Reading Challenges
Adult & Seniors
50 Books in 50 Weeks
What is 50 Books in 50 Weeks?
50 Books in 50 Weeks is an annual reading challenge for adults. Track your reading throughout the year and win a variety of prizes. Expand your reading horizons with a variety of prompts and earn badges by leaving reviews and completing other reading tasks.
You will log and track your reading using the online platform Beanstack. You can sign up or login using the link. Reading can also be logged using the Beanstack Tracker app available for Android and iOS. This platform allows users to connect with friends to share books, badges, challenges, and reading stats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate?
All library patrons over the age of 18.
Can I record a book that I read before I registered?
No. The program begins on the day you register and you only count books read after registration.
I read a very short comic book. Does that really count?
Yes! All books count, no matter the length.
Do the books need to be library books?
No. Any book counts.
Do audiobooks and ebooks count?
Yes. Any book format counts.
Can I read the same book twice?
Absolutely!
How do I win prizes?
Each activity you complete in Beanstack will earn you raffle tickets. You can choose which prize you put your raffle tickets toward in the app. At 30 books, you will receive a free book which you can pick up from the adult reference desk.
High School
100 Books Before Graduation
What is 100 Books Before Graduation?
Challenging all high school students in grades 9-12 to read 100 BOOKS BEFORE GRADUATION!
High school can be a busy time, and school work and activities can take over your life. However, reading books for fun (not just for classes) is a great way to slow down, escape real-life pressures, and recharge by stepping outside yourself for a bit. Read at your own pace and you will get there!
There will be random raffles for books logged to receive a local business gift card, and when you reach 50 books you receive a free book of your choice. For the courageous who complete all 100 books before graduation, you win a grand prize After School Survival Kit, full of supplies to get you ready for your post high school years.
Read a book in any genre: comic book, graphic novel, anime, magna, mystery, fantasy, novel in verse, non-fiction, biography, or any other genre you can think up!
Audiobooks and eBooks count
Read the same book over and over (and over and over)
Read in any language
Log stories read during school classes, book clubs, and other activities
You will log and track your reading using the online platform Beanstack. You can sign up or login using the link. Reading can also be logged using the Beanstack Tracker app available for Android and iOS. This platform allows users to connect with friends to share books, badges, challenges, and reading stats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate?
All students in 9th-12th grade. Students can start the summer after 8th grade, and ends on the last day of school of your 12th grade year.
Should the account be registered under my name or the student's name?
Accounts should be registered in the student's name.
Can I record a book read before we registered?
No. The program begins on the day you register and you only count books read after registration.
I read a very short comic book. Does that really count?
Yes! All books count, no matter the length.
Do the books need to be library books?
No. Any book counts.
Do audiobooks and ebooks count?
Yes. Any book format counts.
Can I read the same book twice?
Absolutely!
If I have to read a book for school, does that count?
Of course, all books count!
How do I win prizes?
Make sure you are logging all your books. The librarian is able to see how many books you have read. Once you reach 50 books, come to the adult reference desk in the library and grab a book of your choice from the book cart. When you reach 100 books, email the teen librarian to set up picking up your grand prize. There will also be bimonthly random drawings for gift cards based on the number of books logged.
Middle School
75 Books Before High School
What is 75 Books Before High School?
Challenging all 6-8th graders to read 75 BOOKS BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL! Sign up at any time, and read at your own pace.
Middle school is an exciting time that comes with new responsibilities, and sometimes that can feel like a lot to handle. Taking some time for yourself by reading books that you enjoy can help keep things from becoming too overwhelming. With this program, there are no assigned books, no deadlines (other than finishing before you start high school!), and no reports to write. Read whatever you want, whenever you want!
There will be random raffles for books logged to receive a local business gift card, and when you reach 37 books you receive a free book of your choice. For the courageous who complete all 75 books before you start high school, you win a grand prize High School Survival Kit full of supplies to get you ready for high school.
Read a book in any genre: comic book, graphic novel, anime, magna, mystery, fantasy, novel in verse, non-fiction, biography, or any other genre you can think up!
Audiobooks and eBooks count
Read the same book over and over (and over and over)
Read in any language
Log stories read during school classes, book clubs, and other activities
You will log and track your reading using the online platform Beanstack. You can sign up or login using the link. Reading can also be logged using the Beanstack Tracker app available for Android and iOS. This platform allows users to connect with friends to share books, badges, challenges, and reading stats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate?
All students in 6th - 8th grade. Students can start the summer after 5th grade and participation ends on the last day of school of your 8th grade year.
Should the account be registered under my name or the student's name?
Accounts should be registered in the student's name.
Can I record a book read before we registered?
