Sidequest: High Seas
Introducing, Sidequest! A brand new challenge division of The 52 Book Club, specifically designed for our younger readers (or our young-at-heart). Over the years, this has been one of our most-requested side challenges, and we’re so thrilled to be able to finally put this dream into action.
So, welcome, book friends, and get ready to set sail on a splashy, literary adventure! If you love scavenger hunts and amazing reads, this 52 Book Club: High Seas reading challenge is for you. We’re charting a course towards our next five-star read, so grab your favourite books and hoist the sails on this new quest!
What is Sidequest: High Seas?
Sidequest: High Seas is the first in what we hope will be an ongoing series of challenges for our younger 52 Book Club members. While our annual challenges can be completed using any genre, length, format, or level of reading, we know that sometimes creative workarounds are required for specific prompts — particularly when it comes to our readers who are preteen and under.
This is the first 52 Book Club Challenge that has been designed for kids by kids. (We’re thrilled to introduce our newest challenge creator, eleven-year-old Alistair!)
Each prompt has been designed to be completed using picture books, graphic novels, comic books, early chapter books, or full-length novels. They can be read individually or read aloud as a family (and depending on reading level, readers may need to do a mix of both to complete this challenge).
How does this challenge work?
This Sidequest: High Seas Challenge is made up of forty-four different prompts.
Forty-four prompts can feel like a lot at first glance (particularly for younger readers), so we’ve broken the challenge into smaller, more manageable chunks. Prompts have been divided into four separate levels:
- Starfish (10 prompts)
- Dolphin (10 prompts)
- Stingray (10 prompts)
- Orca (10 prompts)
- PLUS four bonus challenges at the end
Similar to our other reading challenges, participants will match one book to each of the prompts. Readers can decide how many levels they’d like to complete and thus will read anywhere from 10 to 44 books over the course of this challenge.
Is this a “book a week” type of challenge?
Unlike our annual 52 Book Club challenges, this challenge has no time constraints. A year-long challenge can feel daunting, so we’re taking away that pressure and inviting our Sidequest participants to complete the challenge at their own pace.
We do, however, encourage readers to set individual goals for this challenge. This may be a specific number of books per week or month, or a certain number of minutes read each day or week. This challenge is flexible and ultimately designed to help our younger readers strengthen their reading skills and develop a lifelong passion for books.
Curious as to what a prompt means? Keep reading for a quick walkthrough of each of the prompts of this challenge, PLUS free printables, downloads, and links to the custom challenge journal!
High Seas Challenge Journal:
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Our littles have been begging for a challenge journal of their own, so we’ve created a custom 52 Book Club Sidequest: High Seas journal to pair with this challenge — specifically designed for younger readers who can read and write independently (or semi-independently).
This journal contains:
- The High Seas Challenge Graphic
- Challenge Goals Tracker
- Daily Reading Log
- Level Trackers
- Planning Pages (including prompt guide)
- Review Pages for all 44 Prompts
- Tracking Pages by Genre and Star Ratings
- Showdown of Challenge Favourites
- My Challenge in Review page
Journals are printed and shipped by Amazon and are available anywhere Amazon delivers. Please avoid using markers or ink pens within the journal. Pencils, pencil crayons, ballpoint pens, or pens designed for thinner paper (such as these Bible pens) are preferred to avoid bleed-through.
Free Downloads and Printables:
We’ve also put together a few free printables and downloads to help with planning and completing this challenge. These include a free printable log book, a printable review page for preschoolers who may not be ready for a full journal yet, and a digital shareable graphic for our older readers.
Challenge Walkthrough:
Need help understanding a prompt? We’ve compiled a quick walkthrough for each of the prompts on this challenge. There are no Goodreads lists for this challenge; however, participants who want to track their reads online can join our High Seas Challenge on Storygraph here.
STARFISH: LEVEL ONE (PROMPTS 1-10)
1) Fantasy: Fantasy is a genre that often includes imaginary worlds, talking animals or mythical creatures, magic, and characters with amazing powers or extraordinary abilities. For this prompt, choose any fantasy novel. It may be set in a fantasy world or set in our world, but include magic.
