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Sims Challenge Reading HQ > The Runaway Reader Challenge

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message 1: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (last edited Jun 28, 2026 08:41AM) (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
Sims4Plumbob

THE RUNAWAY READER CHALLENGE
♦ Inspired by the Runaway Teen Challenge from The Sims 4 ♦

You've got nothing. No roof. No simoleons. No plan.

Just you, a lot with no walls, and the stubborn determination to build something out of nothing. This challenge follows the arc of the Sims 4 Runaway Teen — starting with zero and scrounging for survival before you can even think about putting down roots. Every book you read earns you something. Every phase of this challenge mirrors a phase of building a life.

There are no points. There is no timer. This is an open-ended challenge you complete at your own pace, at whichever tier fits your ambition.

CHOOSE YOUR LOT SIZE
Before you begin, pick your difficulty:

🏠 Starter Home — 7 reads total
🏡 Family Home — 14 reads total
🏰 Mansion — 24 reads total

HOW IT WORKS

Every challenge begins the same way regardless of tier: broke, resourceful, and living off the land. Before you can build anything, you have to scrounge.

Scrounging means reading books that mirror the hustle of a teen with nothing — survival reads, backlog reads, reads born of necessity. Once you've completed your first three scrounging reads, you've earned your lot. Build Mode unlocks and you can begin furnishing your home one room at a time.

In Family Home and Mansion tiers, scrounging doesn't end when you get a roof over your head. Life keeps demanding it. You'll return to the land between phases — a little wiser, with more options, but still putting in the work.

A FEW HOUSE RULES

→ Standard Challenge Rules apply.
→ Books may not be double-dipped between scrounging phases and room prompts.
→ Books may not count for more than one room.
→ Scrounging reads must be completed before the next room phase unlocks — no skipping ahead to Build Mode early.
→ You can complete books within Homes in any order, but you must finish one home type, before moving on to the next.
→ No time limit. This is your lot. Build at your own pace.

TO SIGN UP:
Choose your LOT SIZE and request a thread below.


message 2: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (last edited Nov 02, 2026 07:43AM) (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
Participant Threads

Kassandra: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Deanna: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Claire: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Sally: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Amanda: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
angelinabvby ۶ৎ: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Shan ~A~: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Izzy: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Lucy: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Michelle: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Dede: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Brittany: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Becky Q.: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Grim: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Rebecca: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Lisa: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Catsalive: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Jayme: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Gillis: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
KitKatt: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Robin (Saturndoo): https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Deborah: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Jacqueline: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Erin: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
christene_littlelibrary: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Priya: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Jackie: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Jamie: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Caraina: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Rosaline: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 3: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 1 — Survival Mode

You're new to this. You take what you can get. All three are required:
🎣 A book set near water or involving survival
🌱 A book about growth, nature, or starting over
💎 A book you've owned unread for one year or more
Complete all three to earn your lot and enter Build Mode.

📍 Phase 2 and beyond — You Know the Ropes
(Family Home and Mansion only — between room phases)
You've learned how to work the land. Pick any 3 of the following 6:
🌲 A book set in nature or the outdoors
📖 A book under 300 pages
📦 A book you've owned unread for one year or more
🗣️ A book recommended by someone else
🔀 A book outside your most-read genre
1️⃣ A book with a one-word title



message 4: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
BUILD MODE — ROOM BY ROOM
Rooms unlock in order. You cannot skip ahead. Each room has a reading prompt — complete the required reads to furnish the room and unlock the next.

🏠 STARTER HOME (all tiers)
Every Sim needs the basics before anything else.
🚿 Bathroom
Finally somewhere to wash off the road.
→ A book you've been putting off
1 read

🍳 Kitchen
Your first real meal under your own roof.
→ A book involving food, community, or hospitality
1 read

🛏️ Bedroom
Somewhere to sleep that isn't a park bench.
→ A book outside your most-read genre
1 read

🛋️ Living Room
You're not just surviving anymore. You're living.
→ A book with more than 400 pages
1 read
Starter Home complete.
If you chose this tier — you built something. That's enough.


message 5: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
Scrounge again before continuing. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.

You've got the bones of a home. Now it's time to fill it out.
🍽️ Dining Room
There's room at the table now.
→ A book set in another country
1 read

📚 Home Office/Study
You've come far enough to invest in your mind.
→ A nonfiction book
→ A book about books or reading
2 reads

🧺 Laundry Room
Time to clean out the old.
→ A book you previously DNF'd, given another chance
1 read

🚗 Garage
You've got somewhere to go now.
→ A book in a series
→ A book with a form of transportation on the cover
2 reads
Family Home complete.
If you chose this tier — you've built a real life.


message 6: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
🏰 MANSION (Hard tier only)
Scrounge again before continuing. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.

