Middle Grade Madness! discussion
September Reading Challenge 2024
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Team Percy Jackson
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1. REFER TO THE RULES
- You can find them here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
- They list every detail from how the points are calculated to information on the bonus tasks.
- If you have a questions, please check it against the rules and if you’re still looking for an answer please put it to your team captain who will ask me in the Captain's Chat and refer back to you.
2. MAKE SURE YOUR BOOKS COUNT
Please always check your book counts towards our challenge before starting to read it!
Refer to the rules below to remind yourself of what counts as an mg book for the challenge:
WHAT COUNTS AS A MIDDLE GRADE BOOK:
- Must be more than 100 pages long.
*For audio books*: The print edition must be more than 100 pages long.
*For graphic novels*: must be more than 150 pages long.
- Must be categorised as MG+ or MG on this website: https://www.arbookfind.com/
If it says LG or UG on the website it DOESN’T COUNT.
OR
Must be categorised as MY+ or MY on this website: https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/
If it says LY or UY on the website it DOESN’T COUNT.
- Only books started on/after 1st September count!
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1. Introduce yourself! Tell your fellow team members what your favourite genres to read are and some things you like to do besides reading.
2. Decide on a team name! Choose the name of a protagonist (or main character) from a middle grade book/series. This challenge has been hosted four times in the past and here are what past teams have chosen: Coraline, Alice Queensmeadow, Logan Sweet, Lucy Pevensie, Sirius Black, Merlin, Charlotte, Morrigan Crow, Mary Poppins, Amari Peters, Matilda Wormwood, Wolf, Zenobia, Diana Barry, Remus Lupin, and Anthony Lockwood, so please don’t choose those!
3. Decide on a special category to be revealed! The categories are numbered 1 to 20, so pick a number as a team and that category will be one of the special categories revealed on either the 2nd, 3rd or 4th week and the tasks of this special category will be work more points!
Mod
My fave genres are mystery and time travel and I've already got a few books I'm hoping to read for the challenge.
Sadly, I can't suggest which category number we should pick for our Special Category as I have the distinct advantage of knowing what all the categories are already, so please can you all suggest a number instead.
I don't have a preference for a team name but I have noticed we never had a Team Percy Jackson if you guys are interested in having that as our team name. If anyone has any suggestions, share them below!
Hello everyone! I am Sayan and this is my first time in taking this challenge. Well, I have even joined this group recently. I really have no idea about middle grade books but still I chose a few to read. My fav genres are mystery, thriller, crime and adventure.
I hope to spend a good time with u all.
Mod
It’s nice to see a fellow mystery lover! If you want any middle grade mystery recommendations then let me know.
Do you have any idea for which category number we should choose or for our team name?
Hello everyone! I'm Jos and it is my second time in this challenge. My favorite genres are fantasy and romanceI do love the name Team Percy Jackson, and I think it's spot on considering there's a new PJO book releasing on September!
Errrr I would say maybe number 4 for the category number?
Mod
Omg I completely forget about the new Percy Jackson book! I’ll be honest I’ve never been as enthusiastic for the books as I was for the original series but it does pique my interest that he’s coming back. Are you planning on reading it? I think it would qualify as MG+ or is Percy older now so they’re making it YA?
Also yes that’s a good choice, my birthday is on the 4th so I do like that number for our special category! Let’s see what everyone else thinks as well
Hey Kadi I do have something to ask I just want to know that the category numbers where is it?
And Kadi I will love to get some mystery and crime recommendations on middle grade..
Hello, Kadi and everyone! nice to see you all. My name is Filli.actually, this is my 3rd MG challenge :D
cant wait to know all the challenges, despite i only can read a few every month, but still excited to know what everyone will be reading.
woaa percy jackson is good! reminder for us that the newest book is coming out in september too!
i love to read adventure fantasy, mystery/ thriller for middle grade, also for adult group.
Hi, Sayan, since i'm using app instead of website, i cant quote your comment and reply.you should try Murder most unladylike by Robin Stevens. i think it's pretty good and also page turner :))
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Do you have a preference for our special category number?
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Ooh I love recommending mystery books! Check out all our recommendations here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I’ve just added some new ones because you reminded me of it.
