45-book Challenge

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U.S. HISTORY – 10 BOOKS: READ AT LEAST ONE BOOK FROM EACH HISTORICAL ERA AND AT LEAST

TWO BOOKS IN EACH OF THE FOUR GENRE CATEGORIES.

HISTORICAL ERA

EXPLORATION, COLONIZATION, REVOLUTION, THE FOUNDING, & THE YOUNG REPUBLIC

WESTWARD EXPANSION & DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST

SLAVERY & ABOLITION

THE CIVIL WAR, RECONSTRUCTION, & SEGREGATION

THE GILDED AGE, PROGRESSIVE ERA, IMPERIAL AMERICA, & WWI

THE ROARIN’ 20S, THE GREAT DEPRESSION, & THE DUST BOWL

WWII

THE COLD WAR, VIETNAM, & THE VIETNAM WAR

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

MODERN AMERICA

FANTASY/SCI-FI – 6 BOOKS . . . . . . . . .

REALISTIC FICTION – 6 BOOKS . . . . . . .

NOVEL IN VERSE (FREE VERSE) – 2 BOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MYSTERY – 2 BOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NEWBERY – 2 BOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CHILDREN’S CLASSIC OR TRADITIONAL LITERATURE ANTHOLOGY . . . . .

POETRY ANTHOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BOOK ABOUT A SOMEONE OF A DIFFERENT ETHNICITY, GENDER, OR

RELIGION OR SOMEONE FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BOOK ABOUT A SOMEONE WHO HAS A DISABILITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GRAPHIC NOVEL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HOW-TO – 2 BOOKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ADDITIONAL CHAPTER BOOKS – 10 BOOKS:

*ANY BOOK OVER 350 PAGES COUNTS AS TWO BOOKS

Reading list Each time you start a book, fill out one row below. Start by writing the title and author of

the book as well as the number of pages. If you finish the book, write the date you

finished it. If you chose to abandon the book, just write, “abandoned.” Use the five star

system below to give the book a rating. Please take the time to add your ratings to

BookSource. If you really enjoyed the book, please take the time to write a book review

in the Booksource online library system. (Your Booksource rating and review can be read

by other students, so it is a fun way to share good books with each other.)

TO RATE YOUR BOOK, COLOR IN SOME OR ALL OF THE STARS USING THE FOLLOWING GUIDE.

It was the worst book I’ve ever read – don’t waste your time

It was an okay book, but I definitely wouldn’t ever read it again

It was a good book, but I would have to be pretty bored to read it again

It was a great book – I would definitely read it again

It was the best book I’ve ever read – everyone should read this book

TITLE AUTHOR PAGES DATE

FINISHED RATING REV

TITLE AUTHOR PAGES DATE

FINISHED RATING REV

BOOKS I WANT

TO READ TITLE AUTHOR NOTES

TITLE AUTHOR NOTES

Reading Response entries

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

Writing a Good

Book Review

A book review is a short paragraph that shares your opinion of a book. To write a good

book review, follow these suggestions.

1. DON’T COPY A REVIEW FROM THE BOOK’S COVER OR THE INTERNET! Write your own

feelings, don’t copy those belonging to someone else.

2. Before you begin writing, ask yourself “what would someone who hasn’t read the

book want to know about it?” Give a consise summary of the book, focusing your

review on that one question.

3. Be specific! One of the biggest mistakes people make is to assume that everyone

who reads their review has already read the book. Use names of characters and

places instead of pronouns like he, them, or there. Give enough details that anyone

could understand your review even if they haven’t read the book.

4. Think of a creative way to share your personal reactions and opinons about the

book. Was the book clever, sad, hilarious, full of surprises, etc.? Don’t say the same

thing every time. Using a phrase like “it was good” gets pretty boring after a while. It

doesn’t give much information about the book either.

5. Don’t be afraid to comment on the book’s strengths and weaknesses. Offer

suggestions on why the audience might or might not like the book.

