Reading Challenge

TWN is Hosting its First Reading Challenge!

January 20, 2024 / 34 Comments

Hello lovely readers!! I hope you have been enjoying your January and have had time to read a good book! It’s been awhile since Teen Writers’ Nook has done something fun and exciting (our plans for last year were unfortunately halted, but we still have every intention of getting back to it soon!). So to kick off the new year, even if we are a few weeks late, we’ve decided to create our very FIRST year-long reading challenge prompt list!!!!!!!

via GIPHY

The three of us worked together to create prompts for each month as well as a recommendations list for each month’s prompt. You don’t have to read any of the recommendations, they are just there in case you’re having a hard time coming up with a book for one of the prompts. All of the authors of the recommended books have been read by at least one of us. The team at TWN will be taking part in this challenge, and we’d love for you to join us!!<3 

the prompts

January – A book with snow on the cover.

Recs:

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder // Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney // Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen // A Crown of Snow and Ice by Melanie Cellier // Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter // Clara’s Soldier by Brittany Fichter

February – A book with a love triangle.

Recs:

The Secret Princess by Melanie Cellier // The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson // The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins // A Midnight Waltz by Joanna Davidson Politano // King Arthur by Howard Pyle

March – A book with a green cover.

Recs:

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder // The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen // Hatchet by Gary Paulsen // The Princess Companion by Melanie Cellier // The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson // Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston // May We Make Them Proud by Issabelle Perry // Irish Fairy and Folk Tales

April – A middle grade book.

Recs:

An Apprentice Escapes by Lillian Keith // Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk // The Candymakers by Wendy Mass // Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine // The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker by E. D. Baker // Ginger (Dog Diaries #1) by Kate Klimo // Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? by Liz Kessler // The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd // Ruff vs. Fluff by Spencer Quinn // Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar // The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson // The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson // World of Silence by Kaytlin Phillips

May – A book with a character who shares the same hobby as you.

Recs:

(reading) Authentically Izzy by Pepper D. Basham // (music) There You’ll Find My by Jenny B. Jones // (horses) The Princess and the Foal by Stacy Gregg // (dancing) Unknown by Vanessa Hall // (painting) The Memories We Painted by Caitlin Miller // (sports) The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop // (swimming) Real, Not Perfect by Stephanie Coleman

June – A book with the name of a person/place/thing in the title.

Recs:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo // Fawkes by Nadine Brandes // Dearest, Josephine by Caroline George // Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli // Dr. Dolittle // Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin // Jewel of the Nile by Tessa Afshar // The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green

July – A water-themed book.

Recs:

How to Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby // The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler // Thirst by Jill Williamson // A Kingdom Submerged by Deborah Grace White // Held Captive by Grace A. Johnson // Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

August – A book with a school setting.

Recs:

Ever After High series by Shannon Hale // Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling // A Crown of Secrets by Melanie Cellier // Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter // Faith Under Pressure by Courtney M. Whitaker // A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

September – A book with a color in the title.

Recs:

Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter // Secret of the Red Diamond by Kimberly Perry // The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis // The Gold in These Hills by Joanne Bischof

October – A book with a spy or detective.

Recs:

The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill // Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene // Red Rover, Red Rover by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick // Code Name Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem

November – A book about family.

Recs:

Rules for Stealing Stars by Corey Ann Haydu // Love of a Father by Joy Calle Martinez // Hope and Glory trilogy by Elizabeth Camden // Fled for Refuge by Kristina Hall // Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

December – A book that has an elf in it.

Recs:

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger // Magnify by Stefanie Lozinski // Moonscript by H. S. J. Williams // The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien 

If you have any recs for the prompts, feel free to share them down in the comments section below! Happy reading everyone! And we hope you have fun with the challenge if you chose to participate!!

~ The Team at Teen Writers’ Nook

34 Comments

  • Rose Q. Addams

    January 20, 2024 at 7:56 pm Reply

    YAAASS!!! I’m gonna try and do this one! I now have 3 challenges to accomplish this year.

    (This one has the nicest variety, I think. One of them is just remove as many books from your TBR as you can, which is one I am doing of necessity…)

    • Issabelle Perry

      January 22, 2024 at 2:40 pm Reply

      WOOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!! SO glad to have you in on the challenge, Rose!!! Whoa, that’s a lot, but I know you can do this!!!

      (Yes, I love challenges like the one TWN is doing where it has a fun variety that can get you to read books you desperately want to read as well as ones that’s been sitting on that TBR for a while! Hahaha, yep, I can definitely say I’m in on the removing as many books from your TBR challenge as you can just about every year. XD)

  • Amelia Cabot

    January 21, 2024 at 9:21 am Reply

    All y’all, this looks amazing!! I’m already (not consistently *coughs*) reading another book for this month, but I might have to try the one for next month!

    • Katherine

      January 22, 2024 at 2:44 pm Reply

      Aww, thank you, Amelia!!! I totally get that since it’s kinda a late start for January. 😉 But I hope you’ll be able to join in February for sure, and I hope you have fun!!!

