I have homeschooled 18 year (and have another 11 to go!) We have found it useful to use the Pathway Readers (an Amish reading series) with our children.  The readers do a pretty good job of gaining the interest of the beginner reader and I find the stories found in later readers good for thoughtful reflection on behavior. The kids also find the stories interesting because I grew up not far from Holmes County and had relatives in the communities there.