2) Set by the Ocean: For this prompt, choose any book set by the ocean. A setting is the location where the book takes place. The book could be fully set by the ocean (the characters live on a beach or on a boat), or it could be a book with a specific scene by the ocean. It can be any ocean, real or fantasy.
3) Recommended by a friend: Have a friend who loves to read? Get them to recommend a book for you! (Recommend means to suggest a book that they think you’ll enjoy reading, or to share the title of their favourite book!) Don’t have any friends who like to read? Online friends at The 52 Book Club count too!
4) Choose a book by its cover: There’s an old saying, “Never pick a book by its cover,” but for this prompt, that’s exactly what we want you to do! Choose a book that has a cool or intriguing cover. Try not to read the description first, just pick a book based on a cover that catches your eye!
5) First book in a series: A book series is a collection of books that form one bigger story. Usually they’re written by the same author, but not always. For this prompt, choose any first book in a series. This is the book that introduces you to the characters and story for the first time.
6) A stormy scene: For this prompt, choose a book that includes a storm. This could be a snowstorm, windstorm, hurricane, dust storm, rainstorm, tornado, thunderstorm – any storm! The whole book may have stormy weather or the storm may appear in one small part of the story.
As a creative option, “stormy” can also mean someone who is angry. You might choose a book in which there is a scene with characters who get in a fight or feel very angry or upset.
7) Characters are siblings: Siblings are two or more individuals who share the same parents or parent. For this prompt, we’re looking for books with brother and/or sister characters. Sometimes we’re born with our siblings, sometimes we find siblings later in life by adoption or marriage, and sometimes our closest friends become like siblings. Any sibling pairings fit this prompt!
8) Title is more than six words long: A title is the name of the book. Choose any book that has seven or more words in the title. Some books have subtitles (a second title that helps describe the book). Subtitles count for this prompt!
9) Features a boat: All hands on deck! For this prompt, choose a book that features a boat. This could be the word “boat” in the title, a boat on the cover, a character who goes on a boat ride, a book set on a boat, a character who is a sailor, etc. It might be a famous boat like the Titanic,a small rowboat or speedboat, a historical sailing ship, or a modern cruise ship – any boat counts as long as it appears somewhere inside the book, or on the cover or title!
10) Author’s last name starts with the same letter as yours: For our last prompt in the Starfish level, we’re looking for an author whose last name starts with the same letter as yours. So, if your last name begins with the letter “M,” you’ll find an author whose last name also starts with “M” (for example, Shannon Messenger).
DOLPHIN: LEVEL TWO (PROMPTS 11-20)
11) A non-fiction read: Non-fiction means that the book is about real people, places, facts, or events. For example, for this prompt, you might read a book about animals, sports, fun facts, history, space, an important event, or a famous person – anything based on real life!
12) A character who likes to swim: For this prompt, we’re looking for a character who likes to swim. This could be any character in the book (it doesn’t have to be the main character, but it could be!) The character could swim for fun, for their job, or in competitions. It could be a human or non-human character (a book about a fish, for example).
13) A family member’s favourite childhood book: Ask your family members what their favourite childhood book was and give it a read! You can read it together or on your own. This could be any family member: parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, or cousins – and can be any book they used to love!
14) Has a blue spine: A book spine is the part of the book that faces outwards on a bookshelf. It’s the part where the pages are bound together, connecting the front and back cover, and usually has the title on it. For this prompt, choose any book with a blue spine!
15) Published the year you were born: For this prompt, we’re looking for a book published in the year you were born. (This means the year that the book was released for the first time.) So if you were born in 2020, look for a book that was published anytime between January and December 2020.
16) A graphic novel: Similar to a comic book, a graphic novel is a story told mostly with pictures (illustrations) and text bubbles or captions. Graphic novels can be any genre. They tell a full story and may be either based on another book or an original story.
