teaching style, what they cover, and how much you'll teach.
Updated September 2026 · based on parent reviews and publisher information
These two are close: the differences are small, so price, grade range and what parents say below may decide it.
Still torn? Answer a few questions and see how both rank for your child, side by side.
Compare for my child| Build Your Library | BookShark History | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | K–12th | PreK–12th |
| Faith | No religious content | No religious content |
| Covers | World history, American history | World history, American history |
| Approach | Chronological living-books history: daily reading, narration and copywork drive the lesson, not a textbook | Literature-based: read-alouds, independent readers and a spine book teach history chronologically |
| Who teaches | The parent teaches | The parent teaches from a scripted guide |
| Parent prep | Moderate (guide plans daily lessons; parent sources or borrows the books from the library) | Low (open-and-go 4-day Instructor's Guide; parent reads aloud and leads discussion) |
| Screen time | Mostly offline (books and paper) | Mostly offline (books and paper) |
| Video lessons | Available: occasional links to documentaries/online video, not required | None: no video lessons; parent reads books aloud and leads discussion |
| Cost | $39.95: Level 3 lesson-plan guide (36 weeks); book list is separate, most titles are available at the library | $459.52: Reading with History D package (grades 3-5) — history, geography and literature read-alouds/readers, discounted price |
| Parents love |
|
|
| Common complaints |
|
|
Secular homeschoolers pick Build Your Library because it pairs a Charlotte Mason approach (narration, copywork, real books) with an explicitly non-religious, chronological book list, and reviewers like that most titles can come from the library instead of a purchased box. The recurring complaint is that composition/writing instruction is thin and needs a separate program, and because you source the books yourself, actual cost and prep time depend heavily on what your library has on the shelf.
Parents who like Sonlight's book-based approach but want it without Bible readings often land here, and reviews consistently praise the quality of the book selections and how the 4-day schedule leaves breathing room each week. Some reviewers flag a specific title with content they didn't expect, note that a few historical novels feel above grade level for the timeline slot they're assigned, and mention that digital Instructor's Guides expire after about 18 months and international shipping runs high.
Neither is better for every child. Build Your Library is the stronger fit for no, separate levels; video lessons a big plus; video lessons nice to have. BookShark History is the stronger fit for hands-on projects and unit studies; yes, siblings together.
Build Your Library: no religious content. BookShark History: no religious content.
Build Your Library: $39.95: Level 3 lesson-plan guide (36 weeks); book list is separate, most titles are available at the library. BookShark History: $459.52: Reading with History D package (grades 3-5) — history, geography and literature read-alouds/readers, discounted price.
Summaries are in our own words.