Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon discussion

When I came across a reference to this reading challenge, I thought "What a great idea! When did I last read all day, until I couldn't keep my eyes open, nap for a few hours and then dive right back into a book?" And then my second thought was, "The only way I can do that is by involving the whole family. As an added bonus, I'll get the kids off the iPad and into the books."

So I have raided the library (and our own bookshelves) and I have a whole pile of books. Books for the adults to read to our youngest child, books for us to read to our oldest child, books our oldest child can read to her younger brother, books she can read to herself, books he can flip through and enjoy the pictures. And of course books for the grown-ups to enjoy when we're not taking a turn reading to somebody else. The kids also have access to audio books through an education portal. I'll try to list what we have read at intervals.

I am really curious how this will work out, and I hope it doesn't end in tears and rebellion. (And hopefully I won't collapse with exhaustion the moment the kids are in bed.) The kids are pretty keen on the idea so far at least, and I haven't even showed them the books.

This is awesome. After some family obligations during the first few hours of the Readathon, I plan to involve my family as well. my 13yo lives books as much as I do so I know that she'll be on board. My 10yo is required to read 100 minutes per week for school & we've had busy week so she's behind for this week. This will be a great time to get caught up and exceed!

I think this is absolutely wonderful! And good for the kids. Did you see the reading rainbow article? If not, I can post the link for you. Kids need to read. Its good for them.

I force my whole family to participate. I am unmarried and have no kids, and my family is spread out over the world. So I require photographic evidence that everyone has read. Last readathon, one of my sisters, who lives in Germany, sent me a picture of her reading a book to her five month old son. And she still reads to him every day. It is great to get the whole family involved. Have you thought of maybe small prizes for books read as an incentive? Like 10 picture books equals a small candy? Or for those who read longer books, x chapters equals... well, I don't know what works for your kids. But it might be a way to keep them interested and reading.

Thanks for the support, both of you. :) I have not seen the reading rainbow article, and would love a link.

My kids are only 8 and 5, and I have read to them since they were babies. They love books (but there are just so many other distractions... like playing Minecraft, or watching videos of other people playing Minecraft :P )

My son loves being read to, but he is picky about books. They need to have lots of pictures, in colour, but more text than just a few lines per page. So graphic novels are good for him. In fact, he loves being read to so much that he shows little inclination of learning to read himself. Though to be fair, he has two languages at school and a third at home, all with different pronunciations rules, so that's got to be confusing. Which is probably also why the 8-year old finds reading to be exhausting even if she loves it. Fortunately the event doesn't start until 1pm here, so we can go outside for a bit first, and they'll have a night of rest and we can start up again in the morning. :)

I am reluctant to give out treats for reading. Don't get me wrong, there will be snacks! It's a Saturday, and a reading party at that. But I think I'll hand them out when I see that we need a boost. It just seems a nicer incentive to say, "Here, enjoy munching on these while you enjoy a book", instead of "Here, you can have a reward when you have finished the chore of reading!" :-/

That said, I know they respond well to external motivation. Simply knowing that people will be doing the same all over the world and that we can post a list of the books we read has them all excited. I think I'll let them choose a colour paper and get some stickers. Not quite sure how to do it though. I don't want to give a sticker for each book. That's not really fair on the 8-year old as I expect her to tackle some books on her own, whereas her brother can just lark around and be read to. ;) But we can list all the titles, and then add a sticker for every hour participated... or every half hour? Something like that. Should add to their sense of achievement to see the list grow.

Here is the article: https://www.readingrainbow.com/site/b...

Hope this helps!

Thanks, that looks like an interesting site. :)

Reading Rainbow is an amazing organization. Here in the States, they have had a television show on public television for as long as I can remember (at least 20 years) where the host (same host for the entire run, a fairly well-known television actor) reads a book aloud while the kids watch illustrations come to life. They have raised tons of money for children's literacy through the years.

I think your idea of rewards for time rather than number of books is spot on. That's exactly why my daughter's reading teacher requires logging time read rather than pages read; everyone reads at a different pace.