This is legacy territory. You didn't just survive — you thrived.
🌿 Backyard/Garden
Something you tend, something that grows.
→ A book about growth, change, or transformation
→ A book with a plant, flower, or garden on the cover
2 reads

🪑 Front Porch
You've earned the right to sit and watch the world go by.
→ A debut novel
1 read

📦 Attic/Basement
Every life accumulates history.
→ A classic
→ A book published before you were born
2 reads
One final scrounge. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.
🛏️ Spare Bedroom
The last room. Yours to define.
Pick one:
→ A book about family, found family, or chosen community
→ A book from a series you've already started
→ A reread
→ A book with an ensemble cast
1 read

Mansion complete.
You started with nothing. Look at what you built.


message 7: by Kassandra (new)

Kassandra Winters | 281 comments I'm in for Mansion please :)


message 8: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
Kassandra wrote: "I'm in for Mansion please :)"

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 9: by Deanna (new)

Deanna | 604 comments Mansion please!


message 10: by Claire (new)

Claire  | 948 comments I’d like to play mansion please.


message 11: by Sally906 (new)

Sally906 | 836 comments I’m in for Mansion please


message 13: by Amanda , The Mindweaver of Hidden Truths (new)

Amanda  Edgar (amandaedgar) | 4679 comments Mod
Mansion please!


angelinabvby ۶ৎ (angelinabvby) | 142 comments mansion pls!


message 15: by Shan ~A~ (new)

Shan ~A~ | 1939 comments Mansion


message 16: by Izzy (new)

Izzy | 626 comments Some of those prompts look hard, but I'm sure I can eventually build a mansion.


message 18: by Lucy (new)

Lucy Luu (lovelucyluu) | 192 comments May I sign up for Mansion please?


message 19: by Rebecca (last edited Jun 29, 2026 04:29PM) (new)

Rebecca (el_bucko) | 290 comments Mansion I am building..... what if I have never DNF'd a book?


🧺 Laundry Room
Time to clean out the old.
→ A book you previously DNF'd, given another chance
1 read


message 20: by Michelle (new)

Michelle | 2873 comments I'm in. I'll go with

🏠 Starter Home — 7 reads total


message 21: by Dede (new)

Dede | 528 comments Mansion please!


message 22: by Brittany (new)

Brittany McCann (brittanylmccann) | 677 comments 🏰 Mansion — 24 reads total
Please


message 23: by Becky Q. (new)

Becky Q. (bestiebecky) | 761 comments Mansion, please! :)


message 24: by Grim (new)

Grim Reader | 441 comments Hey !

I'd like to build a Mansion, please.
Thanks


message 26: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
Rebecca wrote: "Mansion I am building..... what if I have never DNF'd a book?
🧺 Laundry Room
Time to clean out the old.
→ A book you previously DNF'd, given another chance
1 read"


If you've never DNF'd a book, feel free to substitute a book you've previously set aside, abandoned temporarily, started and never finished, or a longtime TBR you've been meaning to get back to. The goal of the prompt is revisiting unfinished reading business. 😊


message 27: by Deborah (new)

Deborah (piazzagirl4ever) | 11 comments I would like to sign up


message 28: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca (el_bucko) | 290 comments Ashley wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Mansion I am building..... what if I have never DNF'd a book?
🧺 Laundry Room
Time to clean out the old.
→ A book you previously DNF'd, given another chance
1 read"

If you've never ..."


Sounds good thanks.... I think I can handle that.
sign me up for a mansion- - - with a good housekeeper. :)


message 29: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
Deborah wrote: "I would like to sign up"

What level?


message 30: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


message 31: by Lisa (new)

Lisa | 180 comments I’m in for Mansion please!


message 32: by Catsalive (new)

Catsalive | 2153 comments Mansion, please.


message 33: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


Jayme(theghostreader) (jaymetheghostreader) | 1193 comments I will go for the starter home


message 35: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


message 36: by Gillis (new)

Gillis | 174 comments I'ld like to play mansion please


message 37: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


message 38: by KitKatt (new)

KitKatt | 86 comments Signing up for mansion please!


message 39: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


message 40: by Robin (Saturndoo) (last edited Jul 05, 2026 02:25PM) (new)

Robin (Saturndoo) (robinsaturndoo) | 1289 comments I would like to join please--Mansion — 24 reads total
☺️

Thank you Ashley!


message 41: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


message 42: by Deborah (new)

Deborah (piazzagirl4ever) | 11 comments Ashley wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I would like to sign up"

What level?"


I'll sign up for Mansion


message 43: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


message 44: by Jacqueline (new)

Jacqueline Adkins | 67 comments Let me sign up for the Mansionl


message 45: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*  (erinpaperbackstash) | 1736 comments I like to join - 🏰 Mansion — 24 reads total


message 47: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)


christene_littlelibrary (cpaulanavarro) | 669 comments Mansion for me thanks


message 49: by Ashley, Chief of Unnecessary Complications (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 8302 comments Mod
christene_littlelibrary: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 50: by Priya (new)

Priya (priyalovesreading) | 383 comments I would like to join for Mansion please!


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