Stumped by the Extreme Book Nerd 2023 Challenge

We started the Extreme Book Nerd for Kids and Extreme Book Nerd for Teens challenges this past January 2023. Then we moved to a different state and now we aren’t part of the same library system. Rather than give up the challenge, I opted to just purchase prizes for the kiddos for finishing reading 25 books, at least 100 pages long, in specific categories. The prize for each of my kiddos was a Hydration Backpack, which my husband and I have been wanting to purchase for them so they can more easily carry their own water when we go for a hike.

I like the library challenges because I like to give myself a fun challenge. I’d label us “conservative Christian homeschoolers” and we try to read, watch and listen to things that Jesus would like us to. Philippians 4:8 states, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (NKJV) Using that Bible verse as a guide, I read reviews and draw from my memory bank to select our reading material. Sometimes I miss the mark, but I try to choose books that are worthy of our time. Using book categories selected by public libraries can be challenging. Sometimes it is difficult to find books that I think are appropriate and that fit into the categories. This year, I got stumped.

For the teen challenge, I swapped out categories. I couldn’t find a current BookTok recommendation or a current GoodReads recommendation that I felt would fit our values and be worth our time reading aloud as a family or worth assigning as reading material to my oldest. Since I was now purchasing my own prize, I had no problem switching out those categories for my 13-year-old son. Instead, I used, “a book my mom made me read” since I wanted him to learn a bit of basic chemistry in a book about the periodic table, and “a cozy mystery” since that was a category in the Winter Reading Challenge that he hadn’t completed.

I got stumped again on the kid’s category of “a book set in the future”. I spent way, way, way too long down rabbit holes on Google and Amazon and found nothing that I wanted my kids to read. I finally used one of my lifelines and “phoned (via text) a friend (and fellow blogger)”. I should’ve texted LR sooner to ask for ideas, suggestions, or recommendations. She and I had a fun little chat brainstorming ideas. It takes a village to raise a child and I’m so glad that Returning To Paradise is in my village! She came up with several book suggestions for us to choose from.

Without further ado, here are the categories and the books we listened to together as audiobooks, or read aloud, or the kiddos read independently:

Extreme Book Nerd Teen Challenge

1. Set somewhere you’d like to travel: “Where Is Easter Island?” by Megan Stine
2. Author’s last name ends in a vowel: “Who Was Nikola Tesla?” by Jim Gigliotti
3. Has “star” or “war(s)” in the title: “Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View” by various authors
4. Wildcard – From the 500s section: “Wile E. Coyote’s Physical Science for Super Geniuses in Training” by Mark Weakland and Suzanne Slade
5. With a D, E, F, or G in the title: “What Was D-Day?” by Patricia Brennan Demuth
6. A book you can read in one sitting: “I Survived The Shark Attacks of 1916: A Graphic Novel” by Lauren Tarshis and Haus Studio
7. Suggested by a librarian: “Holes” by Louis Sachar
8. By an author of color: “Farewell to Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
9. A Cozy Mystery: “A Spy on the Home Front” by Alison Hart
10. Has a recipe in it: “Farm Anatomy” by Julia Rothman
11. Has a magical creature in it: “How to Train Your Dragon” by Carissa Cowell
12. Makes you feel good: “Lunch Money” by Andrew Clements
13. A banned or challenged book: “Dragonwings” by Laurence Yep
14. Has a character with a disability: “Who Was Stephen Hawking?” by Jim Gigliotti
15. Historical fiction: “Little Lord Fauntleroy” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
16. A book my mom made me read: “Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements: Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything” by Jon Chad
17. Published in 2013: “What Was the Gold Rush?” by Joan Holub
18. A physical book: “Wingfeather Saga (book 1): On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” by Andrew Peterson
19. From the 100 most popular Young Adult books: “Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry” by Mildred D. Taylor
20. Non-fiction: “Marley: A Dog Like No Other” by John Grogan
21. About a fresh start: “The Landry News” by Andrew Clements
22. A book you love, read it again: “Frindle” by Andrew Clements
23. Has 3 generations in it: “Little House on Rocky Ridge” by Roger Lea MacBride
24. You’ve seen it on someone else’s bookshelf: “White Fang” by Jack London
25. A book you chose because of the cover: “Who Was Bruce Lee?” by Jim Gigliotti
26. Published 2023: “Science Comics: Electricity: Energy in Action” by Andy Hirsch

Extreme Book Nerd Kids Challenge (I had two children complete this challenge, sometimes they read/listened to the same books and sometimes they didn’t.)

1. Wildcard – a book with a holiday in it: “Who Was Abraham Lincoln?” by Janet B. Pascal
2. From a library display: “What is LEGO?” By Jim O’Connor and/or “The Imagination Station (book 1): Voyage with the Vikings” by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker
3. Non-fiction: “Lost Star: the Story of Amelia Earhart” by Patricia Lauber
4. Set in the future: “Wall-E: Recharge” by J. Torres and Morgan Luthi – this one really was more of a picture book with very few words but I let it slide 😉
5. Recommended by a librarian: “A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Burnett and/or “Holes” by Louis Sachar
6. Published in 2023: “Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements: Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything” by Jon Chad
7. Has a building on the cover: “I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944: A Graphic Novel” by Lauren Tarshis and Álvaro Sarraseca and/or “Where is the Parthenon?” by Roberta Edwards
8. With a subtitle: “Science Comics: Cats: Nature and Nurture” by Andy Hirsch
9. Has a mom, dad or grandparent in it: “I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: A Graphic Novel” by Lauren Tarshis and Haus Studio and/or “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” by Beverly Cleary
10. Set on a farm: “Strawberry Girl” by Lois Lenski
11. Has “two”, “to”, or “too” in the title: “Ranger in Time: Long Road to Freedom” by Kate Messner and/or “The World According to Humphrey” by Betty G. Birney
12. Newbery award winner or honor: “Winterbound” by Margery Williams Bianco
13. Has a community helper in it: “I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001: A Graphic Novel” by Lauren Tarshis and Corey Egbert
14. About survival: “I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916: A Graphic Novel” by Lauren Tarshis and Haus Studio and/or “I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944” by Lauren Tarshis and Álvaro Sarraseca
15. A bookish theme: “The Loser’s Club” by Andrew Clements
16. An ordinal number in the title: “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” by Judy Blume
17. Three-word title: “Gooney Bird Greene” by Lois Lowry
18. A re-telling of a fairy-tale or myth: “Peter Pan” by J.M. Barrie and/or “Pablo and Birdy” by Allison McGhee
19. Contains an element in the title (earth, air, fire, water): “Journey to the Center of the Earth” by Jules Verne
20. Red cover (at least 50%): “Marley: A Dog Like No Other” by John Grogan
21. The last book of a series: “Ranger in Time: Attack on Pearl Harbor” by Kate Messner and/or “Ralph S. Mouse” by Beverly Cleary
22. Has a musical instrument in it: “Trumpet of the Swan” by E.B. White and/or “Who Was Louis Armstrong?” by Yona Zeldis McDonough
23. Has a bird in it: “Pablo and Birdy” by Allison McGhee and/or “Trumpet of the Swan” by E.B. White
24. A book of poetry: “Kids Pick the Funniest Poems: Poems That Makes Kids Laugh” by Bruce Lansky and Stephen Carpenter
25. Has a holiday in it: “Who Was George Washington?” by Roberta Edwards
26. Book of your choice: “Where is the Parthenon?” by Roberta Edwards and/or “Runaway Ralph” by Beverly Cleary

Happy homeschooling friends! Do you see any of your favorite books on our lists?