Also ... what is the appeal of watching people play Minecraft?!? My kids would spend hours on YouTube if I allowed them to!

Amy wrote: "Reading Rainbow is an amazing organization. Here in the States, they have had a television show on public television for as long as I can remember (at least 20 years) where the host (same host for ..."

As a slow reader, I totally understand the rewards for time spent rather than number of books. When I made the suggestion, I was just thinking of my time in the third grade where we got class rewards when x number of books were read. Every book read had a circle with the title and who read it and they were hung in a line around the classroom. I just remember how exciting and motivating the whole thing was.

And about the appeal for watching people play games... I have to admit that I do understand this. I do a lot of crafts (cross stitching, crochet, and quilting) and I am not so good at video games, but I find it very relaxing to watch others play. I have watched several playthroughs of various games.

I have to admit that some of the Minecraft videos are entertaining. The players get so into it and provide really entertaining commentary. Maybe I should encourage my kids to practice knitting whilst watching. (I'm mostly kidding. Knitting and paying attention to anything else simultaneously is for advanced knitters.)

I'm getting jittery about tomorrow now. What if we don't have enough books?! Lol

Leni wrote: "I have to admit that some of the Minecraft videos are entertaining. The players get so into it and provide really entertaining commentary. Maybe I should encourage my kids to practice knitting whil..."

There is always public access books on the internet...

I always worry that I will get bored of all my books and not be able to pick something to read. In the end, my problem is usually that I don't have enough time to read all I want to read.

Yes, I'm only worried about running out of books for my 5-year old. Those books need to be short, and so we'll breeze through them. He likes repetition though, so at a pinch we can re-read whatever books he liked the most. The rest of us are covered for a week or two of non-stop reading, I think! Lol

Well, I didn't have the time to do the pre-reading intro post, because I was stuck doing the dishes. :P But now, half an hour late, we have started.

Offspring 1 is finishing a book she started the other day:

Offspring 2 is being read to by his father, a spider-man graphic novel.

Which leaves me to... wow... I'm confused. I can read to myself? Ok going to read the first short story in

hahaha - enjoy being able to read to yourself for a bit!

I managed to get through the first story. lol Had to bribe the kids with a snack break to finish the last few pages. Now my partner is reading a graphic novel:


Our daughter is reading


And I am about to read to our son:

I am so impressed with my daughter! She has now also read three (short and easy) horror books by Michael Dahl (Library of Doom series), and has almost finished


Meanwhile my partner is working on finishing something he started long ago:


And me? lol I've managed a second story from the Ladies of Grace Adieu. And also, with my son,






Also, we've had pizza. And I've had to give my son some iPad time now. Whew. Time for me to cram in another short story.

Came to have a look how tours was going, I haven't seen that enormous crocodile cover since I was in primary school.

It looks like your kids are hanging in their great! I had to let mine head outside for awhile, while I catch up here for a bit.

I think pizza sounds like a great idea! Maybe I'll do that for supper....

Alrighty! My partner took a break from his Roald Dahl for grownups to read this to our son:


And to read
which he deemed suitable enough for the 8-year old in the morning.

I read the following to the 5-year old:





And then when I put him to bed we read:



And after all that reading he still tried to wheedle "just one more book" out of me before going to sleep! XD

I've been reading to the 8-year old, and we planned to finish that during the readathon, so I read the last 50 pages to her, even though it was bedtime already. Now my throat is sore and my voice is a croak. Making tea, and then it's finally time to do some serious reading for myself! If I can stay awake.

Tried to have a look at some of the mini-challenges, but realised I'm too tired to think up answers. Reading it is.

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?

I'm still reading The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke.

2. How many books have you read so far?

I'm still on the first book for me, but I've read numerous children's books to my kids!

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

That's a draw between reading Terry Pratchett "Dragons at Crumbling Castle" to my 8-year old when we wake up in the morning, or (hopefully finding time for) "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde just for myself.

