Inspired by reading challenges offered by many public libraries but limited to people in those specific communities and the success of our 2023 Reading Challenge, GSHE organized a monthly 2025 Reading Challenge for NH’s homeschool community!
It is just for fun, to help young readers explore new authors, subjects, and genres. Our monthly challenges are broad so families may choose whatever book they wish and feel is appropriate for their children.
Participants are not required to complete book reports, give oral presentations, create a formal project, or send in anything to GSHE. Families are free to incorporate our reading challenges into their child’s learning as they see fit. If you choose to keep a record of participation, it can be part of your child’s homeschool portfolio!
Our monthly challenges can also make fun family-friendly read-alouds! We published a couple articles earlier about research and tips for reading aloud to children of all ages. You can find them here:
Read Alouds: Benefits, Research, and Favorite Books – Part 1
Read Alouds: Tips and Favorite Books – Part 2
GSHE has several resources for free books in our directory that you can access with a free registered account.
Participation
For 2025, GSHE will not collect reading logs, track participation, or issue a year-end prize. Families are free to extend the Reading Challenge in any way they wish; perhaps provide a monthly incentive to encourage your child’s reading such as a new book if they complete all monthly challenges.
For kids that are not reading independently, audio books and books you read together are perfectly fine. Any reading ability is welcome to participate.
Let’s get started!!
For October, read a mystery!
For this month’s challenge, read a mystery book. Mysteries make the reader think. It requires them to pay attention to clues, use logic and deductive reasoning, and try to solve the mystery before it is revealed.
Mysteries can be suspenseful and engaging to keep young and reluctant readers who need a good hook to keep turning pages. And because so many are available in a series, one finished book often leads to the next.
We thought this would be a fun theme as we head to Halloween, too.
Suggested Books (Alphabetical by Title)
A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
A to Z Mysteries series by Ron Roy
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Cam Jansen series by David A. Adler
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
Dying to Meet You (43 Old Cemetery Road) by Kate Klise
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective series by Donald J. Sobol
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
The Great Mouse Detective: Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Jigsaw Jones Mystery series by James Preller
The Math Inspectors series by Daniel Kenney
The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart
Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
Nate the Great series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Simon and Chester, Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series by Jordan Stratford
Young Cam Jansen series by David A. Adler
Suggested Authors
David A. Adler (Cam Jansen, Young Cam Jansen)
Blue Balliett (Chasing Vermeer)
Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None, The Secret of Chimneys)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)
Franklin W. Dixon (Hardy Boys)
Louise Fitzhugh (Harriet the Spy)
Chris Grabenstein (Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library)
Kate Klise (43 Old Cemetery Road)
E.L. Konigsburg (From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler)
Donald J. Sobol (Encyclopedia Brown)
Jordan Stratford (Wollstonecraft Detective Agency)
Trenton Lee Stewart (Mysterious Benedict Society)