    • Issabelle Perry

      January 22, 2024 at 2:42 pm Reply

      THANK YOU GRACIE!!!!!!!!!! That’s great! I’m still trying to figure out what I should read for Feb’s prompt. Got any suggestions? HEY no glaring at my Peeta boy!!! *glares at g*le* apparently he doesn’t have a fun title like Peeta that I could think of so we’re going with it

  • Ellie

    January 21, 2024 at 10:50 pm Reply

    Eeek! This is so exciting and I will definitely be participating… this month is the hardest… *is tempted to reread Words on Fire or the Long Winter or A Crown of snow and Ice*…

    But I can’t wait! Some recs I have are:
    March- The Tethered Worldd by Heather L.L. FitzGerald, Neverseen(Keeper of the Lost Cities book 4) by Shannon Messenger, or Messenger(The Giver #3) by Lois Lowry
    April- On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson(or the rest of the series) or Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
    September- The Golden Princess by Melanie Cellier, or Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
    November- Family Reunion by Kelsey Bryant

    This is such a fun idea and I might accidentally stay up too late making a page in my reading journal… XD

    • Issabelle Perry

      January 22, 2024 at 2:46 pm Reply

      Eeeek Ellie I’m so glad you’re going to be in on the challenge as well!!! Can’t wait to see what books you select for the prompts!!! Hahaha, I mean, you could just reread all three of them at once. 😂 I DEFINITELY wished I had planned ahead and done my reread of Words on Fire. I ended up deciding to finish a nonfiction book I’ve been in the middle of for a year that has some snow on the cover. 😂

      Oooo those are some GREAT recs!!! I’ll definitely look into these myself because I was looking at my bookshelf the other day and realized that I was going to be struggling with these prompts. XD Thank you so much for sharing!! (And I didn’t know I found another Tuesdays at the Castle fan! *high fives*)

      Oooo that sounds like SO much fun, and I definitely think working in your reading journal is a good excuse for staying up late. 😉

      • Ellie

        January 23, 2024 at 10:17 pm Reply

        Haha, yeah, that idea is really tempting… it’s either that or the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. XD Apparently there isn’t a single book on my TBR with snow on it. XD

        You’re welcome!(*returns high five* that’s awesome! I found it randomly years ago and loooved it and the next book is waiting for me, hehe)

        • Issabelle Perry

          February 14, 2024 at 9:41 am Reply

          Oooo but the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is also another good pick!!! Haha I have like one too many books on my TBR with snow on the cover because I read a lot of books that are set over there in eastern Europe, specifically Russia, and everyone associates it with snow. So there be snow on the cover. XD I’d be shocked if my own novel, Don’t Let Me Go, didn’t wind up with snow on the cover too.

          (Yes, that’s awesome!!! I always really liked the second book because there’s a griffin in it, though it’s been years since I’ve read it and can’t remember much else.)

  • Madeleine Huang

    January 22, 2024 at 12:20 am Reply

    This sounds fun! I have a feeling I could fit a Lemony Snicket book for all of these prompts, which makes me excited haha

    1. The Slippery Slope
    2. “Shouldn’t You Be In School?”
    3. “When Did You See Her Last?”
    4. The Vile Village
    5. The Bad Beginning (hobby: reading lol)
    6. Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
    7. The Grim Grotto
    8. The Austere Academy
    9.
    10. The Ersatz Elevator
    11. The End
    12. “Who Could That Be At This Hour?” (they mention LOTR okay???)

    I guess I’m wrong. But that was fun lol

    • Issabelle Perry

      January 22, 2024 at 2:52 pm Reply

      Aw, thank you, Madeleine!!! Whoa, girl, that is I M P R E S S I V E!!! You almost succeeded if it wasn’t for that pesky September prompt. I guess I have no excuse now not to finally get back to finishing the Lemony Snicket series when they fit for nearly all the prompts!!! (And, yep, I’ll accept Who Could that be at This Hour for the December prompt. 😉 ) Thanks for sharing!!!

  • JadeSky

    January 22, 2024 at 10:26 am Reply

    It’s been quite a while, but I saw this pop up in my emails and it sounded so fun! I’ve been trying to read more so this is absolutely perfect. Thanks for the encouragement 🙂

    • Katherine

      January 22, 2024 at 2:46 pm Reply

      Hi, JadeSky!! Long time no chat. How’s it going? Thank you for stopping by!! I’m so happy to hear that you thought this challenge sounded fun!! I hope it helps you read more and that you have fun participating in the challenge! Aw, you’re so welcome!!<3

  • Corrie.S.P

    January 22, 2024 at 9:00 pm Reply

    This sounds so fun! I can’t think of any books that have snow on them that I am interested in rn, so it looks like I’m going to re-read. I just watched a movie variation of a book that I want to re-read, so I will go with that one if I can’t find any others. *Glances at Hercule Poirot’s Christmas*

    Thanks for doing this! I can actually keep track of when I read those books now that I finally have a goodreads account😏😈 You’ll know if I cheat😂

    • Katherine

      February 5, 2024 at 3:42 pm Reply

      Yay, I’m so glad you think so, Corrie!!! Hey, that’s ok. Re-reading is always so much fun! Ooh, cool! I didn’t realize there were any movies on that book.😂 To be honest, I haven’t read anything by Agatha Christie, so that’s something I really need to do this year.

      Aw, you’re so welcome! We’re happy to hear that you’re excited about it and plan on participating! Wow, that’s so cool that you have a Goodreads account now!!! I’m so excited for you, girl! Lol.😂 I look forward to seeing what books you read for the challenge!!😉

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