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
We've been reading pretty solidly, but when it comes to my own reading the whole day has been one long interruption! lol

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

My daughter's stamina. She has read so much today, and I'm so proud of her!

Ok, I went to bed after finishing The Ladies of Grace Adieu, and I slept for about 5 hours. Yes, I need that much sleep. I'm old and I have kids. lol

Since waking up I've read a graphic novel to the kids:



I'm ready for a last sprint. I just can't decide whether to read for myself or for the kids.

I fell asleep too - for longer than 5 hours!! Oh well - we can finish strong! :)

I decided to go for


and



So the readathon is over... and there's not a new one until April? I want to keep reading! lol

I know! But now you have something to look forward to, right??

Yeah! And next time we'll be well prepared. I'll up the stakes and have more homemade treats ready. And I'll figure out how/where to do a blanket fort with room for three. Somehow.

*rolling up my sleeves, dusting the family frenzy thread* Getting ready for the April read-a-thon (or read-a-ton-of-books)!

I still don't know how to do a blanket fort, but my daughter has a huge cardboard box and a minecraft torch. Not sure it is suited for reading though. And home made treats? Hahaha, yeah right. But I'll at least buy some supplies.

Leni wrote: "*rolling up my sleeves, dusting the family frenzy thread* Getting ready for the April read-a-thon (or read-a-ton-of-books)!

I still don't know how to do a blanket fort, but my daughter has a huge..."

lol!

Welcome back!

I've got a shelf set up. Still need to add a few more for the youngest participant in the family. We breeze through his books too quickly. Though he does enjoy reading them multiple times over.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

And we're ready! Though I realise I haven't added all our last minute book acquisitions to my readathon shelf! lol


Opening Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Wales, UK!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I don't know... I think maybe and (even though I can't get over the awfulness of the cover on the Forster book).

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I have cheese! Weneslydale (sp.) with cranberries and with ginger.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am Norwegian, a secondary school teacher by trade, currently a stay at home mum in Wales. That's all I have time to tell you now really!

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?

Um... I've managed to actually be ready in time so I'm not stuck doing the dishes the first half hour of the readathon! And I have hopefully managed to get enough books for the kids this time! I underestimated their reading stamina last time.

We're off to a nice start: I've read with the 5 year old. The 9 year old has zoomed through three Dark Hunter books and has started a Dr. Who graphic novel, and their father is reading .

Now we're having a smoothie and update social media break.

Two more children's books done, one of them a picture book and the other an educational graphic novel. Kids now having a break on Minecraft while I've put some food on for them. Maybe I should start a book of my own? Their father took a break from China Mieville and pounced on the Doctor Who graphic novel the moment our daughter put it down. ;D

The 5-year old has read two books to me, in the yellow book band. And I have read to him.

The 9-year old and father have finished and he has finished .

And I have at least been able to start a book of my own. :´D

Kids have now settled down to watch The Princess Bride and I'm getting some food sorted out.

I read , which is a picture book for children that works even better for grown-ups.

Then I read and it took me a while to stop crying. :-/

Need to think happy thoughts now.

reestablished my equilibrium but then I needed to get some sleep. (At 2:30 am) Woke up at 8 to find my 9-year old already up and reading .

Time for coffee, cereal and a new book.

Belated wrap-up post. I managed to get through several more picture books and about half of . I'm counting it as a finished book because I will be playing catch-up for the hours lost to sleep.

I'm not counting as finished, as my partner only got about three stories into it and will probably take a fortnight to finish it. ;)

The end of a readaton is a bit of an anti-climax. I feel like I've worked hard but haven't read enough. Time to do some French style dinner pancakes and finish that book! :D

I will mostly be on Facebook and Litsy this year, but it seems a shame not to keep this thread going, for continuity! So I will be here as well.

And... hilariously, I still haven't read the books my partner monopolised last Readathon, and and this thread is a good reminder that I had better get to it this time!

What is this Litsy that people talk about?

