Not signed up for YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since February 9 counts, so sign up now!
It’s time for the first weekly check-in of the 2015 Hub Reading Challenge and I’m knee deep in Morris Award Winner Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, which I finally managed to get my hands on. The long hold list for this book at my library was one of the things that kept me from finishing the earlier Morris/Nonfiction Challenge and I’m hoping to do better with this one. I’m a little worried because I’ve actually read quite a few of the eligible titles this year–more than usual for me anyway–but I guess that just means I’m going to have to pick up some titles well off my radar and outside my comfort zone. Which is perfect.
One of the best parts of the Reading Challenge, for me, is the social aspect. I love hearing what everyone thinks of the titles that were named winners or honors, Best of the Bests, and Top Tens this year. If you’re sharing your thoughts on social media, be sure to include the hashtag #hubchallenge. You can also join the conversation over at the 2015 Goodreads Hub Reading Challenge group–if this year is anything like last year, that place is sure to be hopping in no time.
Remember, eligible titles read or listened to within the challenge time period count towards your total, with the exception of titles read for the Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge; whether or not you finished that challenge, you can count those books toward your 25 Reading Challenge titles. I don’t know about you, but that puts me at six titles down, 19 to go, and that feels pretty great.
You have until 11:59 PM EST on June 21st to finish all 25 books which is plenty of time, right? Keep track of your progress by commenting on the weekly check-in posts to let us know how you’re doing and what you’re reading and/or listening to; if you’ve reviewed those titles somewhere online, please include links to your reviews! Don’t forget to grab the Participant’s Badge for your blog, website, or email signature, and, as always, if you have any questions or problems, let us know in the comments or via email.
If you are a particularly fast reader and have already completed the challenge by reading or listening to 25 titles from the list of eligible books, be sure to fill out the form below so we can send you your Challenge Finisher badge, get in touch to coordinate your reader’s response and, perhaps best of all, to notify you if you win our exciting grand prize drawing! Be sure to use an email you check frequently and do not fill out this form until you have completed the challenge by reading 25 titles.
I read Gabi during the Morris challenge, and in the past week I’ve read: I Am Pusheen the Cat, Seconds, and Finding Momo. I’ve really enjoyed everything so far! 4 down, 21 to go…
Also, my question I posted on the sign-up post was never answered: Why isn’t ‘The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place’ (Odyssey Honor) on the list? The Nate book is, and it seems to me they are both aimed at grades 5-9.
I’m going to add my support here to including The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place. The Amazing Audiobooks committee clearly considered it YA, since it made their long list. I can see this title being popular with my Teen Book Group.
I’m going to second this question. Every local library around me has Nate as a “J” and Sisterhood as “YA.”
I just listened to the Scandalous Sisterhood and I’m going to go ahead and count it. I’ll take it off if I hear otherwise, but it seems pretty clearly YA to me. I’m guessing that its being left off the list was an oversight (it was a fun listen, too!)
Hi all, thanks for taking the time to weigh in on The Scandalous Sisterhood. Due to popular demand, I’ll add it to the list. :) I think it’s one of those titles that can go either way, MG or YA. Same with Nate… that title automatically made the cut this year because the first book in that series was in last year’s challenge, so naturally the sequel would be, too. On the other hand, I wasn’t sure whether Sisterhood should be added, so you’ve helped make that decision! Thanks again to all who commented on this.
“I’ve actually read quite a few of the eligible titles this year–more than usual for me anyway–but I guess that just means I’m going to have to pick up some titles well off my radar and outside my comfort zone. Which is perfect.”
I am in the same boat. My goal is to read all the Alex winners. I read Confessions this week and can see why it is on the Alex list. I don’t think I would have read it if not for the list.
I actually finished the Morris and Nonfiction challenge this year, then went and read something during the week between challenges (I’ll just have to reread it in a couple months). Besides that, I just finished This One Summer, which I enjoyed, mostly for the age gap difference in the the main character and her friend. I remember being older than several friends, and what seems like a tiny difference of a year or so gets really big at that age.
