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100 Books Before Graduation

100 Books


We chal­lenge you to read 100 books before grad­u­at­ing high school! Sign up at dekalbli​brary​.beanstack​.org to register.

Start­ing at age 13, you can sign up to com­plete this chal­lenge and win big! We know that high school is a busy time and 100 books is… a lot of books, but read­ing can pro­vide stress relief, increase empa­thy, improve your vocab­u­lary, and devel­op your writ­ing skills. Also — IT’S FUN!

If you need sug­ges­tions for what to read, check out our list of librar­i­an, teacher, and teen-approved books. You can also receive per­son­al­ized rec­om­men­da­tions from DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Librar­i­ans by fill­ing out this form.

To com­plete the chal­lenge, you must read and log 100 dif­fer­ent books and write 10 book reviews. Remem­ber that you have until age 18 to fin­ish the chal­lenge, so no need to rush if you are just start­ing high school! Book reviews must be at least 5 com­plete sen­tences to count towards the chal­lenge. We want to know what you liked AND what you did­n’t like! Want more info? Scroll down for the FAQ.

All chal­lenge fin­ish­ers will receive bench­mark and com­ple­tion prizes, dis­trib­uted through­out the year. Also, if you com­plete the chal­lenge, you will be entered into a draw­ing to win a big prize - an iPad Pro! Let’s go!

All prizes for the 100 Books Before Grad­u­a­tion Chal­lenge are pro­vid­ed by the DeKalb Library Foundation.

100 Books FAQ

What is this program? Why should I sign up?

100 Books Before Grad­u­a­tion is a read­ing chal­lenge for stu­dents ages 13 to 18. You are chal­lenged to read 100 books of your choice and to write 10 (short but thought­ful) book reviews. If you com­plete the chal­lenge, you will receive prizes and major brag­ging rights! Read­ing for fun will bring so much joy and depth to your life, and we want to encour­age you to do more of it!

How do I sign up for the challenge?

Go to dekalbli​brary​.beanstack​.org! If you do not already have a Beanstack account, you can make one and then reg­is­ter for the chal­lenge. You can also down­load the Beanstack Track­er app on any mobile device to reg­is­ter and log your books.

Who can participate in 100 Books Before Graduation?

Stu­dents ages 13 to 18 can begin their 100 Books jour­ney. At the time you sign up, you will have until age 18 to fin­ish the chal­lenge. This may be short­er for some and longer for oth­ers, but con­sid­er it part of the challenge!

100 books seems like a lot. How will I have time to read that many?

It’s a marathon, not a sprint! If you are sign­ing up at age 13, you will have at least 4 years to com­plete the chal­lenge. Remem­ber that you can include audio­books, graph­ic nov­els, and man­ga. Enjoy the process, find books you love to read, and have fun.

What is required for the book reviews?

We’re not ask­ing for a book report! Just let us know what you liked about the book, what you didn’t like, who was your favorite char­ac­ter, were you shocked by that end­ing, will you read the sequel, etc. One full para­graph with five com­plete sen­tences will do.

Which books or which types of books do I need to read?

There is no required list of books to read, but we do have a fan­tas­tic list of rec­om­men­da­tions here. We encour­age you to read books that are appro­pri­ate for your age and to read across gen­res and for­mats. Chal­lenge your­self, but also have fun! E‑books and audio­books count! Graph­ic nov­els and man­ga count! Want to read Moby Dick? Go for it, but remem­ber it only counts as one book.

Can I use the same book more than once on my log if I re-read it?

No, while we encour­age re-read­ing your favorites, this chal­lenge will require you to read 100 dif­fer­ent books.

Can I log books that I read before the date I signed up for the challenge?

No, for this chal­lenge, every­one starts from the point they sign up.

I started a book but didn’t like it and don’t want to finish it. Can I still add it to my list?

Yes, if you have read at least half of the book and have writ­ten a review explain­ing why you did­n’t like it. There are so many great books out there and we do not want to force you to read one you do not enjoy!

Can I add the books I need to read for school?

Yes, manda­to­ry read­ing counts as well as read­ing for fun.

So what are the prizes?

The 100 Books Before Grad­u­a­tion Chal­lenge prizes include: a draw­ing jour­nal, a book light, an insu­lat­ed mug, a book of choice, and a very exclu­sive enam­el pin. Prizes will be award­ed through­out the cal­en­dar year, as you reach the book bench­marks. After you com­plete the chal­lenge, you will be entered into a draw­ing for an iPad Pro! All prizes for the 100 Books Before Grad­u­a­tion Chal­lenge are pro­vid­ed by the DeKalb Library Foundation.

20 books: Draw­ing journal

50 books: Book light

80 books: Insu­lat­ed mug

100 books: Book of choice, exclu­sive enam­el pin, and an entry into the prize drawing!

I read my 100 books and I still have time before the program ends to read another 100 books. Can I enter this program again?

Wow, way to go! You may cer­tain­ly con­tin­ue read­ing and log­ging your books, but you will only receive the prizes one time. Make sure you are par­tic­i­pat­ing in the oth­er Beanstack read­ing chal­lenges through­out the year!

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