6. Don’t write about yourself. Your review is about the book not about you. Try not to

write something like “My sister said I should read this book, because she liked it. I

usually don’t like the same books as she does, but this time I did.” In fact, it is best to

not use words like I, me, my, or mine at all. Instead, use the title of the book, the

author, or characters’ names in your sentences. (For example, “What Maniac

Magee wants more than anything is a family and a place to call home.”)

7. It’s okay to compare the book to other books, but don’t overdo it. For example, you

can say “Like Harry Potter, Charlie Bone goes to a school for people with special

powers or abilitites.” Be careful though. If you spend too much time talking about

other books, readers will get confused about which book you are reviewing.

8. Quote a sentence or two from the book.

9. Try to make your review unique and special. An excellent review will catch people’s

interest and help them want to read the book.

10. Don’t give away too much. Your review should be short and should not ruin a

surprise ending.

EXAMPLE Book ReviewS

FOUND by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When an airplane unexpectedly lands at a city airport, the airport staff assumes

there's been a mix-up. But nothing prepares them for what they discover - an empty

cockpit and thirty-six passengers, all infants. Thirteen years later, when neighbors Jonah

and Chip each receive an intriguing letter telling them ‘You are one of the missing', their

lives are changed forever. Now that they are found, they set out to discover who they

are and where they've come from, but the answers they receive - from the FBI and

others - only pose more questions that get harder and harder to answer. Set in a modern-

day world where time travel is possible, Found is a terrific story that grabs readers by the

throat and with a cliff-hanging ending that has you swearing at the book for leaving you

on the precipice, it sets the scene for a long and much-loved series of books.

CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson

Chains tells the story of Isabel, a slave trapped in New York City in the early days

of the American Revolution. Sold to Loyalists when her former owner dies, she's offered

the chance to spy for the Patriots. But does their talk of liberty include freedom for her

and her fragile sister, Ruth? What about the British, who promise freedom to the slaves

who agree to join their fight against the rebels?

This book is carefully researched in a way that not only convinces you that you

are getting "the real deal" as far as the historical details are concerned but also

transports you straight back into the 18th century. The characters are interesting,

complex, and rich. An absolute page-turner, it's everything historical fiction ought to be.

DRUMS, GIRLS, & DANGEROUS PIE by Jordan Sonnenblick

Told in the sarcastic voice of 13-year-old drummer, Steven, this powerful novel

describes all the normal trials of adolescence. But Steven’s world really turns upside down

when his angelic-looking, yet crazy and annoying little brother named Jeffrey, gets a

nosebleed that turns out to be an indicator of something much more serious. At first,

Steven, whose parents give most of their attention to Jeffrey’s health concerns, focuses

only on himself. But very soon Steven discovers that his brother needs him and that taking

care of his brother and his family brings a new possibility into Steven's life. In the midst of

incredible drama, Steven discovers a sense of humor, the power of hope, and the magic

life has to offer. Readers will find their hearts, as well as their minds, absorbed in Steven’s

life and all that unfolds at home and school as his little brother’s life is on the line.

READING

JOURNAL

2016 – 2017

COMPELLING

Words to Use in a

Book review

“Reading

is its own reward. Reading is a university course in life; it makes us smarter

by increasing our vocabulary and background knowledge of countless

topics. Reading allows us to travel to destinations that we will never

experience outside of the pages of a book. Reading is a way to find

friends who have the same problems we do and who can give advice on

solving those problems. Through reading, we can witness all that is noble,

beautiful, or horrifying about other human beings. From a book’s

characters, we can learn how to conduct ourselves. And most of all,

reading is a communal act that connects you to other readers, comrades

who have traveled to the same remarkable places that you have and

have been changed by them, too.”

– Donalyn Miller

“Books

are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are

the destination, and the journey. They are home.”

– Anna Quindlen

“A book is a Gift you can open again and again.”

– Garrison Keillor

“The journey of a lifetime starts with the turning of a Page.”

– Rachel Anders