Choosing a Book
You may read ANY novel* that fits a category.
Remember: a book counts for one category only; if a book could fit more than one category, choose ONE.
The best place to start looking is in your school library! Go to the Fiction section (FIC) and look for a book that will fit what you need. Your teacher and librarian can help.
At the beginning, you can also just choose a book you want to read then select a category.
You can also click on the pictures below to get some ideas about how to find a book in each category.
Some of the links below will give you hints about how to search for the books.
Some links will lead you to online lists. These lists are just a few examples of books you could read.
You do NOT have to select only from any of these lists.
Any picture of a book is also just an example. You can read it if you'd like, but there are many other choices.
*Sometimes the card will say something different like a graphic novel, a picture book biography, or some other genre. If it does not, you should select a NOVEL from the FIC (Fiction) section of your library. See the RULES for more details.
(Use these links to jump quickly to a subcategory or just scroll down for more information.)
Authors
For All Authors . . .
Start by going to the FICTION section of your library (FIC). The books are in alphabetical order by the last name of the author. Find the letter of the last name of the author and look on the shelf to see if there are books available. OR
Go to Destiny Discover or Sora on a computer. Select "Author" to limit your search. Then type in the author's name you're looking for. This search will tell you what is available and what is checked out.
. . . written by Louis Sachar or Andrew Clements
. . . by Rick Riordan OR a "Rick Riordan Presents" book
. . . written by Kate DiCamillo
. . . written by Sharon Creech or Katherine Applegate
. . . written by Gordan Korman or Gary D. Schmidt
. . . written by Chris Grabenstein or Liesl Shurtliff
. . . written by Stuart Gibbs or James Ponti
. . . by Beverly Cleary or Judy Blume
. . . by Cynthia Kadohata or Linda Sue Park
. . . written by Jennifer Holm, Kate Messner, or Rebecca Stead
. . . written by Jarrett Krosoczka, Jeffrey Brown OR Tom Angleberger
. . . whose author has the same first name (or the same initials) as you!
. . . written by a person of color (Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Native American, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc.)
. . . by an author from Utah (or who lives/lived in Utah)
. . . by an author who goes by three names (like Christopher Paul Curtis, Pam Muñoz Ryan, etc.)
Prize Winners
For Prize Winners . . .
The most recent lists of winners and honors books are available online. Just Google the name of the award online then select a reliable website from the choices. Most of these awards are announced every January. The Beehive Awards are usually announced around March. A "short list" for the next year's award is revealed toward the end of the school year.
Talk to your librarian too--sometimes one or more of the prize winners will be on a special display in your library.
. . . that won a Newbery Award (or Honor) novel
children's fiction novels only
. . . THREE picture books that won a Caldecott Medal (or Honor)
. . . that won the Coretta Scott King Award (or Honor)
"Author Award" novels only
Please note that some of the winners are YA books, not for elementary school. Look in your school library or talk to your librarian to find a book right for you.
. . . that won the Pura Belpré Award (or Honor)
Children's Author Award "For Narrative" novels only
. . . given the Asian/Pacific award for Children's Literature (or an Honor winner in the Children's Literature category)
on this year's Beehive Book Award voting list
(children's fiction category)
. . . that won (or was nominated for) a Beehive Award for children's fiction
Recommended by . . .
Just ask!
. . . recommended by a friend or classmate
. . . recommended to you by a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, sibling, or cousin
. . . recommended by a teacher or librarian
. . . checked out at the public library
Click to see a list of Salt Lake County Library Locations
. . . a book you see someone else reading
Nonfiction books . . .
Look for the nonfiction section of your library (not the EASY nonfiction though!). Ask your librarian if you are not sure where to find it. All nonfiction books have numbers from 000-999. The numbers start on the top left part of the book shelves then get higher as you move down and to your right.
. . . about facts or records (look in nonfiction, numbers 000-099)
. . . from the 500 section
(about science, weather, or animals)
. . . from the 900 section
(history and geography)
. . . a HOW TO book from the 700 section
. . from the 700 section, "Arts and Recreation"
Genres (types of books) . . .
For Genres . . .
In Sora and on Destiny, you can search by genre. On Sora, it's very easy. Just type the name of the genre ("mystery" for example); in Destiny select "Subject" then type in your search word.
You can usually tell from the cover information what genre a book is. Look at the title, the cover, the kinds of words the author uses. Is there a pattern you see? (Scary pictures and a title like Doll Bones makes me think this book might be a horror novel--it is!).
. . . a mystery or detective novel
. . . that you read or listen to on Sora (audiobook or ebook)
. . . that is a graphic novel
. . . based on real events in history (historical fiction)
. . . with a character or setting that is fantasy or magical (not realistic)
. . . that is part of a series
. . . that is scary!
. . . about adventure
. . . that is science fiction (about future technology, often about space, time travel, etc.)
. . . about sports, or where sports are an important part of the book
a PICTURE BOOK biography
(look in 921 in the nonfiction)
. . . with a dragon or some other mystical beast (unicorns, flying horse, fairy, elf, giant, ogre, etc.)