1 . I finished the 25-book challenge! I did the Morris/Nonfiction beforehand, so I was already ten books up. Then I added most of the graphic novels, several of the quick picks, and a few Alex winners. Now I’m working on conquering the challenge.
2. The submission form has several errors in it and probably needs some editing – any book title that went on to the second line created a second checkbox, there’s a box that says submission 54, “curtsies” is still spelled wrong, etc.
3. We already have a Goodreads group created for the Challenge – perhaps you’d like to merge your new one with ours? https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/157217
Oh, I didn’t realize that wasn’t the “official” group. Is it possible to merge them?
Wow, 15 books in just this one week! I’m impressed. Wish I had that much time to just read. Then there all of those other distractions, things I really should read for work, like finishing my teen book group’s February book before the meeting on Wed.
My other hold back from even thinking about trying to read all of the books is that it would be impossible for me to get copies of everything without having to buy quite a few. Even being able to borrow from two library systems, I can’t get hold everything.
It wasn’t that hard. Most of them, like I said, were graphic novels, which I can finish in under an hour. And I’ve been plugging away at the Alex winners pretty steadily.
I don’t have much time to read, but I do have an hour lunch break at work, so that gives me five hours a week, and I usually sneak in an hour or so at home every night, too. :)
I made the GR group b/c there wasn’t one yet. I don’t know that either one is more official than the other.
I did finish the Morris and Nonfiction challenges. But I’m going to try to get 25 without counting those. So far I’ve managed three. That’s not as impressive as it sounds since two were graphic novels.
This week I read Ms. Marvel and loved it. I will definitely be following this comic in the future. I was reminded of the old saying: Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.
Then I read Beyond Magenta. I understand why this book earned the Honor it did. The message is important. I did, however, have some concerns about its quality as a nonfiction title, which I addressed in my review on Goodreads.
Finally, I read another graphic novel, Tomboy. There are have been so many books recently that focus on individuals who are not happy dressing in a gender standard way who then discover they are trans. Those stories are important. But I think it is also important that this book shows there are different ways to be a girl. Wanting to dress like a tomboy doesn’t have to mean you are any less a girl. It doesn’t mean you have to be trans. You can define for yourself what it means to be you. That said, this wasn’t my favorite book. It didn’t engage me the way Ms. Marvel did. It felt almost a bit preachy at times. Still, I can see myself recommending and promoting it. And it was a title that was not on my radar before the Challenge.
This week I finished “Through the Woods” by Emily Carroll which was creeptastic and am now working on “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander and “In Real Life” by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang. It’s been fun so far!
This week I finished reading Girls Like Us. I wouldn’t normally pick up a novel like this, but it ended up being a great read. It was a quick read too. I wrote a review on my Goodreads account at the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1198942701
I have since started listening to Curtseys and Conspiracies. Great first week.
I’m off to a slow start with one book read. I read Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince. I think it’s a great representation of how problematic gender roles can be.
This week I read Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. A beautiful book that I wouldn’t have read otherwise. That makes book #6 for me since I read the 5 nonfiction books from the earlier Morris/Nonfiction challenge. I have Crossover that I’ll read next on this challenge. I belong to a book club and will finish that selection, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, before starting the Crossover.
I finished the Morris/Nonfiction challenge by reading all the Morris nominees. This week I finished The Crossover by Kwame Alexander and Ms. Marvel: No Normal by Willow Wilson. So I’m at 7. I got 18 more to go to finish, 71 more to go to conquer.
Currently reading Lock In by John Scalzi and listening to Half Bad by Sally Green.
I’m reviewing and tracking over at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1317720?shelf=2015-hub-reading-challenge&sort=date_read
I listened to Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders and read We Were Liars. My reviews will be going up sometime soon, but I’m pretty behind on reviewing previous books I’ve read, so it might be next week or the week after before I get those up. Just depends on what I decide to review first.
