1,000 Page Reading Challenge

This summer, you are enthusiastically invited to participate in the Long Trail School 1,000 Page Challenge. This challenge is very simple: read. Colin challenges you to read 1,000 pages this summer. If you accomplish this goal, there will be a special ice cream party at the start of the next school year. Read novels, non-fiction, dramas, graphic novels, memoirs, biographies, whatever your heart desires. Simply read. After each book you read, complete this form.

The details:

• What is this?

  • A challenge to all members of the Long Trail community to read 1,000 pages (or more!) this summer.

• When does it happen?

  • All summer! The challenge begins the last day of school and continues until the first day of the 2026-2027 school year.

• What can I read?

  • Fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, essays, dramas, graphic novels, etc. are all great. Read whatever interests you…just read!

• Do my summer reading assignments count toward the 1,000 pages?

  • Yes!

• Do audiobooks count towards the challenge?

  • While audiobooks are wonderful, they do not count towards the 1,000 pages. For this challenge, the physical act of reading is required.

• How do I keep track of what I read?

  • After each book you read, complete this form: LTS 1,000 Page Challenge

  • The form asks for the book title, author, and number of pages. For fun, we also ask you to rate the book on a scale of 1-5.

  • After you complete the form, LTS keeps track of how many pages you have read. Complete the form each time you finish a book.

• What if I don’t know what to read?

  • We are fortunate to have incredible local libraries. Stop by your local library or the Northshire Bookstore (owned by LTS alums) and ask for a recommendation.

• Still not sure what to read? Here is what Colin is planning to read this summer to complete the 1,000 page challenge (as well as some of his favorites):

  • The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (fiction)

  • The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham (non-fiction)

  • James by Percival Everett (fiction)

  • The Jackal’s Mistress by Chris Bohjilian (fiction)

  • The Women by Kristin Hannah (fiction)

  • Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (biography)

Some of Colin’s favorites:

• A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (fiction)

• Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward (fiction)

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy (fiction)

• Harry Potter (all seven) by JK Rowling (fiction)

• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (non-fiction)

• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard (non-fiction)

• 1776by David McCullough (non-fiction)

• Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer (non-fiction)

• Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (essays)

• The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders (essays)

• Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver (poetry)