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 October, read a mystery!
For this month’s challenge, read a mystery book. Mysteries make the reader think. It requires them to pay attention to clues, use logic and deductive reasoning, and try to solve the mystery before it is revealed.
Mysteries can be suspenseful and engaging to keep young and reluctant readers turning the page. Because many are available as a series, it can keep readers eager to grab another book.
We thought this would be a fun theme with Halloween approaching.
Suggested Books
A to Z Mysteries series
Ali Cross by James Patterson
The Boxcar Children series
Chronicles of Narnia series
Nancy Drew series
Dying to Meet You 43 Cemetery Road by Kate Klise
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective series
The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Diana Kudyka
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg
Goosebumps series
The Great Mouse Detective, Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
Hardy Boys series
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Hounds of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes series
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Magic Tree House series
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Math Inspectors series
The Mysterious Benedict Society series
Harry Potter series
A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
Simon and Chester, Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchanan
The Three Investigators series
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency: The Case of the Missing Moonstones by Jordan Stratford
Suggested Authors
Agatha Christie
Ian Fleming
Edgar Allan Poe
