THE ULTIMATE READING QUEST!
The ULTIMATE READING QUEST is about finding books that are “perfectly” suited to your reading taste.
On each page, read the question and click on a button to answer it. That will lead you to find great new books and authors in genres that you enjoy. Best of all? If you can figure out the mystery message, you can win the GRAND MYSTERY PRIZE! Click here to find out how to win enter for the grand prize:
HOW TO WIN THE GRAND MYSTERY PRIZE!
There are also plenty of other prizes up for grabs, so don’t forget to come back here and leave a comment to say which author most intrigued you, and what you liked about the QUEST. Then enter the contest to win a FREE BOOK from participating authors! There are many prizes and will be many winners! Don’t miss out!
On each page, look for this button: 
to take you back to the beginning and search again! It’s that simple!
Are you ready to find your next ULTIMATE READ?
Let’s get started. Click to answer the question.
Do you like to read fiction or nonfiction?
Click here if you you like stories that are from the imagination!
Click here if you like to read to learn facts about the world around you!
By joining this QUEST you will find many excellent authors whose stories are filled with adventure, intrigue, danger, mystery, laugh out loud humour, imaginative worlds, and facts about our past, present and future. These stories are indeed a TREASURE that will fill your minds and hopefully, inspire you to keep seeking! Seek your next Ultimate Read by finding authors who write in a style that you prefer. Just click one of the gold bars above and it will take you one step closer to a whole treasure store of Ultimate reads!
Enjoy the QUEST!
Sharon Skretting
[…] CLICK HERE TO START YOUR QUEST! […]
[…] Skretting–a unique choose-a-book experience that I found myself a part of. Sharon runs the Quest Teaching blog, that seeks to equip teachers to use literature in the classroom. I’ve contributed […]
This is a wonderful idea for parents, teachers and young readers to learn about genre’s they like, and new ones they hadn’t discovered yet!
I love this idea. It’s like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” for book shopping. 🙂
Thanks, Brenda. I hope you are able to browse many categories! We have a great group with this quest. Lots to discover!
Such a good website for children to learn about fun books and increase their reading skills.
There really is something for absolutely everyone — all interests, all ages! Fiction and non-fiction!
This seems like an awesome tool for parents and teachers!
Thanks Tamie, anything to encourage life long reading!
This is a great tool! I agree. I am really grateful as a creative non fiction history author that you can search under both non-fiction and under historical fiction. It’s a very flexible system. Thrilled to be part of it.
I agree too. This way, children could increase their reading skills and can also learn about authors.
This is a wonderful idea! As a teacher, this is a time saver!
Yes! I use it in my own classroom, too!
Our teacher lets us do the Ultimate Reading Quest and encourages us along the way.
That’s wonderful, Doris! What kind of books do you like?
this is great for both parents and teachers, kids don’t read enough
Come back and visit often to find more great reads!
I agree. As a children’s reading specialist I can honestly say that reading should take place every day in the home for at least thirty minutes. The Read To Me, Read With Me, I Read To You, is the best format.
Some kids have trouble finding books they enjoy, and this is a good way for them to quit reading super easy books and they can also increase their reading skills.
There is a lot of diversity in the books during quest. Really something for every taste, ability, age, and interest!
[…] We are pleased to bring you information about “The Ultimate Reading Quest” brought to you by our friends at Quest Teaching. […]
As a parent, grandparent, historian, retired educator, and children’s nonfiction book writer, I am enthused to discover your program.
I am enthused to have you visit! I hope people will check out your cool site at Littlemisshistory.com, too!
Thanks for visiting us!
Barbara: I am also a historian and really thrilled to have this. What is your specialization in history?
I started out as a medievalist, then became a Chinese historian, then came back to British history. 🙂
Laurel, I started out as a specialist in ancient history and did my master’s thesis in that field. My other specializations were in American history. Because I am combining my love of history with a series for children, right now I am focusing on US national landmarks.
Just visited Little Miss History. Looks like a wonderful series. I’ll see if I can request them at our library if they’re not already there.
I hope that they are already there. If not, please do request that they order them. I would appreciate that! Thank you for your interest.
Me too.
Barbara: What is your area of history? I focus on world history. Specialized in first medieval history, then China/East Asia, and now I’m focusing on British history.
My favorite is fiction
Did you find some fiction books you were interested in, Hope?
An inspired way to reach teachers and students with new learning opportunities. One of the biggest challenges I face in 2015 is following the comments on many of my reviews that the book should be in school libraries everywhere. The primary challenge for authors who provide learning opportunities is in reaching the targets. I consistently remind readers to download the parental discussion sheet on my website, but since it’s hosted by the publisher, I have no way of knowing if they have done that. Thank you for a resource that can make a difference for kids everywhere.