I’m planning on reading Liar & Spy once we start in September which is a mystery book someone recommended to me on the group
@Filli I started reading Murder Most Unladylike a few years back because someone recommended it and I just couldn’t get into it! I ended up DNFing it, just wasn’t my book
Mod
You should try the Theodore Boone series. I haven’t read it in tears but it was a very enjoyable Middle grade legal drama series where the protagonist is like a wannabe lawyer
Hi everyone! My name is Patricia, and I'm a student. My favorite genres are romance, young adult, middle-grade, mystery, mythology, adventure, and magical realism. I read different kinds of genres, and I'm open to reading any genre of book. Some things or hobbies I like to do are writing, especially book reviews, singing, decluttering my house, journaling, and watching some podcasts or self-help videos. I also watch some book vlogs and other YouTube channels about books. It's so nice to meet you all:)
Thanks Filli and Kadi I loved ur recommendations and Kadi for crime recommendations yeah somewhat like police investigations......Thanks for the recommendation
Filli I am also on app and website both so just take my name while replying that's enough : )
Kadi I am also voting for Percy Jackson, it's a nice name
Hello everyone! ^_^ My name is Dana Cristiana G., I am a 28 years old INFJ-T who loves coffee, adventures and the Moon.I have 3 cats (one momma and her 2 youngsters) and 2 dogs.
This is my 4th year participating in the challenge (I missed it in 2021), and I'm happy to be here once again. This year, however, I have other real-life things to focus on, so I'll be reading less books than usual (last year I got 18 books done for the challenge alone :D ).
I love reading mystery&thrillers, horror, sci-fi and weird books that mess with your brain or that throw some mindblowing twists at you. Also books that mess with time (time travel but also repeating the same day over and over). (Throw some recs at me if you have any ^_^ ).
I also enjoy adult fiction, fantasy, middle-grade, poetry (preferably the modern kind), nonfiction and graphic novels.
Lately I got more into magical realism, classics, historical fiction and romance (which I wasn't initially a fan of).
Not a fan of dark or sports romance, rettelings (not sure why, I did have a few faves), war stories, young adult (kinda) and short story collections.
I am personally okay with our name being Percy Jackson (although I never read anything by Rick Riordan :D...yet), and I would vote for category 19 just because it's one of my favorite numbers.
Nice to meet you all! ^_^
Mod
@Patricia what do you think of Percy Jackson for our team name?
@Dana category 19 ok! So we’re waiting for Amy and Abigael and we’ll see whether they sway towards Category 4 or category 19.
@Sayan no problem, I hope you enjoy the recommendations if you end up reading them!
For police investigation type books, from the ones I’ve recommended on the mystery page already, Framed by James Ponti and Snatched by Pete Hautman both have police investigations and the protagonists get involved.
Another one is Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen.
I’ve got quite a few YA recommendations if you’re interested, but they won’t count for the challenge.
Mod
Are we all happy to be Team Percy Jackson?
Do we want our Special Category to be category 4 or 19?
I’m Abigael. My favourite genres are fantasy, mystery, & adventure. I hate sci-fi & books with war/violence/really sad, so I’m looking forward to not reading for those Tasks. I have a lot of books waiting on my Libby account for the first midnight MDT of September. I read kind of obsessively during MGM, so I’m super excited for seeing what’s on Kadi’s magic list. This is my 3rd year in MGM and my first on Kadi’s team! I suggest number 8 or 17. Among the current suggested numbers, I choose 4.
I’m a library technician & rarely get to use my education for good use, so scouring for books to meet obscure tasks for Kadi’s wild ‘demands’ is one of my favourite jobs in MGM. 🩵 Other than reading & scavenger hunting for Kadi’s Tasks, I like puzzles, learning stuff on YouTube (history, pop culture/LGBTQ+ friendly memes, random facts), and serving my community (I live in a tiny dinner-theatre town, so I watch our plays, support our theatre & theatre students, & help with dining service).
I’m not really a fan of mythology, so haven’t read anything by Riordan except 39 Clues books. I don’t particularly want to be in a group named for Percy Jackson, but a quick Google search says he’s a guy I would probably enjoy, so if everyone else is in agreement, I’ll concede.
I just moved to a different room in my house & in the process lost my only currently functional device for accessing the Internet, so it has taken a while to check in. I got it back this morning. Sorry, Kadi!
Kadi wrote: "Hi Patricia and Dana! Glad to have you on our team😊@Patricia what do you think of Percy Jackson for our team name?
@Dana category 19 ok! So we’re waiting for Amy and Abigael and we’ll see whethe..."
Thank you! I'm excited to join this challenge again. I agree with the name Percy Jackson for our team name because it reminds me of Percy Jackson book I read last year:)
Mod
So I think we’re all agreed for Team Percy Jackson!
I think we have 3 votes for category number 4. I know some other numbers have also been mentioned like 19 and 8, but we need to decide today guys, so should we just go with 4?
Mod
I can’t remember who suggested category 19, but you’ll be glad to hear Team Sophie Foster (team B) chose that as their special category so it’s a win win!
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Last year, we got points for multiple people reading the same category. Are we doing that again? Also, which hidden category gets revealed first?
