I’m so excited to be taking part in this Readathon which is a month long celebration of middle-grade books, taking place from 1st – 30th November. This has been made for me!

It is being run by the wonderful Gavin Hetherington who has set up an account on Twitter dedicated to this. You can find it under Believe in the Impossible Readathon @Believathon. If you haven’t already seen his introduction, and you are interested in taking part, you can watch his Youtube introduction via this link: Believe in the Impossible Readathon Announcement.

There is a compendium that has all the prompts for books to read. There are ten prompts and the group read. You can choose to read 4 books, or complete all 10. I definitely want to read all 10 – and the group read!

It was so hard to choose my ten books as I am lucky enough to have so many amazing books on my TBR. I’ve decided to read books that are part of a series: either ones I have and have not yet started, or which are the second book in a series.

So, on to my 10 books:

Prompt 1: A book featuring magic

I’ve chosen A Witch Alone by James Nichol. I read The Apprentice Witch earlier this year and was introduced to Arianwyn who I completely adored. I can’t wait to visit her again. This time she’s a newly qualified witch who has been set a dangerous secret mission.

Prompt 2: A book featuring a myth or legend

I’ve chosen The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. I found this one one a few months ago whilst doing one of my favourite activities: browsing in my local bookshop! I have a vague recollection that I might have read this many years ago, but I’m not completely sure! This is the first book in The Chronicles of Prydain, and is a fantasy adventure inspired by Welsh mythology.

Prompt 3: A book with real life issues

I’ve chosen Ghost by Jason Reynolds. I bought this one for the Readathon as I’ve wanted to get it for a while, and this seemed like a good excuse! I think this might be quite a hard-hitting book but with an ultimately uplifting ending!

Prompt 4: A book set in the past

I’ve chosen The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras who is an American author who adores all things Scottish! I read the first book in this series The Mad Wolf’s Daughter earlier this year, and immediately bought this one. I loved Drest who is a strong female protagonist in a male-dominated medieval Scottish lowlands who becomes a legend through her daring and bravery.

Prompt 5: A book with a strong sense of friendship

I’ve chosen The Polar Bear Explorer’s Club by Alex Bell. This is another one that I’ve wanted to read for ages – and it’s the one Gavin has chosen for this prompt. The blurb for this book just makes me want to dive in now. Stella joins the Polar Bear Explorers Club on an expedition to the Icelands where she meets danger, adventure and snow pirates – and makes important new friendships. I’ve read another couple of adventure books this year set in icy places: Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy and Eye of the North by Sinead O’Hart. They were both amazing stories, so I have high hopes for this icy adventure!

Prompt 6: An atmospheric or creepy book

I’ve chosen Potkin and Stubbs by Sophie Green. I’m going to thank the lovely Lily over at Lily and the Fae for this one! This one is described as ‘An atmospheric page-turner with a hauntingly good mystery at its heart’ (Gareth P Jones), so perfect for this prompt!

Prompt 7: A seasonal book

I’ve chosen The Velvet Fox by Catherine Fisher. I adored reading the first book in this series, The Clockwork Crow at the start of the year. This one is set in autumn, and sounds like it would also be perfect for Prompt 6!

Prompt 8: A book with an animal character

I’ve chosen The Gift of Dark Hollow by Kieran Larwood. This is the second book in The Five Realms series. The first book, The Legend of Podkin One-Ear is one of my favourite reads this year, and I have The Beasts of Grimheart and Uki and the Outcasts on my TBR. These books are set in an imaginary world where rabbits become heroes. The storytelling and world-building are incredible, and the images by David Wyatt are stunning.

Prompt 9: A classic children’s story

I’ve chosen The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston which was first published in 1954. I’ve chosen this one for a slightly unusual reason, and one related to work. One of the comprehension extracts I completed with my class was from this story, and it really caught my interest, so I’ve decided to read the whole atmospheric ghost story.

Prompt 10: Re-read childhood favourite

I’ve chosen my favourite book ever, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis. I absolutely, completely and utterly fell in love with this book at primary school, and read all of The Chronicles of Narnia in quick succession. I’ve re-read it quite a few times since. Last year was the first time I read it to one of my classes and I loved how much the children loved this classic. Looking at the prompts, I think this one covers all of them!

AND FINALLY …

The Group Read!

This is the only book that can be read before the Readathon starts in November – and I’m going to enjoy it next week whilst I’m on half term – bliss!

I’d love to hear from anyone else taking part in Believathon. It’s always exciting to see what other people have chosen for their prompts.