2 down, 23 to go!
Slow start…I’ve started Ida M. Tarbell. I really spend this week finishing up other books that I had going so that I could jump into these. (Ironically, one of the books keeping me from starting is The New Kids…a best of the best I didn’t get to two – or was it three – years ago.) But I’m off to visit a friend tomorrow and have Fat Boy vs. The Cheerleaders.
I’m definitely going to need the entire time to get my 25 in. I read Tomboy this week and am rereading Tears of a Tiger, which I used to teach many years ago. I still have chunks memorized from reading it aloud four times a day. The ending made me cry every time. Love this book. It’s like visiting an old friend by rereading it.
Halfway through #1 Popular, and I love it, though it does remind my why there is not enough money in the world that would make me go back to middle/high school! I have all the non-fiction titles right now so those are my first batch, then onto graphic novels.
I read two this week, Those who wish me dead and Beyond magenta. I very much enjoyed Wish me dead. I liked the idea of Beyond magenta I just wasn’t overly impressed by the execution. Somehow I missed the Morris/Nonfiction challenge this year so I am starting from zero. It won’t be hard for me to finish 25 by June. Each year my goal is to complete more than the previous year. I did not manage that last year. I was behind by I believe two titles and that was with the Morris/Nonfiction challenge under my belt! I would love to read everything but unless I wanted to buy a significant number of titles, I couldn’t manage that – and I am borrowing from four library system (well five is you think about the reciprocity agreement one of them has). I have one other one I can tap but it is really out of my way. Last year they did not have anything I needed but if they turn out to have something this year, I will probably trek down there to get it. I do love this challenge.
I finished the Morris Nonfiction Challenge and have been listening to Half Bad by Sally Green and LOVING IT!!!
I haven’t finished any since the pre-challenge so I am at 3. I am in the process of ordering most of the titles for my library. The kids ate up Pusheen the Cat! I’m going to start with I’ll Give You the Sun this week and hopefully a few graphics. #simsburyct
I’m excited to have the non-fiction titles count to help get a good start on the challenge. I read Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek and loved how brave she was! I also read Laughing at my Nightmare which was good to see everything from Shane’s perspective. The Port Chicago 50 I enjoyed as it was a piece of history I knew nothing about and the story was easy to get into. I finished but struggled with Ida M. Tarbell, didn’t think the title matched who she really was, and had trouble wanting to keep reading in certain parts, but I’m glad I finished it as non-fiction is the hardest for me to pick up. This past week I re-read The Fault in our Stars and We Were Liars – a great quick read that I really enjoyed both times!!! This week starting on Gabi and hoping to re-read Catching Fire. So 6 down …
When will the graphic novels be added to the eligible titles list for easy printing??? Thanks!
Sorry for the delay, Shannon! I’ll work on updating that file tonight. Thanks for your patience!
I am 9 books into the challenge! Just finished the audio book of Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future. Going to read I’ll Give You The Sun next!
In the first week, I finished The Crossover (loved it) and In Real Life (so-so; Doctorow’s (non-graphic) novel For the Win covers the same ground but better, in my opinion). I also read Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down, which I errantly thought was on the Hub Challenge list–a happy accident, as it was a great read! (It did win the In the Margins Book Award–a great new(ish) awards list for teens living in poverty, on the streets, or in custody: http://www.slj.com/2015/02/awards/top-2015-titles-for-youth-in-custody-or-in-your-libraries/ ).
On another note– I think two Great Graphic Novels are missing from the Reading Challenge Google Form: In Real Life and Bad Machinery V.3: The Case of the Simple Soul. Can this be fixed, please? Also, I second the request for an updated PDF of the reading list (with Graphic Novels added). Thanks to all who are working on this!!
Three more books down this week: Girls Like Us, The Young Elites and Crossover.
