January is the perfect time to start thinking about goals and resolutions. Who do you want to be this year? What’s in your way? What can help you to get there faster? In our library community, we are always working towards becoming stronger, more confident, more joyful readers. And the only way to get better at reading is – of course – to READ! So when it comes to goals and resolutions, we know just what to do. But you’ve probably noticed that in our school library, we like to go big – and so not just any reading resolution would do. With that in mind, the library interns and I are proud to present…

THE 2019 CHALLENGE!

Can our K-8 school community read 2,019 books in January 2019?

Every book logged will be kept on a master list in the library, and our challenge thermometer will be updated by library interns in intervals of 100 throughout the month. All students in grades K-8 are invited to participate, and we’ll need the help of faculty and staff, too! Parents, we can’t do this without you – help your readers keep track of titles read at home. Of course, reading together counts, so take a seat and open a book! For ways to add your family’s finished titles to the master list, check out the rules and guidelines below.

Rules, guidelines, and FAQ:

Every book logged must be read cover to cover in January 2019. Abandoned books and books started in December don’t count towards our goal. (If you have a question about whether your book counts, come ask!)
Every book and reader must be logged on the master list in the library, by me or a library intern. If you want your book to count towards our total, get it on that list! You can get your name and title on the master list 3 different ways:
- Tell Ms. Fitz in person and have her write it on the list
- Add a piece of paper with your name and the title to the 2019 Challenge box on the circulation desk (for example, if Carter reads Amal Unbound, his paper would say “Carter, Amal Unbound“)
- Email Ms. Fitz your name and the title you read to have her add it to the list
Parents, your completed titles count, too! Faculty and staff are also in on the fun. Drop by to share your titles or fill me in via email. We’ll need the whole community working together if we’re going to meet our goal!
Readers and families can use their best judgement on “good fit” books. We trust you to make this challenge fun and interesting by choosing books that will challenge you and make you a better reader!
Books do not have to be from our school library.
Yes, e-books, audiobooks, and graphic novels count towards our total.
Bilingual books, books in a language other than English, and books over 300 pages count as two titles toward our total.
Books can be read and shared both in and out of school throughout the entire month of January.
Books read by a class or group of students count as one title read toward our total. If adding to the challenge box, the slip could read, “Mrs. FitzHenry’s class, Mae Among the Stars.”

More questions? Leave a comment, write an email, or come see me in the library. I’ll be the one furiously tallying titles! We’ll need all hands on deck to reach this lofty goal, so I hope you’ve got a great TBR pile ready to go. I can’t wait to see what our reading community can accomplish together in January 2019!