No. The program begins on the day you register and you only count books read after registration.
I read a very short comic book. Does that really count?
Yes! All books count, no matter the length.
Do the books need to be library books?
No. Any book counts.
Do audiobooks and ebooks count?
Yes. Any book format counts.
Can I read the same book twice?
Absolutely!
If I have to read a book for school, does that count?
Of course, all books count!
How do I win prizes?
Make sure you are logging all your books. The librarian is able to see how many books you have read. Once you reach 37 books, come to the adult reference desk in the library and grab a book of your choice from the book cart. When you reach 75 books, email the teen librarian to set up picking up your grand prize. There will also be bimonthly random drawings for gift cards based on the number of books logged.
Elementary
500 Books Before 5th Grade
What is 500 Books by 5th Grade?
The 500 Books by 5th Grade Challenge encourages children to begin and continue to read independently throughout elementary school. By encouraging reading for fun, we are helping to develop strong reading skills that last and also fostering a lifelong desire to continue to learn.
The program also encourages children to read often, and read widely, exploring genres and types of books beyond what is assigned in school.
Reading can be logged from any device using Beanstack, an online reading tracker platform. To participate, create an account, or sign in using the link above and start logging your child's reading. You can also use the Beanstack Tracker app available for Android and iOS. See our FAQ below for more information.
This program would not be possible without the generous support of the Friends of the Orion Township Library. Please help us keep this program and others alive for our community. Join or donate to the Friends of the Orion Township Library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to read 500 books throughout elementary school?
2 books a week for 6 years = 624 books
Less than two books a week gets you 500 books before you're done with 5th grade!
If you read 3 books a week, you will be at 500 books by 3rd grade!
What can we read?
Read a comic book, graphic novel, mystery, fantasy, novel in verse, factual book, or any other genre you can think up!
Read the same book over and over (and over and over)
Read in any language
Log stories read during school classes, book clubs, and other activities
Should the account be registered under my name or my child’s name?
Accounts should be created in the child's name.
Can my child record a book read before we registered?
No. The program begins on the day you register, and you only count books you read after registration.
My child read a very short comic book. Does that really count?
Yes! All books count, no matter the length.
My child likes to read the same book over and over again. How do I count that?
On Mobile:
Open your Log
Select the title from your Completed list
Select Log Reading
Select Quick Complete
From a Browser:
Select Reading Log
Select All Reading Logged
Select Completed Titles, then select the title
Select Edit (pencil icon) and change the read count
My child’s teacher read them a book in class. Can they count that book?
Yes. Any book that is read aloud to your child counts, regardless of the reader.
Do the books need to be library books?
No. Any book counts.
My child likes to listen to books on the computer / iPad / eReader/ etc. Can they record that book?
Yes. As long as your child listens to the entire book, it counts.
Pre-K
1000 Books Before Kindergarten
What Is 1000 Books Before Kindergarten?
The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program encourages parents and caregivers to provide positive, nurturing experiences by reading aloud to their children regularly.
Research shows that the most reliable predictor of school success is being read to at home during early childhood. The brain develops more rapidly during the first three years of a child's life than at any other time during the lifespan. Reading to children from an early age can help close the vocabulary gap and prepare children to enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed. Most important, sharing books with children promotes a lifelong love of books and reading.
Reading can be logged from any device using Beanstack, an online reading tracker platform. To participate, create an account, or sign in using the link above and start logging your child's reading. You can also use the Beanstack Tracker app available for Android and iOS. See our FAQ below for more information.
Our participation in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program was made possible thanks to:
The Michigan Center for the Book (MCB), in conjunction with the National Center for the Book
The Friends of the Orion Township Library
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Read 1000 Books?
It's easy!
3 books a day for 1 year = 1,095 books
1 book a day for 3 years = 1,095 books
You can:
Read the same book over and over (and over and over)
Read in any language
Log stories read at storytimes or other library events
Should the account be registered under my name or my child's name?
The account creation process will prompt you for both your information and the information of any children who will be participating in any of our reading challenges.
Can I count books I read to my child before I registered?No. The program begins on the day you register, and you only count books you read after registration.
My child likes to read the same book over and over again. How do I count that?
On Mobile:
Open your Log
Select the title from your Completed list
Select Log Reading
Select Quick Complete
From a Browser:
Select Reading Log
Select All Reading Logged
Select Completed Titles, then select the title
Select Edit (pencil icon) and change the read count
Can I count books read to my child by someone else?
Yes. Any book that is read aloud to your child counts, regardless of the reader.
Do the books need to be library books?
No. Any book counts.
My child likes to listen to books on the computer / iPad / eReader/ etc. Can I count them?
Yes. As long as your child listens to the entire book, it counts.