17) Title starts with the letter “C”: Choose any title beginning with the letter “C.” This could be the main title of the book, a subtitle, or a series title.
18. A book everyone is talking about: For this prompt, choose a book that “everyone” is talking about. This may be a book that all the kids at school have read, a popular book at the library or bookstore, a book that you (or your parent) sees on social media, a book that is on a bestseller list, or one that has won an award.
19) Written in first person: First-person means that the story is told from the main character’s perspective. (Similar to how you would tell a story to a friend.) It uses words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “us.” For example, “I was running late for school and forgot my homework.” Writers often use first person to help readers feel close to the main character.
20) Set in summer: Our last prompt in the Dolphin level is for a book, “Set in Summer.” Summer is a season where the temperature is hot and the days are long and bright. Summertime in the Northern Hemisphere is typically associated with the months June, July, or August, but in the Southern Hemisphere (places like Australia), summer occurs from December to February. For this prompt, choose any book that is either fully or partially set in summer. It could be set in summer on Earth or in a fictional or fantasy world.
STINGRAY: LEVEL THREE (PROMPTS 21-30)
21) A mystery: Mystery is a genre of fiction where a crime or puzzle is solved by a detective or amateur sleuth. This genre is usually exciting and full of surprises! For this prompt, we’re looking for a book in which a mystery plays a key role in the main plot or story.
22) Includes talking animals: For this prompt, we’re looking for a book with talking animals. (This is also known as “anthropomorphism.”) Choose any book with animals that talk. They might talk to humans, talk only to other animals, live on Earth, or live in a completely separate fantasy world. It’s entirely up to you!
23) Recommended by a librarian: Ask a librarian for a recommendation and give it a read! You can ask any librarian either in person or online. You might choose to visit your local public library, ask your school librarian, or check out an online article showing a list of “recommended reads.”
24) Water on the cover: Choose any book that has water on the cover. This could be a picture or illustration of an ocean, river, lake, swimming pool, rain, or even a glass of water. (As a funny interpretation, you could even choose a book that got an actual splash of rain on it!)
25) Illustrations inside: Illustrations are pictures, drawings, or diagrams that help explain the story. For this prompt, choose any book with illustrations inside. This could be a picture book, graphic novel, comic book, or a novel that includes drawings or pictures scattered throughout.
26) An author who lives in a different country than you: For this prompt, choose any book written by an author who lives in a different country from you. For example, if you live in Australia, you can pick an author who lives in any country except Australia.
27) Published by Penguin Random House: Every book has a publisher. This is the company that creates and distributes a book. For this prompt, choose a book by the publisher, Penguin Random House. This publisher also has several other names that they publish under: Golden Books, Doubleday, Berkley, Dr Seuss, Dutton, and more! These are called “Imprints” or “Divisions.” (Think of it like one big family: Penguin Random House is the parent, and the Imprints are the kids.) You can use any division or imprint of Penguin Random House for this prompt.
28) Ends on an odd page number: An odd number is a number that can’t be divided by two. Any number ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 will be an odd number. For this prompt, choose any book that ends on an odd page number! (For example, 367.) Some books may have author notes, bonus chapters or content, or epilogues. It’s up to you whether you want to count these pages or not.
29) Makes you laugh: We’re looking for a book that makes you laugh! This could be a humorous book or a story with one very funny scene in it. Whether you’re rolling on the floor in laughter or you just let out a little giggle, any book that makes you laugh counts for this prompt!
30) Set in a city by the ocean: Our final prompt for this Stingray level is “Set in a city by the ocean.” Choose a book that is either fully or partially set in a city by the ocean (or sea). This could be a real-world city on Earth or a city set by a fictional ocean in a fantasy world. Some examples of cities by the ocean include: San Francisco, Barcelona, Sydney, or Vancouver.
