Why I Chose This Challenge
My son is in seventh grade, and we homeschool. At Christmas I realized he needed *more* in his day. I was not sure what to add. My older son has done classes at Schole Academy, so I thought about that. I thought about adding more math, or harder math. Considered a class on Outschool. I prayed about it, and it hit me: he needs to love reading. He has read here and there (loves Harry Potter, Garfield, and the occasional biography), but he is not naturally a book lover. Reading has changed my life. I feel so strongly that good readers are richer people, and this was the best gift I could give him. I say all that to say that these were my goals:
- get him to love reading
- get him to read books that would inspire him and help him grow
Therefore, this list is not the “greatest books of all time” kind of list, although many are great. It was created to get HIM to love reading. So since he likes math and survival books and not as crazy about fantasy, the list reflects that. I think you should create a list that a kid loves.
Incentive
He gets a dollar for every book he reads. Some people think you shouldn’t pay kids to do stuff like reading. I disagree. We are all motivated by things. My son is highly motivated to earn a dollar, and also a “loves to count things” kind of person. I would definitely say to tailor the prize to the kid, but also create some stops along the way. ex: 20 books = $20 LEGO set // 40 books = $40 lego set. LEGOS are basically a bazillion dollars right now, so good luck with that example. I will also be throwing in a “Grand Prize” if he reaches 50 in six months: breakfast out with Dad. Some people would think that is lame, however my son loves bacon and pancakes as much as life itself, and unlike Mom, Dad doesn’t limit the amount of syrup people put on pancakes. So definitely add a “grand prize” if they complete goal!
Book Choice
I had planned to choose the first 30 books and let him choose the next 20. As it turns out, he has liked the suggestions and kind of wants me to pick. If I’m unsure if he’ll like a book, he reads the sample on Amazon to decide if we want to add it. I tried to make sure I put some “easy wins” on there at the beginning to keep him motivated.
How we tracked it
We created a shared Google Drive which we both have access to. I am able to add the books, and he goes in to mark the date he finished and also to rank them scale of 1-10. This has been a great way to remember and archive the books!
The Book List
The list below is my son’s actual list. I will add more as the year progresses. Below that are more suggestions for you.
| Where The Red Fern Grows – I warned him this was sad…He says he still wants to read it! |
| The Westing Game |
| Holes, Louis Sachar |
| Boyhood and Beyond |
| The Pushcart War |
| Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life |
| Wild Men, Wild Alaska – he read book 1 and 2 |
| Navigating Early |
| Make Your Bed |
| Unbroken, young reader’s edition |
| A Christian Heroes Then and Now Book You Have Not Read |
| Jed Cartwright |
| Do Hard Things |
| Twenty and Ten |
| Rifles For Watie |
| The Great Turkey Walk |
| Canoeing With The Cree |
| The Art of Manliness |
| The Cay |
| Julie of the Wolves |
| By the Great Horn Spoon |
| Homer Price |
| Code Talker |
| Boys in the Boat??? |
| Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt |
| The BFG |
| The Last Battle |
| Redwall |
| Shades of Gray – NOT that one lol |
| Kidnapped |
| The Mystery of Cabin Island |
| The Number Devil |
| Wild Men, Wild Alaska II |
| Mooses and Bazookas |
| Lost in the Barrens |
| 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea |
Books He or My Other Son Have Already Read (aka I approve)
- Wingfeather Saga
- Green Ember Series
- Farmer Boy
- My Side of the Mountain
- Sign of the Beaver
- Indian in the Cupboard
- The Bronze Bow
- Danny Orlis (series)
- Swallows and Amazons
- Around the World in 80 Days
- Shaken: Young Readers Edition
- 20,000 leagues under the sea
- The Shining Sword
- Hank the Cowdog
- Bear Grylls Adventure Series
- Tuttle Twins
- Dream Travelers
- Boxcar Children
- Ranger’s Apprentice
- Hardy Boys
- Brotherband
- Harry Potter
- Redwall
- Wilderking Trilogy
- Shiloh Fantasy Series
- Bear Grylls Survival Handbook
- The Closer, young readers edition
- Shoe Dog, Young Readers Edition
- Green Ember
- Warrior Dog
- Wild Men, Wild Alaska
- Theodore Boone
- Animal Farm
- This Present Darkness
- Cooper Kids Adventure Series
- Treasure Island
Reader Suggestions:
- Astrid the Unstoppable
- The Vanderbeekers
- Rats of NIMH
- Tale of Despereaux
- Ender’s Game
- The False Prince (and series)
- And They Found Dragons (series)
- The Lost Prince
- Summer of the Monkeys
- Three Muskateers
- Sherlock Holmes
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