2023 Reading Challenge – June and July

Inspired by reading challenges offered by many public libraries but limited to people in those specific communities, GSHE is hosting a 2023 Reading Challenge for NH’s homeschool community!

It is just for fun, to help young readers explore new authors, subjects, and genres. Our monthly challenges are very broad so families may choose whatever book they wish and feel is appropriate for their children.

We announce each challenge in our monthly newsletters – they usually go out around the 13th or so. This is where you will first see our monthly reading challenge, as a bonus to our subscribers. Sign up for our newsletter at our website; there is a box in the right-hand column that says “join today” and pop-up boxes to register. If you have any difficulty, email us at info@GraniteStateHomeEducators.org and we will register you.

Participants are not required to write book reports, give oral presentations, or complete formal projects, and families are free to incorporate our reading challenge into their child’s learning as they see fit. We have a simple 2023 GSHE Reading Challenge log that families may print out to keep track of their child’s participation, if they wish. It can be part of your child’s homeschool portfolio!

 

PARTICIPATION RULES

Parents/guardians may send GSHE one submission per month per child – include the child’s name and age along with what book he/she read. Email us at info@GraniteStateHomeEducators.org with “Reading Challenge” in the subject line so we can more easily keep track of everything. Submissions are due before the next month’s challenge is announced.

Each month’s participation is another chance to win! For example, if your child reads something each month, that give him/her multiple opportunities to win one of our prizes. If a child participates in six of the monthly challenges, that is six chances to win.

For kids that are not reading independently, audio books and books you read together are perfectly fine. All reading abilities are welcome to participate.

At the end of the year, we will award $25 Amazon gift cards to FOUR lucky winners!

Let’s get started!!

 

For June and July, read a comedy!

We thought this would be fun for the summer! There are several types of comedy to explore.

Comedy of manners – confronts manners and affectations of stereotype characters.

Dark comedy – often based on normally tragic or off-limits subjects.

Tragicomedy – uses a mix of tragedy and comedy to make them seem lighter and less awful.

Farce – uses exaggeration.

Satire – human vices or failings are highlighted with ridicule or contempt by using wit and humor.

Absurdist – uses characters’ experiences to address existential concepts.

Surrealist – whimsy and quirky humor in odd or nonsensical ways.

 

 

Famous Comedies

Douglas Adams – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Jane Austen -- Pride and Prejudice

Lewis Carroll – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Roald Dahl – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl – James and the Giant Peach

William Goldman – the Princess Bride

Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Astrid Lindgren – Pippi Longstocking

Arnold Lobel – Frog and Toad series

Betty MacDonald – Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books

Robert Munsch – the Paper Bag Princess

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, aka Moliere – The Misanthrope

Louis Sachar – Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes

William Shakespeare – Much Ado about Nothing

William Shakespeare – Twelfth Night

Jon Stone – the Monster at the end of this Book (Sesame Street)

Mark Twain – several stories

Kurt Vonnegut – Cat’s Cradle

Oscar Wilde – the Importance of Being Earnest