Kids' Indie Next List Summer Reading Challenge & Giveaway

This challenge is closed but you can check out the Autumn 2014 Challenge HERE!

(This challenge's winner was Melissa Plante. Congrats, Melissa!)

For those of you who don't know, each season (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) the American Booksellers Association and IndieBound releases a list of the top independent bookseller picks for kids, which includes picture books through YA. The top picks are then put on a flyer available at independent bookstores and online.The list generally includes something for everyone and highlights both debut and established authors. In sum, it's a pretty well rounded list. Of course, there are great titles that get left out - only 50 titles make the list each season - but it's still a great list.

Each season I try to read as many titles on the list as possible. Of the Summer 2014 list, which has been out for a month or so now, I've read 27 titles, which means I have 23 more to go before the Fall list is released. Now, whether you know it or not, you may have read some of the books on this list, which, for the purposes of this challenge, will put you slightly ahead.

Here's what I propose: 

Read and review at least one book from the Summer Kids' Indie Next List and win a book of your choice from the list. 

It can be any book from any age level represented on the list, so a picture book, middle grade novel, or young adult novel. The more titles you read and review, the more entries you'll earn and, therefore, the better your odds of winning a free book of your choice!

Don't have a blog? No worries! You can post your review on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Facebook, Tumblr, anywhere as long as you can provide me with a link. Of course, I'll visit each review, comment, and spread the love!

Ready to take the challenge?! Start by browsing the Kids' Summer Next List here, which includes bookseller blurbs about each title and buying information, or read through the list of included titles below - the highlighted titles are ones I've read so far (and can wholeheartedly vouch for)!

Picture Books:

I Am Otter by Sam Garton
Three Bears in a Boat by David Soman
Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep by Barney Saltzberg
Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin; Daniel Salmieri
Books Always Everywhere by Jane Blatt
Deer Dancer by Mary Lyn Ray; Lauren Stringer
Froodle by Antoinette Portis
I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison; Frank Morrison
It's An Orange Aardvark by Michael Hall
Lindbergh by Torben Khulmann; Suzanne Levesque
My Pet Book by Bob Staake
My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) by Peter Brown
Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz; Dan Santat
The Pilot and the Little Prince by Peter Sis
Planet Kindergarten by Sue Ganz-Schmitt
Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan
This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris; Tom Lichtenheld

Middle Grade:

The Thickety by J.A. White
The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove
The Night Gardener by Johnathan Auxier
Another Day as Emily by Eileen Spinelli; Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
The Castle Behind the Thorns by Merrie Haskell
The Greatest Star on Earth by Kate Klise; M. Sarah Klise
I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora
The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy
The Qwikpick Papers by Tom Angleberger
The Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos; David Teague
The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer
Shipwreck Island by S.A. Bodeen
Still Life by Jacqueline West

Young Adult:

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
Conversion by Katherine Howe
The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
Buzz Kill by Beth Fantaskey
The Falconer by Elizabeth May
A Girl Called Fearless by Catherine Linka
Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau
Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu
Like No Other by Una LaMarche
The One Safe Place by Tania Unsworth
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang; Sonny Liew
She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson
The Young World by Chris Weitz
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki; Jillian Tamaki

Ready to take the challenge?

Read one of the 50 eligible titles, post your review, then stop back and add your review link to the Mr. Linky below before September 1st, 2014! One lucky reader will win their choice of a finished Indie Next List title! This challenge is open internationally because the enjoyment of a great book shouldn't be limited by pesky things like borders and oceans.

You can also earn an extra entry by tweeting about this challenge - something like this will do:

Join the #KidsNextList Summer Reading Challenge at @thehidingspot and win a book of your choice! http://thehidingspot.blogspot.com/2014/07/kids-indie-next-list-summer-reading.html

Questions? Feel free to ask in the comments or send me a tweet!