Only one title down so far – Through the Woods – and I loved it! Such a fast read and super enjoyable with all the creepiness!
Storm, no school, no home computer = lots of reading. Finished this week w/
6 rereads & a few others. (I don’t have a Goodreads acct):
1. Tears of a Tiger 3/5
2. Forged by Fire 3/5
3. Darkness Before Dawn 3/5
4. Battle of Jericho 3.5/5
5. Noggin 5/5
6. I Hunt Killers 5/5 So good
7. Bellweather Rhapsody 5/5 Fabulous book
8. Bingo’s Run 3.5/5
9. Lockdown 3.5/5
10. Lockwood & Co. 3.5/5
11. Girls Like Us 4/5
In reference to #7 – I have never read/seen The Shining, have never seen Glee & do not know what the Planets music is, so those references were lost on me. I did however, really like the book. #10 I thought was pretty contrived – I don’t believe in ghosts – but the author really
did a good job with the effects. #11 – I work in a school that includes “speddies” & they are truly special young adults. It’s an honor to know them & they are truly great kids/adults.
This week I finished Confessions, Find Momo and Through the Woods. I absolutely loved Find Momo. This was such a fun book and I’d recommend it to kids of all ages (even grown ups), especially those who loved Where’s Waldo and the I Spy books. I enjoyed Confessions and really liked the twist at the end of the book. I didn’t see that coming at all. Finally, Through the Woods was a quick, spooky read and I think teens who have enjoyed the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series and the Scary Story Reader will also like this graphic novel. I’m glad I didn’t read it before bed though because some of the illustrations may have given me nightmares. This puts my total at 11 books read. Currently I’m listening to Acid and reading Wolf in White Van. I’m reviewing my books on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1270547-samantha-tai?shelf=yalsa-hub-challenge-2015
I have convinced my wife and two of my coworkers to join me in the Hub Challenge this year. I’ve also created a display in our YA area to get the teens involved.
http://frenchizal.blogspot.com/2015/02/yalsa-hub-challenge.html
I finished The Terrorist’s Son and Confessions over the week and enjoyed them both so much. I already have them bookmarked up to use with the students in my book club. I also plan to reach out to my Social Studies teachers about The Terrorist’s Son; there are some awesome ways for it to be integrated into their curriculum!
This week I finished I’ll Give You the Sun (loved it!) and Everything I Never Told You (liked it). I also tried The Martian, but could not bear to finish it. Ever so boring for me.
I finished Shadow Hero and In Real Life, both of which I loved. I’m having a hard time getting into I’ll Give You the Sun which is baffling me because I loved The Sky is Everywhere. I might take a break and come back to it later.
This week I read Lock In and I’ll Give you the Sun. Lock In is a fairly standard detective novel with an inventive, futuristic sci fi setting. Interestingly, the bits that strain credibility are not the science fiction elements. I really enjoyed it and would recommend to to fans of both genres. I’ll Give You the Sun was amazing and certainly deserving of the Printz Award. Loved the writing, the story, the characters. I have not read Nelson’s other book, The Sky is Everywhere, but I am definitely planning to now. Since I had eight books coming in (from the Morris/NF challenge), this brings my total to 10. Next up…All the Light We Cannot See.
This week I finished Finding Momo – LOVED it!, 47 Ronin, and finishing Grasshopper Jungle, which I also LOVE. I am excited to read so many books that I am not familiar with. Yes, I just ended with a preposition… deal. LOL.
This week I read I’ll Give You the Sun, which I thought was a TREASURE. I shirked a lot of homework reading to stay up late and finish it. I’m now about halfway through listening to Skink– No Surrender. It’s hard to listen to descriptions of the Florida weather with all this snow piling up here in New England.
So far I’ve read TFOIS and And We Stay so far. I haven’t read And We Stay before, and it was really good! Highly reccomend it. Can’t wait to start another one!