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!