The Challenge is Over!

We've reached the end of our Biggest Reader book challenge. How did everyone do?


For the staff here in the Youth Services Department some of us finished and some came very close to finishing. But we all agreed the we loved doing the challenge, whether or not we finished. It gave us all a chance to read new titles and genres that we never would have picked up before. For one staff member, she gained a new love for children's poetry. Another challenger said that she enjoyed doing the challenge because it gave her good titles to suggest to kids that come up asking for new books to read.



For me, the Biggest Reader was a lot of fun. There were days when I found it difficult to keep on reading- mainly because I enjoy picture books and adult fiction more. I wanted to quit a few times, just because my brain couldn't handle all the different selections. But then I would pick up something new, like for example one of my favorite picks was a DK Biography on Amelia Earhart. After reading it, the challenge had become fun again. I knew on the surface about Amelia, but I learned so much about her through this book and therefore I gained a new love for biographies. For me personally, I have decided to set a goal for reading chapter books every year. I recently read an article by "The Book Whisperer" that challenged all readers to read a book a day over the summer. It didn't have to be a chapter book, it could be a picture book or any book you wanted. But she challenged everyone to try and read a book a day for the summer. So I think I may try to do that as well.

So the challenge is over and the lesson we have learned is that as a reader sometimes you have to step out of your reading comfort zone, to discover new and exciting books. Happy Reading to Everyone!

In Honor of National Poetry Month!

Check out this poetry book review from our Biggest Reader Debbie!

Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles
By: J. Patrick Lewis

What a fun book to read!!! The authro cleaverly describes books in riddles- leaving it up to the reader to guess the titles. Great and cute illustrations clue in the reader along the way!

5 STARS!!!!

Hello everyone! We want to know how your biggest reading challenge is going? For us here at the Library we are going strong. For me personally, I find that I am coming to the end. I have about five more books on the list to read. I saved my favorite for last- historical fiction. I have a few others that I have to do from our list still and it has been a really great challenge. We are all finding that we are reading books from genres that we didn't even know we would love! For Debbie, she has discovered that she enjoys poetry more than she realized before this challenge began.

Here are a couple reviews from her list:

I am Writing a Poem About... by: Myra Cohn Livingston

Amateur poets will enjoy reading the poems in this book because the basis of the poems is one word, three words or six words for inspiration! Fun poems!

Louisa May Alcott by: Elizabeth Silverthorne

A childhood of poverty and loving encouragement was the impetus behind this author's rise to fame. Her novel, Little Women, was based on her own life experiences with her sisters.

Biggest Reader: Debbie

Here are some great books that Debbie has been reading for her challenge!

England's Jane: The Story of Jane Austen By: Juliane Locke

Jane Austen loved to write, even as a young girl. Her first book was published when she was 35 years old, anonymously. Her family encouraged Jane in her wit and writing.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane By: Kate DiCamillo

Edward is a toy china rabbit owned by a girl named Abilene. When Edward is accidentally lost at sea, he embarks on an adventure that teaches him the true meaning of love- to love and be loved.

Mr. Popper's Penguins By: Florance and Richard Atwater

Mr. Popper is a little quirky so it's no surprise to anyone when he adopts penguins for pets. However these penguins become very important to the Popper family.

Rolling in the Aisles: 9 Collections of Laugh-Out-Loud Poems Edited By: Bruce Lanksy

Even in you're not a fan of poetry, you'll have fun reading these poems about family, friends, food and pets. You might even laugh out loud a time or two!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid By: Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley is a middle school kid who attempts to be cool despite the hilarious events that happen as he moves through the school year.

Just Ella By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

What would happen if Cinderella refused the Prince's marriage proposal? Read this book and find out- Cinderella isn't who you thought she was!

Found, Book 1 of The Missing Series By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Jonah and friend, Chip, discover that the lives they've been living aren't exactly what they believe them to be. The boys were adopted but the process was very mysterious. Travel back in time with them to discover the truth.

Anne of Green Gables

Happy New Year to all of you readers out there! The Biggest Reader challenge continues here at the Lima Public Library. My latest selections have been from the classics. The Anne of Green Gables series is one that every girl should read! I have seen the movies but had not read the books and so when I saw that a new cover was released in this series it made me want to pick them up and read them. So I began with the first one, Anne of Green Gables, then moved on to Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, and the latest one I finished was Anne of Windy Poplars. I am excited to start the next book in the series which is Anne's House of Dreams. Reading this series makes me want to go and visit Prince Edward Island. There are so many more stories within the books that are not featured in the movie. So if you are someone that has only seen the movies, I highly encourage you to read the books as well.