Ten Book Challenge
Need a new challenge for your students? Canons High School in Middlesex
have been raising the number of books loaned from their school library with
their ‘Ten Book Challenge’ and offer a ready-made formula for other schools to
do the same. Adele Franklin, School Librarian, explains how the project works
and provides project templates for schools to adapt and use.
For our ‘Ten book Challenge’ project, students
were asked to read ten books within one term from
a selected list and to then write ten book reviews.
The books were selected from the School Library
Association (SLA) Riveting Reads list for 11 to18
year olds. The choice list consisted of ten
interesting themes, from which I selected five titles
that our library stocked. The themes were: train,
think, survive, spy, play, look back, laugh,
investigate, indulge and imagine. I then created a
booklist with all of the choices to give out to
students. I also created a review template to give
Happy ‘Ten Book Challengers’
students an idea about the things they might like
to write about in their review. Booklist and review template can be found at the end of
this case study.
The project was advertised in the school newsletter and I asked keen readers from year
eight if they would like to take part. I asked the English teachers to nominate students they
thought would be interested and able. I also asked students in upper years who had done
previous reading challenges, including Shadowing the Carnegie Medal.
(www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/shadowingsite/index.php)
We gave each participating student a copy of the reading list and the review template and
showed them which books were in and how to make reservations if they wanted one
specific title that was already on loan. Students wrote their reviews using MS Word, and
then ‘posted’ them into the library ‘post box’ on the school computer network.
This activity was aimed at able readers and to give the students, who read voraciously, a
challenge. Some students in year eight started the challenge, but soon realised they could
not manage a lot of the titles, or the speed needed to get through all ten books in one term.
This project could be adapted to cater for those less able or more reluctant readers by
reducing the number of reads and finding suitable book titles.
I believe the ‘Ten Book Challenge’ worked so well because it was structured. Students liked
working from a list but at the same time having autonomy and being able to choose what
they read. It appealed to the competitive nature of many of the students, having to read all
ten titles in a specific time frame. Vibakhar, from year eleven, a keen reader commented:
© National Literacy Trust
“Having read for the Carnegie Medal for the last few years, I was used to reading lots of
books and writing reviews. It was good to have another challenge to do to keep me
reading”.
The set themes meant the students also discovered new authors they might not have
considered picking up: “I got to read other books, which was really interesting” pointed out
Shun-Chi, from year eight. They enjoyed enthusing about their favourite books when
another ’ten book challenger’ was looking for a title to choose. There has been a noticeable
increase in book loans generally due to this project. It has really caused quite a buzz
amongst students and it has been particularly popular with the boys. Mursalin, from year
eight said, “Ten books takes a term, but it was brilliant – some of the books were THE best”.
We will definitely be doing it again in the summer term, using different themes. Next year I
will look into running three challenges a year with a grand prize to anyone who completes all
30 books and 30 reviews within the specific time frame.
Print out the booklist and review template below and give it a go:
© National Literacy Trust
Ten Book Challenge
Choose one book from each of the ten categories listed below.
You do not need to read the books in any order – start in the middle with ‘PLAY’ if you feel
like it.
Complete the book and write a short review, which you must post into the Library post box.
If you complete all 10 books and write 10 reviews within a term, you will win a prize.
These are the 10 categories. Below, you will find a list of titles to choose from for each of
the categories:
1. TRAIN 2. THINK 3. SURVIVE 4. SPY 5. PLAY 6. LOOK BACK
7. LAUGH 8. INVESTIGATE 9. INDULGE 10. IMAGINE
When you are ready to write your reviews, come and collect a form from the Library – then
type up your review and drop it into the Library post box.
Book list:
TRAIN
THINK
The Way of the Warrior,
Chris Bradford
The Sweet Far Thing, Libba Bray
Al Capone does my Shirts, Gennifer
Choldenko
Are you Kidding? Bali Rai
Vampirates, Justin Somper
Jackdaw Summer, David
Almond
Noughts and Crosses, Malorie
Blackman
Frozen Fire, Tim Bowler
Black Rabbit Summer, Kevin Brooks
Sarah’s Face, Melvin Burgess
SURVIVE
Blade, Tim Bowler
The Hand of the Devil, Dean Vincent
Carter
Wereling, Stephen Cole
The Black Tattoo, Sam Enthoven
Somewhere else, Sandra Glover
© National Literacy Trust
SPY
Absolute Power, Michael Carroll
Spy Dog, Andrew Cope
Jimmy Coates, Joe Craig
The Yellowcake Conspiracy,
Stephen Davies
Jigsaw, Carol Hedges
PLAY
LOOK BACK
Doing the Double, Alan Durant
Matthew’s Goals, Michael Hardcastle
The Reminder, Rune Michaels
Mister Monday, Garth Nix
We Was Robbed, football poems,
David Orme
The Medici Seal, Theresa Breslin
The Tar Man, Linda Buckley-Archer
I Coriander, Sally Gardner
Once, Morris Gleitzman
The Highwayman’s footsteps, Nicola
Morgan
LAUGH
INVESTIGATE
Blart, Dominic Barker
Sebastian Darke, Philip Caveney
Professor Branestawm, Norman
Hunter
Ryan’s Brain, Michael Lawrence
Forever Rose, Hilary McKay
Looking for JJ, Anne Cassidy
Half Moon Investigations, Eoin
Colfer
The Diamond Brothers investigate,
Anthony Horowitz
Catch us if you can, Catherine
MacPhail
Animal Lab, Malcolm Rose
INDULGE
Ten Things I Hate About Me, Randa
Abdel-Fattah
Ironside, Holly Black
Airhead, Meg Cabot
Sea change, Kate Cann
Ginger Snaps, Cathy Cassidy
© National Literacy Trust
IMAGINE
Airman, Eoin Colfer
Tales of the Otori Series, Lian
Hearn
The Chronicles of the Imaginarium
Geographica : there be dragons,
James A. Owen
Here lies Arthur, Philip Reeve
Septimus Heap, Angie Sage
The Ten Book Challenge: Book Review
Date
Name
Tutor Group
Category
This is the
Author
Title
book I have completed
Write about what you liked about the book – what you disliked – did you relate to any of the
characters? – did the book make you happy, sad or cross? – which part did you like best? (do
not tell the story of the whole book) – which part did you like the least? – would reading this
book make you want to read other books by the same author? – If you have not read a book
like this before would this book make you keen to read other books from the same category?
© National Literacy Trust