This year is coming to a close and if you are like me, you’re in a mad scramble to fulfill your annual reading challenge. Some people read a book for each letter of the alphabet, while others follow a host of silly themes. I’d like to challenge you to challenge your kids!

Below you will find 10 reading prompts with suggested titles that meet the basic qualification. The rules are simple: Read a book for each prompt before the year is out. There is no right or wrong way to take on the challenge, but seasoned reading challenge participants know that a solid hack for completing the challenge as quickly as possible is selecting books that work for more than one prompt. For example: Read a book with a map in it, which won an award and that your mother would absolutely hate!

Whether you are reading aloud to your kids or they are reading independently, make sure you select titles that get your littles excited. They’ll get plenty of valuable educational reads at school, so no need to double down on value when there is entertainment to be had. Here we go!

1. Read a book with a one-word title.

“Moo” by Sharon Creech

Written in a combination of poetry and prose, “Moo” is a quick read to kick off your reading challenge. Creech covers the culture shock of a child moving from the big city to rural Maine with brief yet heartwarming chapters. An ideal pick for a reluctant reader.

2. Pick a book you think your mom would hate!

“Battle of the Butts: The Science Behind Animal Behinds” by Jocelyn Rish.

Need I say more? This non-fiction page turner covers important topics such as how butts are used for breathing and the seldom celebrated communication tool known as the fart.

3. Try a graphic novel.

“InvestiGators: Ants in Action” by John Patrick Green

Chosen as the 2024 Kids Choice Book Award for Best Graphic Novel, the InvestiGators series is a perfect intro to the genre. Kids will love solving mysteries with Mango and Brash, two alligators who use, toilet-based travel techniques to get to and from crime scenes.

4. Read a book that features multiples.

“The Fowl Twins” by Eoin Colfer

The author of “Artemis Fowl” is back with a new series set in the same loveable universe. Read along as twin brothers Miles and Beckett get into every bit as much trouble as their famous sibling.

5. Read a book that is older than you.

“The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles” by Julie Andrews

Mary Poppins writes children’s novels and this one is as magical as everything actor Julie Andrews has ever done on screen. Follow along as a crafty professors take three unsuspecting siblings on a search for the wisest, kindest, most extraordinary creature in the world.

6. Read a book based on real events.

“I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919” by Lauren Tarshis

Did you know that over 100 years ago a killer wave of molasses unalived 21 people? Well, you do now — read this historical fiction favorite to find out what went wrong and how long it took to clean up the mess!

7. Read a book that won an award.

“We Still Belong” by Christine Day

Winner of the American Indian Library Association’s Youth Literature Award, “We Still Belong” is a middle grade realistic fiction about a young girl who, unable to enroll in her Upper Skagit tribe, is left questioning her place within the Native community she lives.

8. Find a book with a map inside.

“The Last Mapmaker” by Christina Soontornvat

Channel your inner adventurer in this tale of a conman’s daughter turned mapmaker, struggling to forge her own path in a world where ancestry determines everything. (Note: this was also an award winner.)

9. Read a book that was made into a movie.

“The Midnight Gang” by David Walliams

Written by British #1 Bestselling children’s author, David Walliams, “The Midnight Gang” follows Tom, a young boy who lands himself in a nefarious children’s ward only to discover that when the lights go out, the fun gets started. Think “Night at the Museum” but set in a hospital.

10. Select a book that alternates between present day and the past.

“Code Name Kingfisher” by Liz Kessler

In this World War II historical fiction, 13-year-old Liv learns that her great-grandmother played a role in the Dutch Resistance.