. . . NONFICTION book about a subject that interests you--NOT a picture book (not in the easy section "E"). Any subject works: animals, cars, science, history, crafts, cooking, art, etc.
. . . in first-person point of view (look inside a book for a narrator who is a character--uses I, me, my)
. . . that is also a movie (or has characters also seen in a movie)
. . . a book written in third-person point of view has a "voice" (narrator) who tells you about the characters. The narrator is NOT one of the characters, but just a voice who sees what is happening and tells you! (they, he, she...)
Featuring . . .
. . . with a male main character
. . . with a character who is an animal (not human)
. . . with a female main character
Theme & Purpose . . .
Follow the guidelines for "genres" (above). You can do similar searches in Sora, Destiny. This time, you're looking for an emotion or attitude that begins to suggest the moral subject of the story (friendship, family, preparedness, love, winning/losing, etc.).
You can also just browse the shelves in your library. Look at the covers for clues, ask your classmates for suggestions, or read a few pages to see if this book will fit what you need.
. . . about courage
. . . about friendship
. . . . with a main character who is different from you in at least two ways (gender, religion, location, age, abilities, ethnicity, etc)
. . . re-read a book you loved when you were younger (picture books and easy reader/chapter books are fine for this category!)
. . . with a character who is similar to you in some way (a looks like you, has a problem like you, lives where you live, etc.)
. . . that is funny!
. . . about a family
Setting . . .
. . . that takes place outside of the USA (in a different country)
. . . that takes place in the USA (any state or territory)
. . . about school or set (mostly) in school
. . . that takes place in or near a big city (New York, Chicago, Houston, LA, San Francisco, Phoenix, Atlanta, etc.)
The link will take you to a list of books that take place in New York City. You can choose books set in different places too.
. . . that takes place in a country setting (or a farm or small town)
By Age of the Book . . .
In Sora and on Destiny, the publication date will be on the record of each book.
If you see a book you think you'd like to read, you can look it up online to see when it was published. Just Google "When was ___________ published?"
You can also look at the first few pages of the actual book to find the page with information about when the book was published and where. (The page with this information is usually just BEFORE the title page.)
Some of the pictures below will take you to some booklists to help you get started. Remember, the book lists are just ideas not a list you have to choose from or the only books that fit this category.
. . . written before 2000
The link is to a list of books from the 1980s. At the bottom of the page, you'll see links to earlier decades too.
. . . written before the year 2000
This link will take you to a list of books from the 1990s. At the bottom of that page, you'll see links to other decades in 1900s too.
. . . published the year you were born (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
. . . written in the last ten years
Title Features . . .
In Sora and on Destiny, you can search by title. Just type the word(s) you're looking for and select "Title" from the drop-down menu.
The easiest way to find a title is to browse the FICTION section of your library. Just look at the books on the shelf. If you see a title that fits your category, look at the book, read a page or two. If it sounds like a book you want to read, check it out! If not, keep looking.
. . . about/includes an ocean, lake, pond, river, or other body of water in the title
. . . that has a "space" word in the title (sun, moon, star, planets, rocket, etc.)--the book doesn't have to BE about space, though!
. . . with a month of the year or the day of the week in the title
. . . with a one-word title
. . . that has a season in the title (fall/autumn, winter, spring, summer)
. . . with a number in the title
. . . with a title that starts with a preposition (on, to, in, from, of, at, through, among, around, above, under, over, next to, about, beneath, away from, along, after, before, etc.)
. . . that has the name of a city or country in the title (it's okay if the city/country is not a real one)
. . . with a shape in the title (square, round, circle, triangle, diamond, oval, etc.)
. . . with a color in the title
. . . that has the word "house" or "home" in the title
. . . that has something you can eat in the title
. . . with someone's name in the title
. . . that does NOT have the word "the" in the title
. . . with a title that has at least two words that start with the same letter
. . . with a funny title
. . . with a title that contains a Q, X, or Z
Physical Features . . .
Sora and Destiny may help a little, but the best way to see what the book looks like is to . . . LOOK AT THE BOOKS!
The easiest way to find a title is to browse the FICTION section of your library. Just look at the books on the shelf. If you see a book with the features that fit your category, look at the book, read a page or two. If it sounds like a book you want to read, check it out! If not, keep looking.
. . . that has a blue cover
. . . that has a yellow cover
. . . that has an orange cover
. . . that has a turquoise cover
. . . that is more than 250 pages long!
. . . that is new to your library (within the last year--It's okay if the book isn't a new release as long as it is new to your library)
. . . with an animal on the cover (real or not)
STILL STUCK? Ask your teacher or librarian for help. They can guide you to books that will fit the category.
WHAT IF I CHOOSE A BOOK, BUT I DON'T LIKE IT? Stop reading and go back to the library! The point of doing Bingo instead of a reading list is to make sure you LIKE what you read. If you don't like a book, return it and look for something else!