Mod
Here are the points available:
- 1 point each for every task completed
- 5 points for every category completed (doesn’t matter how many members it takes to complete the task)
- Page points: 1 point for every 100 pages read. Page numbers are rounded down so 299 pages = 2 points, 301 pages = 3 points
- Special category points: the special categories each team has chosen are 4, 11 & 19. One of these will be randomly selected to be revealed in the second, third and fourth week. They will be worth double, triple and quadruple points respectively
- Golden task points: The last task of every category can give you an extra 5 points if it is one of the following:
1. The number of pages has a number 5 in it. (Example: 105 pages, 250 pages, 503 pages, etc)
2. The title of the book starts with the letter F (Example: Frizzy… The words like A, An, The DO COUNT)
3. The author’s first name starts with the letter V (Example: Veronica Roth)
4. The book is the 5th in a series (Example: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
5. The protagonist has the letters F, I, V, & E in their name (can be their full name)
Mod
But you’ll still be able to see what the title of the category is so you can have some fun guessing what the tasks might be because I always link them to the category title in obvious or obscure ways!
Mod
The spreadsheet has been shared with you all, so please check your email and you should see an invite link. If you are having issues accessing the spreadsheet, please let me know. Send me a private message if you would like me to try sharing the spreadsheet with you on a different email address than the one you put on the sign up form, please do not share your email address on this page.
Please remember to read the rules on what books count: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Please only start reading your books when it becomes 1st September for you in your time zone! You can use the extra hours to see the tasks and plan.
If you have any questions, please ask your team captains and they will relay it to me. Please also check the task guidance tab on the spreadsheet for help.
Our Special Categories are number 4, 11, & 19.
The first Special Category to be revealed will be selected by a random picker on the night of 7th September and will be revealed on midnight 8th September (UK time).
I've left the Special Category titles visible so you can have some fun guessing what the tasks might be!
Mod
On the spreadsheet, please don’t add your books or change things on the official team page which is the first tab named “MG Challenge”
Instead, please use the tracking sheet to list what books you’re reading and ALL potential tasks it might fit with and why. And then I will decide which task to assign it to on the official challenge spreadsheet page to get our points.
This is the easiest and most organised way and it makes it less effort for all of us because then I can move things around on our team page as needs be and know that it is correct.
If you don’t like using the spreadsheet or can’t be bothered, or find it difficult it’s completely fine!
Please share on this page these details:
- Title of the book and author
- When you started and finished reading it
- EVERY task it fits with and why
- Number of pages
And I can add it onto the spreadsheet for you.
Also guys please remember to add your read books to your shelf as I do like to check that to make sure I have all of the above details correct😊
ok kadi can we read two books at a time
Mod
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Heey everyone! Have fun on this challenge! ^_^
Categories number 5, 5, & 6 are mis-numbered. @Kadi
Is a sequel series just any series of books? Or is it like the Doublecross series after the 39 Clues series?
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Everyone feel free to share your books and discuss if you’re enjoying them!
@Abigael lol thanks for letting me know, I’ll change the wrong numbering. It’s because I moved some of the categories around last minute.
Also yes a sequel series is like Doublecross from 39 clues or Heroes of Olympus which is a sequel to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I’m sure there are other examples as well but that’s the only one that comes to mind!
Thank you, Kadi!Do Minecraft creepers count as ghouls? Does a character building a boat count as fixing a vehicle?
Also, highly recommend Max Brooks’ Minecraft books if you want to fill a bunch of the more obscure tasks: bug bites, jealousy, island, reflection in introduction (water instead of mirror because mirrors don’t exist),
Do Roman numerals count as letter “i”, like volume ii?
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Maybe for the boat. Was it broken when they were building it? Or were they building it from scratch? Because if it’s the former then it counts and if it’s the latter it doesn’t
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I’m 3/4 through my first book so we’re making awesome progress!
@Jos please can you make sure you add your books to the tracking tab on the sheet and not the main mg challenge tab on the spreadsheet so that we can see all the possible tasks it can fit and I can fit it to a task and move it around if we need to later on.
I’ve moved your first read back to the tracking sheet so that we can gather a few books for now before they all go onto the mg challenge sheet
Oh thanks for letting me know! I'll fix that going forward
Mod
When I'm not in a readers block yes, I'm a really fast reader, I'm also trying to read everything I can before going back to school
Middle Grade Madness!
Books mentioned in this topic
Coraline (other topics)Waverider (other topics)
The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree (other topics)
The London Eye Mystery (other topics)
Scritch Scratch (other topics)
1. (CAPTAIN) Kadi
2. Filli Aya
3. Sayan
4. Dana Christiana
5. Patricia
6. Jos Stormblessed
7. Amy Steiner
8. Abigael
(Each person’s name is linked to their challenge bookshelf and the book listed beside their name is their mg book recommendation)
The spreadsheet containing all the tasks will be shared with every team member via email invite on 1st September: (countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...)