New Year, New Challenges

I’ve heard of reading challenges for a while now. You have to read a certain number of books, or certain type of books, and sometimes write or blog about them. Sometimes there are prizes. Mainly they seem to be tools to get people motivated to read and also to connect with one another. “Social reading” perhaps. This Harry Potter themed one, “The Hogwarts Reading Challenge” seems too fun to resist. And before you say, “Well, I’ve already read all the Harry Potter books” or “I don’t want to read Harry Potter” take a look. You don’t have to read HP, though you do earn extra points for doing so. Your books have to be ones that would fit into a class at Hogwarts — so any book on space for “Astronomy” or a math book or even just one with numbers in the title for “Arithmancy.” If a book defies categorization, it’ll probably still fit under Muggle Studies. And you don’t have to take every class either.

The challenge is hosted by the “Worth Reading It?” blog and a more detailed description is below. I’ve been sorted into Gryffindor — yeah! an auspicious beginning.

Hogwarts Reading Challenge 2011
January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011

In the Hogwarts Reading Challenge you are a student of the school. You will be sorted into houses. Each book you read must fit in to the subject of one the classes. You do not have to read books that fit all the subjects. Each book equals one point (toward the house cup).

You must read at least 5 books (audio books counts) before you are entered in to the drawing. At the end of the Challenge one person will win a $15 Amazon Gift Card and one house will win the House Cup (purely a pride thing).

Reading one of the 7 Harry Potter books earns you 25 house points. You can only read this books once during the challenge. 15 points for any other Harry Potter related book such as Tales of Beedle the Bard or A Parent’s Guide to Harry Potter, again these books may only be read once during the challenge.

The Classes

• Transfiguration – read any book that has trans or figure in its title, is about shape shifting, has a shape shifter in it, or is about anything having to do with changing one thing into another
• Defence Against the Dark Arts – read any book that has defence(defense), dark and/or art(s) in its title, read any book that is about self defense, war, history of war/marital arts, murder mysteries
• Charms – read any book that has charm in its title, any book that deals with gives something or someone a new aspect (for example the nerdy guy become a handsome doctor)
• Potions – read any book that has potion in its title, cookbooks count but you must cook at least one recipe out of the book
• Astronomy – read any book that has astronomy in its title, books about planets, stars, etc, sci-fi
• History of Magic – read any book that has history or magic in its title, books about magic, witches, etc
• Herbology – read any book that has herb in its title, again cookbooks count and again you must cook at least one recipe out of the book
• Arithmancy – read any book that has arithmancy in its title, any book with a number in its title, any book that deal with numbers or math
• Ancient Runes – read any book that has ancient or runes in its title, books about historical places like the pyramids, Stonehenge, great wall of china, or any book about symbols
• Divination - read any book that has divine in its title, any book about psychics or psychic abilities, tarot reading etc

1. Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.  1/31/11– I decided to put this title here since Miss Sadie, the diviner, plays such an important role in the story.

• Care of Magical Creatures – read any book that has magical or creatures in its title, about supernatural beings
• Muggle Studies – nearly any book works here, what better why to understand Muggles than to read what they read.

1. The Exiles by Hilary McKay. 1/10/11

Some pretty strange muggles here! Love Big Grandma.