Reading Challenge

What is this celebrating?

It all started when I was doing a Facebook Live chat with members of Avid Readers of Christian Fiction about Pizza Hut’s BookIt program. If you didn’t have the joy of experiencing this literary-culinary wonder, it was a program that rewarded kids with personal pan pizzas for reading a certain number of books.

Impulsively, I said we should try something similar as adults…and so came the 2021 Reading Challenge. Each month, the kind admin team of Avid Readers of Christian Fiction shared a book challenge for any who wanted to join in. I loved looking over your comments on the posts to get recommendations for each theme.

Now that the year is over, we’re celebrating. And how else? WITH PIZZA.

There is a link to a form to enter a pizza giveaway below, but here’s my suggestion: whether or not you’re a winner, treat yourself to a pizza night, either ordered out or homemade, in a celebration of reading.

Here are a few “resources” (read: fun goodies) I created to motivate you, if the thought of delicious cheesy goodness isn’t enough.

You remember the good ol’ days of getting to color your own paper placemat? Now, by clicking here to print these, you can re-live the experience.

Here are a few pizza recipes I’ve enjoyed if you’re opting for homemade pizza.

Sauce: Allrecipes.com (sometimes I use pre-made crust and just make the sauce myself, shh, don’t tell)

Dough: Deep Dish Pizza from Basics with Babish

For those who completed the official Avid Readers of Christian Fiction challenge for all twelve months: good for you! Fill out this form here. One winner will receive a gift card to a pizza place in your area!

For everyone: whether you completed the challenge or not, you can fill out this form to enter a giveaway for a surprise pack of three Christian fiction books that I used to complete the challenge.

I’ll contact winners by March 6 via email. These contests are open outside of the US, but if you win as an international reader, I might substitute a different gift card of equivalent value based on what’s available in your country. Your email address won’t be added to a list or used for anything other than contacting you if you’re a winner.

Want to do more than just reward yourself with pizza delivery? Here are some party ideas to make this celebration even more fun. The options are limitless, but here are a few suggestions depending on the crowd you’re inviting over:

Pizza Party with Family

• Let family members create personal pan pizzas with their toppings of choice.
• Consider playing a game that pairs well with pizza, such as setting up empty 2-liter bottles filled partway with water to create an in-house bowling alley.
• Don’t forget to set out some crayons for the placemats! And be sure to compare answers and see who came closest on the trivia questions.
• Read a pizza-themed kids book out loud. (Here are a few suggestions if you want to search your local library.

Pizza Party with Friends (or your book club)

• If you’re making your own pizzas, have everyone bring an unusual pizza topping to share—anything from mini meatballs to goat cheese to banana peppers.
• Alternately, if weather permits, plan on a bonfire. Here are some great ways to make simple pizzas over an open flame.
• Print a blank bracket and fill it in with toppings before making copies. Have everyone vote on the champion, then let the debates begin! Alternately, you could use local or chain pizza places.
• Break out the board games afterward, watch a movie set in Italy, or enjoy a sports game together.

Pizza Party Date Night

• If you’re making the pizza from scratch (or a pre-bought crust, we won’t tell), form it into the shape of a heart.
• Make a toast to each other with your beverage of choice before starting in.
• Play some fun Italian music to set the mood. It’s easy to find a playlist on a music streaming site or even YouTube.
• Afterward, consider taking a virtual trip to Italy via one of these links, including webinars and 360 art galleries online. Feel free to dream about a future vacation!

Thank you all for joining in the pizza-and-books fun with me. I love this group of readers so much, and I hope your 2022 is equally full of amazing books!