I was thrilled to be at the Youth Media Awards this year in Denver.

Each year I get so excited about what I have read and so overwhelmed by what I’ve yet to read.

I’ve borrowed a few and order a few more from Audible. (That long drive to New Brunswick is so much more bearable with a great YA title!)

This year there is even more incentive! Yesterday, YALSA’s The Hub blog announced the launch of the 2018 Hub Reading Challenge.

Your mission, should you accept it, is to

read 25 books over the next four months from a list of the most recent award winner and honor books and YALSA selected lists. This challenge encourages participants to discover new titles and explore genres outside of your comfort zone. And for library staff, you’ll hopefully get to build your readers’ advisory skills and totally impress your coworkers and patrons.

To participate

Read and comment on the YALSA Hub post and share that you are game for the challenge.  Include a link to wherever you might be tracking your challenge reads–perhaps your blog, on Goodreads, LibraryThing, YouTube, etc.  And whenever you post or share on social media, use the #hubchallenge hashtag.

The Hub is planning a monthly check-in post that will welcome readers’ comments and links to reviews. When you’ve completed the challenge, you’ll want to fill out the “finisher form” with contact information.  You must complete your readings by 11:59pm EST on June 30, 2018.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Eligibility is very open:

  • Just about everyone who doesn’t work for ALA is eligible to participate
  • Non-ALA/YALSA members are eligible
  • Teens are eligible
  • Non-US residents/citizens are eligible

What should you read?

Winners, honor titles, or top ten selections from 2018 awards and YALSA’s selected lists are fair game.  Check out this sortable list of eligible titles or choose books from these award lists:

The rewards?

In his Hub post, blogger Stephen Ashley shares the rewards of participating in the challenge:

Valor!

Honor!

Glamour?

Beyond experiencing the best of the best that YA lit has to offer, everyone who finishes the challenge will be invited to submit a response to a book they read for the challenge. The response can be text, graphics, audio, video and will be published on The Hub. Furthermore, everyone who finishes the challenge will be entered into a random drawing for our grand prize featuring bookish goodies to be revealed later.

For all the deets, including the fine print, read the post The 2018 Hub Reading Challenge Begins Today!

You may also be interested in the:

Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 12.14.52 PM