ORCA: LEVEL FOUR (PROMPTS 31-40)
31) Historical fiction: Historical fiction is a genre that is set in the past. It draws on real historical events and creates a fictional retelling of what individuals might have experienced during that time period. For example, many historical novels are set during World War II, on the Titanic, ancient Rome, the Great Depression, the Victorian Era, and so on. With a historical novel, we’re usually looking for books set at least fifty years ago.
32) Related to the word “treasure:” Pick any book that somehow relates to the word “treasure.” It might be a book with the word “treasure” in the title or subtitle, a picture of treasure on the cover, a story where the characters find hidden treasure or follow a treasure map, or a book about pirates. You get to decide what is considered “treasure.” As a fun twist, this could also be a book that you consider a “treasure” because it’s so special to you or a loved one.
33) Recommended by one of your favourite authors: Who are some of your favourite authors? For this prompt, we want you to pick a book recommended by them! This might take a little research. Authors often share recommendations online (their website, social media, or online articles or interviews).
They could also endorse a book for another author. (This means that they might have their name on the book cover of another author’s book, saying something like, “This was my favourite book of the year!” or “A must read!”)
34) Inspired by your favourite movie: What is your favourite movie? For this prompt, choose any book that is somehow inspired by that movie. It may share a similar plot, theme, character name, setting, or title. It just has to remind you of your favourite movie in some way.
35) The first book an author ever published: The first book an author publishes is also called a “debut.” For this prompt, we want to read an author’s debut book – the very first book they’ve ever published.
36) At least 300 pages long: Get ready for a BIG book! We want to find a book that is at least three hundred pages long. (300 or more pages.) You can read this on your own, listen to an audiobook, or read aloud with a family member!
37) Includes a map: Pick a book with a map inside! The map could be of a country, region, city, or even a specific building. Maps might be at the very front of the book or further inside.
38) A character who is the same age as you: How old are you? Find a character who is the same age! This could be a character the same age or in the same grade. This could be any character in the story (it doesn’t have to be the main character, but it could be!)
39) Cover without people on it: For this prompt, pick a book cover that does not have any people on it. Easy as that! (Sometimes a book has multiple editions – meaning that it might have different cover designs for the same book. You might see a book in a bookstore that fits this prompt, but when you pick it up at the library, the library version has people on the cover. No worries! As long as at least one cover design fits the prompt, you can read that book using any cover.)
40) From a series with more than six books: For our final prompt, look for a series that has more than six books. (A series with at least seven books.) You can read any book from that series.
BONUS CHALLENGES (PROMPTS 41-44)
BONUS #1 — Read a book in a day: This is a completely optional prompt for readers looking for a fun way to challenge themselves even further. For our first bonus challenge, we want you to finish reading a book in a day! Choose any length of book for this prompt – it’s all about challenging yourself, whatever that looks like for you!
When picking a book for this challenge, take into consideration how long the book is and how much time you have to spend reading. Pick a day when you have enough time to dedicate to reading an entire book.
Option 1: Finish a book on the same calendar day. For example, if you start a book on March 1, you want to finish that book on March 1. Or, if you start reading at 9 am on a Tuesday, you’ll want to finish by bedtime on that same Tuesday.
Option 2: Finish a book within 24 hours. So, if you start a book after school on Friday at 4 pm, you’ll want to finish the book by 4 pm on Saturday (24 hours).
BONUS #2 – A buddy read: A buddy read means that you read a book at the same time as a friend! You might read aloud together or read separately. Once you’ve finished reading a certain number of chapters or pages, chat together and discuss what you’ve read!
BONUS #3 – A book made into a TV series or movie. Read it, watch it: Grab the popcorn! It’s our third bonus challenge, andwe’re reading AND watching this one! For this optional challenge, choose a book that has been made into a TV series or movie. Read the book first, then plan a family movie night and start watching!
BONUS #4 – Listen to an audiobook: It’s time for our FINAL bonus challenge! This is an optional bonus challenge, encouraging readers to try a book in audiobook format! You can choose any audiobook for this challenge. (An audiobook is a recording of a book being read aloud. Sometimes they might have multiple narrators voicing different characters, sound effects, or music.)