Not signed up yet – there’s still time! – for YALSA’s 2016 Hub Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since the awards were announced counts, and the challenge runs until 11:59pm EST on June 23, so sign up now!
Hey Hub Challengers, we’re getting down to the last days of the challenge. There’s only 11 days left to read all the books on the awesome list so if you’re just starting you only need to read about 2 books a day and you’ll make it. Totally doable, right?
I’m currently away from the internet in the woods – this post has been magically posted through the power of planning and blog scheduling – so I’ve got a big stack of comics here to keep me company. I’ve bought Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, as well as some favorite that made the list to read: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Lumberjanes, and Ms. Marvel. I’m so happy that that three comics have gotten so much attention and love from critics and readers a like. They all feature strong, endearing, hilarious, and honestly inspiring women and girls. These are the heroes – or SHEroes – that I want to read about. They all have their own struggles, triumphs, and really care about their friends.
Honestly, I kind of wish Kamala, Doreen, and all the Lumbjane campers were my friends in real life!
What are your last minute Hub Challenge reads or the books you’re reading again because you love them so much?
-Anna Tschetter, currently reading The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
Since my last checkin at 16, I’ve read:
* Forgive Me If I’ve Told You This Before by Karelia Stetz-Waters (beautifully written)
* X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon (engaging and important)
* The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg (funny and deep)
* Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (just as affecting the second time)
* The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick (good individual stories, didn’t hang together well for me)
* All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (amazing, funny and timely)
* Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (better the second time)
* Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia (didn’t really get the story, liked the art a lot)
* Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (strange but well-done)
* Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (very sweet)
* All Involved by Ryan Gattis (liked the way all the stories tied together)
* Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (awesome intro to an awesome lady)
* Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older (neat ideas, fun characters)
* The Silence of Six by E.C. Myers (fast-paced)
* Ashfall by Mike Mullin (terrifying and great)
* The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes (super awesome story)
* Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (totally fun and can’t wait for the next one)
* Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (really well-done, kind of not sure how I feel about the ending twist)
* Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu (loved the exploration of religion and the way it subverted my expectations)
* Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak (creepy, sweet romance, good story)
* Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (important part of the conversation needed to have)
Only 13 left to go, and 12 days – I got this! It’s really just one a day, since one of them is an audiobook and I can finish that just on my drives to/from work.
Since I posted this, I’ve finished the entire challenge! And just barely too.
I’ve now read:
* Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (amazing audio, creepy/good story)
* The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (loved it!)
* The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (not as fond of it, didn’t like the pacing)
* Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy (liked the voice)
* Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan (good for what it was)
* The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten (enjoyed it)
* Cinder by Marissa Meyer (creative!)
* Wide Awake by David Levithan (sweet story)
* Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson (excellent summary of the events and the historial context)
* The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks (well-written but depressing)
* How They Met, and Other Stories by David Levithan (sweet selection of stories)
* Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (nice story, good twists)
My top ten are (in alphabetical order – it was hard enough getting it down to ten):
All American Boys
The Boston Girl
Devoted
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
Half Wild by Sally Green
Illuminae
Lair of Dreams
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Six of Crows
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
Gonna go fill out the form now!!
I just finished #25 with Breakthrough. Give this book to any science lover! What an amazing brain. Thanks again for the challenge! I am happy and proud to have completed my fifth year and always discover new finds!
Just finished #28: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds. Excellent book and sure to generate a lot of classroom discussion.
I’m hoping to finish 1 more book before the 23rd!
I don’t think I’ve checked in since the very first check-in, but I’m so very happy to say I’m DONE (thanks to vol. 1-3 of A Silent Voice). My full list is on my Goodreads.
I don’t think I’m going to make my 25, but I’m just about to finish Dead House, an Amazing Audiobook. Truly creepy, effective audio. I’m going to attempt a few last titles this week including Humans of New York, March 1, and RAD American Women A-Z.
Even if I don’t finish, I’ve really enjoyed the challenge for a third time and all the exposure to wonderful YA titles. Thanks!
Dead House was SO CREEPY and atmospheric. It’s not one I would ever had read, if not for the Challenge!
I am terrible about checking in consistently (and also, after a strong start in February and March, I kinda dropped the ball in April and May), but it looks like I’m actually going to finish! (Mostly because I saved a bunch of graphic novels for last.)
This week, I’m reading “Awkward,” “Notorious RBG,” “Between the World and Me,” and “Most Dangerous,” and I’m re-reading “SuperMutant Magic Academy,” “Squirrel Girl Volume 2,” and “Lumberjanes Volume 1.” And I’m almost finished listening to “Library of Souls,” so we’ll see if I can get to 25 books by the 23rd…
I’m currently up to 27 finished, 1 did-not-finish (What If? TOO MUCH SCIENCE), and 2 currently-reading. I should have those two (Out of Darkness, which is pretty much the most depressing book ever, and Shadowshaper, which I’m loving) by next week, and hopefully, a couple of others, as well!
