READING CALENDAR & CHALLENGES
MAY
Tuesday 4 May - May the fourth be with you: read a Star Wars related book or some science fiction
Wednesday 12 May - Ramadan ends
Monday 17 May IDAHOBIT Day: read a book by an LGBTQIA+ author or with LGBTQIA+ themes
Mindful in May
JUNE
Saturday 5 June - World Environment Day: read a book about nature or sustainability
Sunday 20 June - World Refugee Day 2021: read a book about an immigration or refugee experience or by a refugee author
JULY
Sunday 4 -11 July NAIDOC week: Heal Country. Read a book from Anita Heiss’ Black Book Challenge list
Take a look at the books available from Magabala Books, Australia’s leading Indigenous publishing house.
AUGUST
Book Week: read a book on the CBCA shortlist (announced 30 March 2021)
Book Week dress up day Friday 20 August 2021
Read an Aussie book with a teenage protagonist - for an even bigger challenge, choose one that doesn't include the following tropes the chosen one, the love triangle or I'm different from other girls.
27 August - Wear it purple day
SEPTEMBER
9 September RU OK? day: read a feel good book
19 - 25 September Banned Books week: read a banned book
25 September National Comic Book Day: check out a graphic novel
AFL grand final - read a book about sport or a sports person's biography
OCTOBER
Sunday 10 October, World Mental Health Day: read a book that explores mental health
Mental Health Week
Sunday 17 October, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: read a book that inspires social change
31 October, Halloween: Read a scary story
NOVEMBER
Saturday 14 November, Diwali - Festival of Lights
Melbourne Music Week - read a book written by or about a musician
Thursday 18 November - World Philosophy Day
Friday 19 November - International Men's Day: read a book about healthy masculinity or gender
25 November World Human Right's Day - 16 days of activism (finishes 10 December)
DECEMBER
Friday, 3 December, International Day of Disabled Persons: read an #ownvoices book with a disabled or neurodiverse main character
JANUARY
A book that has been or will be adapted for film or TV
Take yourself on a virtual journey and utilise one of the what should I read next sites
FEBRUARY
Library Lover's Month: read one of Australia's most loved books including young adult fiction
Monday 1 February - read a book from the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2021
Thursday 11 February - International Day of Women and Girls in Science: read a biography of a woman in Science
Friday 12 February - Lunar New Year, year of the ox
MARCH
Monday 8 March International Women's Day: read a book about feminism
Friday 19 March Bullying No Way Day
Sunday 21 March Harmony Day: read one of the Growing Up in Australia series
Sunday 21 March World Poetry Day: select some poetry
APRIL
Anticipating this year's book week theme, discover another world or revisit an old favourite: Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other worlds
Monday 12 April - Ramadan begins
15 April, World Art Day: read a book about an artist or a book that inspires creativity
Friday 23 April World Book Day - take a look at Ann Morgan's reading the world list - she read her way around the world's 196 independent nations or read around the world in 32 books.
THIS YEAR'S BOOK WEEK THEME: VISIT OLD WORLDS, NEW WORLDS, OTHER WORLDS
https://sites.google.com/footscray.vic.edu.au/reading-recommendations/old-worlds-new-worlds-other-worlds
THE A-Z READING CHALLENGE
Pick a book to go with each letter of the alphabet. Here's a list of possible examples compiled by A Literary Mind.
A: Animal Farm – George Orwell
B: Big Brother – Lionel Shriver
C: The Color Purple – Alice Walker
D: Dracula – Bram Stoker
E: Enders Game – Orson Scott Card
F: The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
G: Ghostwritten – David Mitchell
H: The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson
I: Indigo – Marine Warner
J: The Lollipop Shoes – Joanne Harris
K: To Kill a Mocking Bird – Harper Lee
L: Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
M: Mary – Vladimir Nabokov
N: The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
O: The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemmingway
P: Peaches for Monsieur Le Cure – Joanne Harris
Q: The Quiet American – Graham Green
R: Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi
S: Stoner – John Williams
T: Twelve Years A Slave – Soloman Northup
U: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – Rachel Joyce
V: The Visitors – Rebecca Mascull
W: Wool – Hugh Howey
X: Brave New World – Aldous HuXley
Y: The Yellow Birds – Kevin Powers
Z: The Book Thief – Marcus Zusak
NEW YORK TIMES LEARNING NETWORK
Reading competition - offered to all students aged 11 - 19 worldwide from 11 June - 19 August 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/15/learning/our-12th-annual-summer-reading-contest.html
https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/ln-summer-reading-contest/ba2a2f5fce443ad7/full.pdf
Reading contest rubric: https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/ln-summer-reading-contest-rubric/89f96cd98363e6e0/full.pdf
BE A BETTER READER IN 7 DAYS
52 BOOKS IN 52 WEEKS
The goal is to read 52 books from the 52 different categories provided – find a book that meets the criteria and check it off!
https://www.the52book.club/
THE 2021 READING CHALLENGE
There are different levels, and different categories in each level. There are a lot of options but this reading challenge will also help challenge you to come out of your comfort zone. Get reading!
https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2020/12/2021-reading-challenge.html
A to Z Reading Challenge with mini challenges
A year-long reading challenges that encourages readers to choose a book starting with each letter of the alphabet. Along the way, we’ll have quarterly read-a-thons and mini challenges that you can use to replace any of the more difficult letters. If that isn’t enough, try out our Monopoly-style game for book lovers!
https://bookstacksngoldenmoms.com/2021-atoz-reading-challenge/
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-2018
The Master List of 2021 Reading Challenges
https://www.girlxoxo.com/the-master-list-of-2021-reading-challenges/
BIOGRAPHY
GRAPHIC NOVEL
FANTASY
NON-ENGLISH AUTHOR
GOTHIC SHORT STORY
NON-FICTION
FEMALE AUTHOR
FIRST IN SERIES
300+ PAGES
INDIGENOUS HISTORY
SET IN A CITY
AUDIOBOOK
ADAPTED TO TV/FILM
AMERICAN COMIC BOOK
SET IN THE FUTURE
WRITTEN BEFORE 1950
PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2015 - 2018
RE READ SOMETHING
PICTURE BOOK
10 POEMS FROM AN ANTHOLOGY
RECOMMENDED BY A TEACHER
CHARACTERS ARE ANIMALS
SET IN THE PAST
MURDER MYSTERY
WHOLE SERIES