Young Adult Reading Challenge

Young Adult Reading Challenge

Welcome to our young adult reading challenge! Here you can find out all the information you need to gain your reading challenge certificate.

This challenge, designed by our amazing Literacy Champion Lucy, involves reading one book* from each of our five categories and answering a question for each book you've read. The five categories are:

• Dealing with adversity and trauma
• Discovering your identity
• Mental health
• Living with disability or chronic illness
• Navigating friendships and relationships

*All books can be found in Birmingham libraries across the city.

Once you have read a book, simply choose from one of the questions in the category and email your answer to birmingham@literacytrust.org.uk. then read and repeat, until you have covered all five categories. Remember you only need to read one book per category! Make sure to write "YA reading challenge" in the subject of your email.

Dealing with Adversity / Trauma

Once you've finished reading your chosen book for this category answer one of the questions below about your completed book and email it to birminghamstories@literacytrust.org.uk. Make sure to write "YA reading challenge" in the subject.

• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
• Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
• The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

Questions

1. Which event in the book is the most important? What makes it so important?
2. Guess the zodiac sign of Legendborn's main characters: Bree and Sel.
3. Share your favourite quote or one that is particularly insightful, interesting, or silly from your book. Tell us the the reason you selected this particular quote.
4. Is there an event in the story that you would like to read from another character’s point of view?

Discovering Your Identity

Once you've finished reading your chosen book for this category answer one of the questions below about your completed book and email it to birminghamstories@literacytrust.org.uk. Make sure to write "YA reading challenge" in the subject.

• Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
• Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
• Felix Ever by After by Kacen Callender
• Heartstopper: Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman
• My Hero Academia Vol. 1 by Kohei Horikoshi -
• You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

Questions

1. Did the setting enhance or take away from the story? Think about whether this story could take place in a different location or time period.
2. If you had to create the movie or TV version, who would play the lead roles (Don’t limit yourself to people who look like the character, you can cast someone because they have a similar sense of humour or determination as the character. You could even cast your family or friends!)?
3. Which event in the book is the most important? What makes it so important?
4. Is there an event in the story that you would like to read from another character’s point of view?
5. What was unique about the setting of the book?
6. Did you race to the end, or was it more of a slow burn?

Mental Health

Once you've finished reading your chosen book for this category answer one of the questions below about your completed book and email it to birminghamstories@literacytrust.org.uk. Make sure to write "YA reading challenge" in the subject.

• A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A Brown
• Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
  

Questions

1. What was unique about this author’s style of writing?
2. Do the characters seem convincing and believable? Can you relate to their lives and situations? Do any characters remind you of yourself or someone you know?
3. Share your favourite quote or one that is particularly insightful, interesting, or silly. Tell us the the reason you selected this particular quote.

Disability and Chronic illness

Once you've finished reading your chosen book for this category answer one of the questions below about your completed book and email it to birminghamstories@literacytrust.org.uk. Make sure to write "YA reading challenge" in the subject.

• A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
  

Questions

1. Which characters did you like best? Which did you like least?
2. Did you enjoy the authors style of writing? Does the author use a casual, conversational writing style? Is there a lot of descriptive language? Did the author use a rotating point of view?

Navigating Relationships and Friendships

Once you've finished reading your chosen book for this category answer one of the questions below about your completed book and email it to birminghamstories@literacytrust.org.uk. Make sure to write "YA reading challenge" in the subject.

• Blackout (Short stories) by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon)
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
• Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya
• Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
• Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
• Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
  

Questions

1. Do the characters seem convincing and believable? Can you relate to their lives and situations? Do any characters remind you of yourself or someone you know?
2. Guess the zodiac sign of Stormbreaker's main character Alex.
3. In which Tik Tok trend would your favourite character most likely to participate in?
4. Did you race to the end, or was it more of a slow burn?
5. If you had to create the movie or TV version, who would play the lead roles of your favourite story? Don’t limit yourself to people who look like the character, you can cast someone because they have a similar sense of humour or determination as the character. You could even cast your family or friends!