A reading challenge gets you out of your habits: most of us keep returning to the same authors, the same genre, books of the same length. Setting yourself a constraint (a country, a form, an era) leads you to books you would never have opened and gives your reading year a thread to follow.
Each challenge on the wheel explains how to complete it: where to look, who to ask, what to note once you close the book. The “Teens and adults” variant works well as a year-long challenge with one spin a month; the “Young readers” variant is for ages 8 to 12 and works in the classroom as well as at home.
How to use it
- Choose the variant and a pace: one challenge a month, a term or per school holiday.
- Spin the wheel and write the challenge at the top of a reading journal or a note on your phone.
- Look for the book at the library or a bookshop and quote the challenge word for word: librarians and booksellers love this kind of request.
- Once you have finished, write three lines: what you liked, what surprised you, and who you would recommend it to.
All the options
- A thicker book
- Choose a book with at least 50 more pages than the last one you read. Split it into chapters to read each night and tick them off on your bookmark.
- A comic to retell
- Read a comic book, then tell the story to someone in your family without showing them the pictures. If they can say who the hero is and what they want, you have done it.
- An information book
- Choose a non-fiction book about something you love (animals, space, volcanoes, dinosaurs) and write down three things you did not know.
- A tale from far away
- Read a folk tale from a faraway country and find that country on a map or globe. Compare it with a story you already know.
- Read to someone younger
- Choose a picture book and read it aloud to a younger child, using a different voice for each character. Practise once on your own first.
- A grown-up’s favourite
- Ask a parent, grandparent or teacher which book they loved at your age, and read it. Then talk about what you both enjoyed.
- A gamebook
- Read a book where your choices decide what happens next, or a puzzle book. Write down the path that led you to the best ending.
- Book one of a series
- Start a series by reading the first book. If you want to open book two the moment you finish, you have completed the challenge.
- A poem by heart
- Read a poetry book for children, choose your favourite poem and learn it by heart to perform at home.
- Library lucky dip
- At the library, take a book from a shelf you never visit. Read at least the first ten pages before deciding whether to carry on.
- Torch under the covers
- Tonight, read for fifteen minutes longer than usual, by torchlight if you are allowed. Stop at an exciting moment so you can’t wait to carry on tomorrow.
Frequently asked questions
What is a reading challenge?
A list of prompts to tick off as you read, such as “a book by an author from another continent” or “a classic you have never read”. You complete it over a set period, often a year, on your own or with a book club.
How many books should you read for a yearly reading challenge?
Twelve, one a month, is a realistic goal for most readers. Start from your current pace and add two or three books: the challenge should stretch you without putting you off.
How do you find books for a reading challenge?
Ask a librarian or bookseller by quoting the challenge, browse literary prize shortlists and the themed displays in libraries. Online book clubs also share reading lists prompt by prompt.
How do you get a child to enjoy reading?
Let them choose their own books, comics and non-fiction included, and let them see you reading too. A playful challenge, such as reading to someone younger or finishing a first book in a series, motivates more than a set number of pages.