I agree with you Peggy. What we are trying to do is challenging, but well worth it as kids come to enjoy reading and learning!
I have actually tried to donate my books to dozens of libraries. It is amazing at how few actually will accept author donations. That applies to both public and school libraries. If they don’t purchase the book through their system, they won’t carry the book!
Part of the mindset of the administrative bureaucracy that is in place and so resistant to change….
Sometimes finding those targets is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack!
as a parent anything to itrigue my child to read i am all over thanks for the great opportunity.
Thanks for joining us for the Quest, Jan.
Good for you Jan! I’m a parent too and reading is a big part of our home life. The Quest makes it so fun for kids to pick their next book.
We aim to please and educate all at once!
We have some new books added to the quest, including “Preparing for My First Cockatiel,” (non-fiction) which I hope you will explore with this spring quest.
Lots of great books across all categories! We have the best authors offering their best!
I love reading especially realistic fiction books!!!
I know what you mean, Mitchell. When we read realistic fiction it’s easy to connect to what the characters are going through. I’m glad you joined us for the Quest. Come back and search again! There are a lot of books to find!
What’s your favorite book, Mitchell?
I want to read all of your books. I love nonfiction.
Max: have you seen the Legendary Women of World History books in the non-fiction section? If you love learning history, I think you will really enjoy these biographies!
Hi Max! Thanks for visiting us!
Thanks Max, that’s so nice to hear!
Check out my Little Miss HISTORY nonfiction picture book series. I have recently joined the authors on this site or check out my website at http://LittleMissHISTORY.com
I love to read realistic fiction.
I love to read fiction books and I really like adventure.
What’s your favorite adventure book, Kealyn?
I like the Percy Jackson series.
I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner, Kealyn. The Percy Jackson series is great!
Hi Kealyn,
If you love adventure you will most likely love my 2 adventure books, Mysteries of the Red Coyote Inn and Jonathan’s Locket.
Good to have you on board!
Thanks for the suggestion.
Sounds really nice. I like adventure books too.
I like to read fiction
Hi Cole!
Fiction is my favorite, too!
Cool!
Fiction is wonderfully varied! What genres of fiction do you like best?
Realistic fiction, historical fiction, and adventure.
Cole: check out the Legendary Women of World History Series! These are short biographies (suggested reading list is in the back of every digital and paperback; omitted from the audio books) so you can keep learning about history topics of interest! Boudicca: Britain’s Queen of the Iceni covers ancient history: Roman culture verses Celtic Britain. Catherine de Valois is about late medieval France, England, and a little about Wales. I am currently writing the next one about Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots which goes right into the heart of the Tudor dynasty. 🙂
Glad to have you on board, Cole!
Thank you!
I really like to read realistic fiction books, and adventure books.
I am interested in Roberta Dawdy Baxter’s Detective band series. I might buy it.
Hi Norika! Glad you’re here!
You must like mysteries, Norika. I like that genre, too. I always try to figure out who did the crime right from the start. I like books with twists in the plot. That’s why I put twist into my plots when I write!
I love to read fantasy books!!!
Many science fiction books overlap with fantasy. For example in Goodbye A672E92 Quintus, you see Lady Priestess Brigid struggling with her visions of the future and with abilities she cannot control.
In science fiction we call that telepathy, but you can equally call it “magic” and label it fantasy!
I love fantasy, as well. It’s my favorite genre.
Jenelle: what about fantasy do you find the most interesting?
I love so many things about fantasy. I love the depth of the characters, the scope of the worlds, and just the way it opens up the imagination.
World building is the mark of great science fiction and fantasy. I am very proud of the depth of world building in the Peers of Beinan Series. That’s one area where my love of Tolkien really shows. I created plants, animals, food (lots of food), heraldry, government systems, weather, technology, weapons, religions, time/weights/measurement systems. Pretty much every detail is custom created for the series!
Most of it is consistent with science too! That is something I love about science fiction and science-fantasy! I loved delving into the latest discoveries and filtering that through my imagination. 🙂
Me too, Amelia! That’s why I decided to write them – so that I could spend time creating the type of book I like to read! I love the way that good fantasy books make you feel like you’re really living inside a world that’s different in some way from ours. Especially when there’s magic! What about you? What do you like most about fantasy?
I really like to read fiction books like the series, ” Annals of Alasia” and also other unique books. I also like to read realistic fiction. Like the series, ” The Selection.”
I really like to read fiction books like “Prince of Alasia” and other cool fiction books, because it let my mind into the book and it can let me picture what the story was happening. Also I want to read some exciting books in this website. I wish this website can encourage me to read more interesting books. And I think it was great to have this website to let everyone to know some interesting books!!!
There are hundreds of great books in this quest. