YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

This will be a team reading challenge that will run from February 1st 2025 to February 28th 2025. Results will be announced on March 1st 2025.

To complete this challenge, participants will be split into teams. Each team will read books of their own choice (which fit the challenge guidelines), and points will be awarded based on the length of the book, and whether you have buddy-read your book. You can also earn some bonus points by earning crystals in The Crystal Maze.

You may also choose to take on The Crystal Maze as a solo participant, but you will not be able to earn any team bonus points ☺

Link to team threads - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

How it works:


The aim of this challenge is to work your way through The Crystal Maze by reading books that fit the descriptions below. There are four zones of the maze - Aztec, Industrial, Futuristic, and Medieval - each with four challenges (Physical, Mental, Skill and Mystery).



AZTEC ZONE:



Physical -
* Read a book that has a letter 'S' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name(for Strength).
* Read a book that has a letter 'B' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for Balancing).
* Read a book which does not have the letters 'O' and 'B' anywhere in the title, author's name, or series name (for avoiding 'OBstacles').
* Read a book which has the letter 'Y' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'sYmbols')
Mental -
* Read a book that has any 8 letter word anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.
* Read a book that has a letter 'F' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'F'ace)
* Read a book that has 5 words in the title. ('A', & 'I', & numbers count as one word.)
* Read a book that has a title in which no letter is repeated.
(view spoiler)[(Eg: 'Shiver' - 1*S, 1*H, 1*I, 1*V, 1*E, 1*R - would work as there is one of each letter,
'The Naturals' - 2*T, 1*H, 1*E, 1*N, 2*A, 1*U, 1*R, 1*L, 1*S - would not work as the T and A are both repeated.) (hide spoiler)]
Skill -
* Read a book that has at least 300 reviews on Goodreads.
* Read a book that has something green on the cover.(view spoiler)[ (If you're not sure, try running the cover through TinEye Labs Color Extraction Lab here - https://labs.tineye.com/color/ ) (hide spoiler)]
* Read a book that has the letter 'X' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'deXterity'.)
* Read a book that has a letter 'W' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'sWing')
Mystery -
* Read a book that is tagged 'Unique'
* Read a book that is part of a series.
* Read a book which has the letters 'S', 'P', 'I', 'R', 'A', and 'L' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.
* Read a book that has at least 15,000 ratings on Goodreads.


INDUSTRIAL ZONE



Physical -
* Read a book that has a letter 'A' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for Agility).
* Read a book that has the letters 'P', 'I', 'P', and 'E' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.
* Read a book tagged 'Physical'.
* Read a book which you have a physical copy of (i.e.: paperback, hardback.)
Mental -
* Read a book which has a number in the title or series name (can be the number, or spelled out 5 or five)
* Read a book that has the name of a shape in the title or series name (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, pentagon, star, or heart).
* Read a book that has any four-letter word in the title.
* Read a book that has 'AM' or 'PM' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name. (Letters must be together as 'am' or 'pm')
Skill -
* Read a book with a 'T' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for Turn).
* Read a book that has a number repeated twice in its page count (eg: 339, 772, 144, etc.)
* Read a book, which is written by an author, who you have already read a book by before.
* Read a book digitally, ie: an ebook or downloaded audiobook. (Not a paperback or hardback.)
Mystery -
* Read a book with the word 'dark' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.
* Read a book that has a similar page count to the last book you posted.
(page count must be within 15 pages of the page count for the last book you posted - this means you personally, not a teammate, ideally please post these together).
* Read a book that has four words in the title.
* Read a book that has the word 'air' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.


FUTURISTIC ZONE



Physical -
* Read a book that has the letters 'ST' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name. (for Stamina). (letters must be together as 'st')
* Read a book tagged 'Sci-fi'.
* Read a book that has the letters 'M', 'A', 'Z', and 'E' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.
* Read a book that has the name of a planet in the title, series name or author's name (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.)
Mental -
* Read a book that has the word 'Crystal' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.
* Read a book which has a colour in the title or author's name - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, scarlet, white, black, pink, grey - please check with us before reading if you would like to use a colour other than those listed.
* Read a book which has exactly 384 pages.(view spoiler)[ (Eg: Ruined, Changes in Latitudes, This is How it Happened, Everless) (hide spoiler)]
* Read a book which has the letters 'G', 'R', 'I', and 'D' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name.
Skill -
* Read a book that is part of a series, but isn't the first or last book. (as numbered on Goodreads)
* Read a book with at least 500 pages.
* Read a book which has the letters 'L', 'A', 'S', 'E', and 'R' in the title or authors name.
* Read a book which does not have the number 3 in its average rating.
Mystery -
* Read a book that has a letter 'N' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'Navigate')
* Read a book that has a musical instrument on the cover.
* Read a book that has a letter 'D' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for Dial).
* Read a book that has the number '2' as part of its average rating (eg: 3.32, 4.21).


MEDIEVAL ZONE:



Physical -
* Read a book that has a letter 'P' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for Physical).
* Read a book that has a letter 'E' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for Escape).
* Read a book that has a letter 'T' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'Tool').
* Read a book that has one or more keys on the cover (as in door keys/ car keys), or has the word 'key' as part of the title or author's name.
Mental -
* Read a book which has two different words in the title/series name/author's name which both start with the same letter (eg: Rich People Problems 'P', 'P' - 'P'eople 'P'roblems)
* Read a book that has two words of the same length in the title. (Eg: Love, Hate & Other Filters 2x4-letter words - 'Love' and 'Hate')
* Read a book that has at least 4 letter I's in the title/series name/author's name. (Eg: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. Letters can be spread out across the title and authors name, but there must be at least 4 I's in total.)
* Read a book that has a letter 'R' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'Riddles').
Skill -
* Read a book that has the letters 'SK' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name. (for 'SKill)(letters must be together as 'sk')
* Read a book that has 50% or more 5 star ratings (click on rating details to see percentages.)
* Read a book that has at least one hand, and at least one eye on the cover (for hand-eye coordination).
* Read a book that you have read before.
Mystery -
* Read a book that has a letter 'C' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for Clues).
* Read a book tagged 'mystery'.
* Read a book that is number 1 on a listopia list which has at least 100 books on it (please link to the list when posting your review.)
* Read a book that has a letter 'M' anywhere in the title/series name/ author name (for 'M'ystery.)



Further Tips - (view spoiler)[

* Where you are asked to find a series of letters such as -
'L', 'A', 'S', 'E', and 'R'
'G', 'R', 'I', and 'D'
'M', 'A', 'Z', and 'E'
'P', 'I', 'P', and 'E'
'S', 'P', 'I', 'R', 'A', and 'L'
Letters can appear in any order, and may be spread over the title and author's name, as long as they all appear at least once.
* If you are asked to find more than one of the same letter such as in PIPE, you will need to find both of those, so 2*P.

* If you are asked to find two letters together such as AM, PM, ST
Letters must be together as 'am', not separated.

* For descriptions where you need to find a specific page count, it is fine to use one page count for the description, and a second page count to claim page points.)

* For descriptions where you are asked to find a specific word such as
Dark
Air
Earth
Crystal
Red
Gate
Letters must appear next to each other in order as 'dark', or 'air' but can be part of another word such as 'darkly' or 'fairy', or 'Meredith'.

* For tagged descriptions, as long as your book is tagged with the word at least once it will count.

* For averaging rating descriptions, listopia descriptions, number of ratings descriptions - these can change. If you think that something may change whilst you are reading, then please take a screenshot, or ask a mod to check the average rating and make a note of it, before you read the book.

* For descriptions concerning things on the cover of a book, you may use alternate covers, but please check with a mod before reading if you are not sure if your book counts. (hide spoiler)]

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

In short, your team earns points by reading books that fit the above descriptions.
- You may use each of these descriptions as many times as you wish.
- You may use these descriptions in any order you wish.
- You do not have to complete all of the descriptions available.
- Each book read can be used to complete one description.
- Completing a description means you will earn individual bonus points.
- Minimum page counts for completing descriptions are the same as for page points ☺
- Team bonus points are detailed below.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★


Earning Team Bonus Points:

On your team review thread, your progress will be tracked like this -

Zone_____|__AZTEC____||_INDUSTRIAL||_FUTURISTIC||__MEDIEVAL__|
Task_____|Ph|Me|Sk|My||Ph|Me|Sk|My||Ph|Me|Sk|My||Ph|Me|Sk|My||
Complete:|_0|_0|_0|_0||_0|_0|_0|_0||_0|_0|_0|_0||_0|_0|_0|_0|

Once your team has completed one each of the different types of challenge for each zone (16 books), your team will receive 50 team bonus points.

- The Short Version -

Points:
* Points will only be given for pages read in February 2025.
Types of Books + Page Counts + Points:
* The minimum page counts for points are:
~ Adult/YA without illustrations = 50 pages
~ Middle-grade/children's books without illustrations = 75 pages
~ Manga, graphic novels, plays, poetry, and books written in verse = 150 pages
* Books may be added together to reach these minimums, as long as all books are under the minimum.
Reviews:
* A review or 4 detailed updates will be required for each book read.
* One book per comment on the review thread (unless adding books together).
* Maximum of 10 reviews per person in a day.
Re-Reads / Starting Again:
* Re-reads are allowed in this challenge.
Buddy Reads:
* Buddy reads must take place within this group to gain buddy read points.
* You must make at least 4 comments, including a reply to a buddy if possible.
* You may start up to 7 days before the start date, and 14 days after.
* February GBRs also count.
Start Times:
* This challenge will begin and end on Goodreads time (PST) - 00:01 on February 1st 2025 PST, to 00:01 on March 1st 2025 PST.
Got a Problem? Noticed Something Wrong?:
* Please make a new post on your team's review thread, and let us know the problem ☺
Sign-Up:
* Please comment here to join, teams will be posted towards the end of January.

The Long Version - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

★ YA/Adult Books (without illustrations) - *1 point per 50 pages*
(view spoiler)[
*50 - 99 pages = 1 points
*100 - 149 pages = 2 point
*150 - 199 pages = 3 points
*200 - 249 pages = 4 points
*250 - 299 pages = 5 points
*300 - 349 pages = 6 points
*350 - 399 pages = 7 points
*400 - 449 pages = 8 points
*450 - 499 pages = 9 points
*500 - 549 pages = 10 points
*550 - 599 pages = 11 points
*600+ pages = 12 points (hide spoiler)]
(Maximum of 12 points per book)


★ Middle-grade/children's books (without illustrations) - *1 point per 75 pages*
(view spoiler)[
*75 - 149 pages = 1 points
*150 - 224 pages = 2 point
*225 - 299 pages = 3 points
*300 - 374 pages = 4 points
*375 - 449 pages = 5 points
*450 - 524 pages = 6 points
*525 - 599 pages = 7 points
*600+ pages = 8 points (hide spoiler)]
(maximum of 8 points per book)


★ Graphic novels/manga/poetry/plays/books written in verse/books which have some illustrations - *1 point per 150 pages*
(view spoiler)[
*150 - 299 pages = 1 points
*300 - 449 pages = 2 point
*450 - 599 pages = 3 points
*600+ pages = 4 points (hide spoiler)]
(maximum of 4 points per book)


★ Buddy reads MATCH your points score for pages, so a 300-page book (6pts) + buddy read (6pts) = 12 points.
(view spoiler)[ 600-page book (12pts) + buddy read (12pts) = 24 points. (hide spoiler)]
(Bonus points for buddy reads will only be given if the buddy read has taken place in this group.)


★ If books are long enough to count on their own (50/75/150 pages) they will be scored on their own.



★ Bonus Points will be awarded to individuals based on completing descriptions, and will match page points.

★ Each time all 16 descriptions are completed, your team will receive 50 bonus points.



Hermione bonus points can be earned on books over 600 pages long, because Hermione loves a big book, and we love Hermione ❤️

Over 600 pages unillustrated book = 12 points
Over 600 pages unillustrated childrens/middle-grade book = 8 points
Over 600 pages illustrated/poetry etc. = 4 points


★ Mods will keep track of each team's points, using the following system -

Team Name:

__________|_Books_|_Buddy_|__Page___|_Bonus_|_Hermi_|__Total
__________|_Read__|_Reads_|__Points_|_Points|_Points|

Name______|___0___|___0___|_____0___|___0___|___0___|_____0
Name______|___0___|___0___|_____0___|___0___|___0___|_____0
Name______|___0___|___0___|_____0___|___0___|___0___|_____0

Team_Bonus_Points_______________________0

Team______|___0___|___0___|_____0___|___0___|___0___|_____0

Zone_____|__AZTEC____||_INDUSTRIAL||_FUTURISTIC||__MEDIEVAL__|
Task_____|Ph|Me|Sk|My||Ph|Me|Sk|My||Ph|Me|Sk|My||Ph|Me|Sk|My||
Complete:|_0|_0|_0|_0||_0|_0|_0|_0||_0|_0|_0|_0||_0|_0|_0|_0|
Number of times completed = 

* Please note - we will be tracking how many books you have read, but you will not receive points for this column. You will receive a '1' for each book posted which reaches the minimum page count for that type of book

This challenge will be a team challenge. We will have a small number of teams, with a mixture of readers in each. When signing up please let us know whether you would like to be on a team, or whether you would like to go solo ☺

Teams should be posted by late January. If you sign up after teams are posted, we will try to add you to a team, but we may not always be able to. You may be asked to join a waiting list. Please sign up as early as possible to avoid disappointment.


Thank you! ☺

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Team:
Jenn
Prisha
Ashley W
Wolf (Alpha)
Sharon
Courtney
Shae
Dannii
❀ Crystal ✿ -
Abbie
As You Wish
Karen
Melanie
ellen
Leah
christene_littlelibrary
Jamie
Susan
esther ⭐️
Katie
Yolbooks
Megan
Michalina
Saar The Book owl
Aaron
Haley
Ari ☾
Sarah A
Fernanda
Narnia Girl
Ashley
Yesha- Books Teacup and Reviews
Maisha
Darcie
Brianna
Brittany
nαомι
my link text

Solo:
Sarah Elizabeth
Christina
my link text

Team please!

Team please :)

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Team Please

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team, thx.

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Team please

Team please :)

Team please :)

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Added:

Team:
Jenn
Prisha
Ashley W
Wolf (Alpha)
Sharon
Courtney
Shae
Dannii
❀ Crystal ✿ -
Abbie
As You Wish
Karen
Melanie
ellen
Leah
christene_littlelibrary
Jamie
Susan
esther ⭐️
Katie
Yolbooks
Megan
Michalina
Saar The Book owl
Aaron
Haley
Ari ☾
Sarah A

team pleaseeeee

Team please

Team Please

team please

Added:
Fernanda
Narnia Girl
Ashley
Yesha- Books Teacup and Reviews

☺

team please

Team please :)

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Solo

team please

Added:
Team -
Maisha
Darcie
Brianna
Brittany

Solo:
Christina

Team please!

Added ☺