For this month, the 2026 July Reading Challenge focuses on reading the first book in a series.
Inspired by the success of GSHE’s past reading challenges and similar programs offered by public libraries, GSHE is continuing its monthly Reading Challenge for 2026, created especially for New Hampshire’s homeschool community.
This challenge is designed to be simple, flexible, and enjoyable. Each month offers a broad reading theme that encourages children to explore new authors, subjects, and genres in ways that fit your homeschool style.
Families may choose any book that matches the monthly theme and feels appropriate for their child’s age, interests, and reading level.
There are no required book reports, projects, logs, or submissions to GSHE. If you choose to keep a record of your child’s participation, it may be included in your homeschool portfolio, but that is entirely optional.
Participation
GSHE does not collect reading logs, track participation, or offer prizes for the Reading Challenge. Families are welcome to extend the challenge in their own creative ways, such as offering a small monthly incentive, planning special library visits, or setting aside dedicated family reading time.
For children who are not yet reading independently, audiobooks and family read-alouds count. Readers of all abilities are welcome.
If you’d like encouragement and ideas for reading together as a family, you may also enjoy:
Read Alouds: Benefits, Research, and Favorite Books – Part 1
Read Alouds: Tips and Favorite Books – Part 2
Finding Books on a Budget
Your local library is a great place to start, including access to interlibrary loan (ILL) programs.
GSHE members also have access to a wide range of free book and audiobook resources through the GSHE Resource Directory. Create a free account at gshenh.org/join to explore options such as:
Libby by OverDrive
LibriVox (public-domain audiobooks)
NH Downloadable Books Consortium
Project Gutenberg
Storyberries (especially helpful for younger readers)
Ben and Me (free Kindle books for children)
For July, read the first book in a series!
There’s something exciting about opening the first book in a series. It’s the beginning of a new adventure, introducing memorable characters and fascinating worlds—with the promise of many more stories still to come.
Whether you enjoy mystery, fantasy, historical fiction, adventure, or realistic fiction, every genre has wonderful series to discover. Here are some favorite first books to inspire you and your reader to begin a brand-new reading journey.
Young & Early Readers, ages 3 to 8
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
The Berenstain Bears by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Curious George by H.A. Rey
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant
Horrible Harry series by Suzy Kline
Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne
Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo
Mr. Putter & Tabby by Cynthia Rylant
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Owl Diaries by Rebecca Elliott
The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
The Puppy Place by Ellen Miles
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
Middle Readers, ages 9 to 12
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Spiderwick by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles) by Patricia C. Wrede
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman
The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern) by Shannon Hale
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald
Half Magic (Tales of Magic) by Edward Eager
Hardy Boys Mysteries by Franklin W. Dixon
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Inkheart (Inkworld) by Cornelia Funke
Knights of the Kitchen Table (Time Warp Trio) by Jon Scieszka
The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories by Carolyn Keene
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Redwall by Brian Jacques
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Septimus Heap by Angie Sage
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet) by Madeleine L’Engle
Teens, ages 13+
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn Saga) by Brandon Sanderson
The Queen’s Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
Sabriel (The Old Kingdom) by Garth Nix
A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle) by Ursula K. Le Guin