I’m planning on reading as much of the eligible titles as possible throughout the rest of year; this is a good way for me to make sure I’m reading the Good Stuff.
I’m finished! It was slow-going for a while, but I managed to read 26.
This is my first check in…but I’m done!! yay! This is my 3rd year doing the Reading Challenge and I love it! Thanks again for stretching and challenging our reading choices!
Just finished book#25 March 1! Left this one close to the wire.
Finally managed to get 25 finished, actually 26, thanks to a couple of rereads. I can’t remember if I’ve ever checked in but these were the titles I completed:
We should all be feminists
Wintergirls
Drowned city
Waistcoats and weaponry
Awkward
Conviction
Bones and All
Enchanted air
The book of a thousand days
Roller girl
The porcupine of truth
Charm and strange
What if?
Squirrel power (1 and 2)
Shadowshaper
All American boys
The boy in the black suit
Bone Gap
Lumberjanes (1 and 2)
Nimona
The unlikely hero of room 13 b
Briar Rose
Few of the titles were real stand-outs for me this year. I had a devil of a time getting my hands on books in the proper format which accounts, in part, for my low number of reads. I very much enjoyed Boy in the black suit, Porcupine of truth and Everything, everything. I thought Drowned City was good, I did not enjoy the Lumberjanes or the Squirrel Girl. I usually like the non-fiction selections very much but couldn’t get into them this year, except the memoirs which I did enjoy. I always enjoy this challenge though because it ensures I look more closely at YA literature. I try to delve into randomly during the year, but I love the intense focus of the Hub Challenge.
I finished!
1) Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
2) The Realm of Possibility
3) Conviction
4) X
5) Ms. Marvel: Crushed
6) Between the World and Me
7) Briar Rose
8) We Should All Be Feminists
9) Rad American Women A-Z
10) First Flight Around the World
11) This Strange Wilderness
12) Humans of New York: Stories
13) Enchanted Air
14) SuperMutant Magic Academy
15) Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
16) The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy
17) Drowned City
18) Most Dangerous
19) The War That Saved My Life
20) Ms. Marvel: Generation Why
21) The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Power
22) Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitty Holy
23) Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max
24) Simon v. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
25) Bone Gap
I’d already read others:
Symphony for the City of the Dead
Love is the Higher Law
Nimona
March 1
Dumplin’
Notorious RBG
What If?
Finished just in time! I’ve really enjoyed participating in the Hub challenge for the first time (although next year, I hope I won’t start so late!) Since the last time I checked in, I’ve read:
We Should All Be Feminists by Ngozi Chimamanda Adiche
Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: a Memoir by Margarita Engle
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten
Illuminae, the Illuminae Files #1 by Amie Kaufman (audiobook)
Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Roller Girl by Victoria Jameson
Girl at War by Sara Novic
Ashfall by Mike Mullin
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (audiobook)
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 1 and 2 (Squirrel Power and Squirrel You Know It’s True) by Ryan North and Erika Henderson
I finished just before the deadline…but then I forgot to submit the form until after midnight EST. o_o But since I’ve been reading like a fiend all week to finish, I’ll share my titles here!
● Between the World and Me by TaNehisi Coates
● Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton
● Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia
● Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin
● Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir written by Margarita Engle
● First Flight Around the World: The Adventures of the American Fliers Who Won the Race by Tim
Grove
● This Strange Wilderness: The Life and Art of John James Audubon by Nancy Plain
● Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs, read by Kirby Heyborne
● What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe, read by
Wil Wheaton
● Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova
● Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans b y Don Brown
● Lumberjanes
○ vol. 1. By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters. Illus. by Brooke Allen. vol. 2. By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters. Illus. by Brooke Allen.
● Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
● A Silent Voice
○ vol. 1. by Yoshitoki Oima
○ vol. 2. by Yoshitoki Oima
○ vol. 3. by Yoshitoki Oima
● Trashed by Derf Backderf
● The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
○ vol. 1: S quirrel Power by Ryan North, Illus. by Erica Henderson
○ vol. 2: S quirrel You Know It’s True by Ryan North, Illus. by Erica Henderson
● Rad American Women AZ: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History… and
Our Future! b y Kate State
● Tamaki, Jillian. SuperMutant Magic Academy
● Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik.
● African American Women: Photographs from the National Museum of African American History
and Culture
● We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This year, there were a lot of books on the list that I originally read last year. I usually don’t take the time to reread, but I had a blast reading Squirrel Girl, Lumberjanes, Nimona, and SuperMutant Magic Academy for a second time. The new books I read were great too though, and I can’t wait to book talk a lot of them this fall. Thanks for another great year! :)
Are there digital badges for completing the challenge this year? I finished and turned in my form about a month ago, but never received a badge.
Thanks!
Hey Margaret,
I’ll be selecting a winner and sending out emails with a badge to finishers next week.