Kathryn CA wrote: "What is this Litsy that people talk about?"

It's an app. It's been available for iPhones for a while, but recently also on Android. It's a bit like twitter, except it's only for books. Each post is linked to a book, and you can choose to use "blurb", "review", or "quote". Then you can add a photo, or just use text. You can add books to stack, follow people, etc. I'm hooked, even though I've never used twitter much.

Leni wrote: "Kathryn CA wrote: "What is this Litsy that people talk about?"

It's an app. It's been available for iPhones for a while, but recently also on Android. It's a bit like twitter, except it's only for..."

Hmmm... might have to check it out.

If you do, I'm there under the username Leniverse. And you'll find a lot of readathoners if you search on the hashtag #readathon. :)

Leni wrote: "If you do, I'm there under the username Leniverse. And you'll find a lot of readathoners if you search on the hashtag #readathon. :)"

Thanks. I'll see if I find the time tomorrow!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Wales. We're still in Wales.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

If I finally get around to reading it! lol

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Wendesleydale (I really need to learn how to spell that) with cranberries. It's a cheese I only seem to buy for the Readathon.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Um... I don't think I have anything to add from last year. I lead an uneventful life. I read a lot.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I'm gonna go with much the same as last time, actually! Except that I kept the book pile for my youngest child slightly more manageable. He overdosed on reading and got bored last time, because he insisted on reading all of the books!

Go Reader Go!!!! Hope you are enjoying all of your books.

Keep reading and have fun :)

Aw, thank you! We are good. Hope you are having a good readathon too.

Half way through. Time to check in.

My firstborn has a sore throats and a heavy head. She read some comics and easier reads and then settled down to watch The Little Vampire. We have read the book before, so we consider the movie book related.

I spent quite a few hours with my younger child. He read a book to me, and then I read a book to him. And so on.

They've both been to bed for a few hours now, and I am reading Trigger Warning. But it's 1am and I might have to nap. Or make more coffee. Maybe a shower? I want to read more!

I find a good shower always helps a bit. Good luck. And sorry your firstborn is sick. That sucks!

End of Event Survey

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?
Probably hour 16, where I only read about a page or so, stared blurry eyed at mini-challenges, and finally decided that I had to go to bed.

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Sorry, no. But next year I think I'll go for some long awaited book in a series I love. I think that will be my best bet. A series already proven to keep me up until I finish.

3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season?
No, you're doing great. The readathon is great.

4) What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Using Litsy! Being able to use Litsy for the mini-challenges made me participate in more or them. (Twitter is too vast and intimidating for me.)

5) How many books did you read?
A bunch of picture books and a children's book with the kids. A comic collection. And half way through a short story collection. (I slept for 4 hours, and I intend to keep reading for 4 hours after the readathon comes to an end, so I will finish that book!

6) What were the names of the books you read?
Monty the Hero, Watch Out! There's a Monster About, The Smartest Giant in Town, The Twist of Time, Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days, Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances (not quite finished)

I also did the regular bedtime reading, which was two chapters of Matilda and one chapter of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

7) Which book did you enjoy most?
Monty the Hero, oddly enough. My 6-year old read it to me, and we discussed the book. It was great, his reading ability has really come along and we had such a good time!

8) Which did you enjoy least?
I enjoyed them all.

9)How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Come hell freezing over or high waters and flying pigs! Of course I'm participating again!

10) What role would you be likely to take next time?
Reader. As long as my kids want to take part, I'll be reading with them. When they are both independent readers, I can spend some time cheering, maybe, though I might greedily just read and read!

Leni wrote: "End of Event Survey

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?
Probably hour 16, where I only read about a page or so, stared blurry eyed at mini-challenges, and finally decided that I had to go to ..."

I love the idea of reading a much anticipated series! Looks like you had a pretty good Readathon.

Aaaand we've signed up again, of course!
The hunt is on for books the kids and I can share, and books they might read to themselves and each other. And we're flexing our reading muscles in anticipation of the warm-up readathons too! Hooray!