The HSL Hindsight is 2020 Reading Challenge

To download a PDF for yourself, scroll to the bottom of this post.

We can’t resist a good pun, so we’ve decided to build this year’s reading list around the most obvious one out there! It’s not as though you need an excuse to read more books, but a reading challenge can be a surprisingly fun way to mix up your regular reading list — and you can be as ambitious as you like: Complete the whole card by reading 25 books, or just score Bingo. Your 3rd grader can tackle the challenges, your high schooler can fill out her own card, and you can take this challenge on yourself. Keep your scorecards on the fridge and plan celebrations when you hit major milestones or offer prizes for the first person to get three in a row or another accomplishment you choose. 

Ideally, this challenge will give you an excuse to check out a few books you wanted to read anyway and point you toward a few books that you might not have picked up otherwise. And since it involves reading, everybody wins!

What’s on this year’s challenge:

1. A book published in 2020

2. A book published in 1920

3. A book set in a place you’ve never visited or lived

4. A book you loved 10 years ago

5. A book you started but never finished

6. A book you should have read for school but didn’t

7. A book with the word home, school, or life in the title

8. A book with eyeglasses on the cover

9. A nonfiction book about a TV show or movie

10. A book recommended by your parent or child

11. A book with a character who shares your name

12. Historical fiction that takes place during your parents’ lifetime

13. A book with a non-English word in the title

14. A book that inspires you to take action

15. A book that answers a question you’ve always wanted to know

16. A book set in the 1980s

17. A book set in the 1990s

18. A book involving an election

19. A book that takes place in two or more timelines

20. A book set in a culture or country you’re connected to

21. An ALEX award winner

22. A memoir or journal published before 1990

23. A collection of short stories

24. A book you really want to read

25. A graphic novel

Click here to download your own copy of the HSL 2020 Reading Challenge. Happy reading!

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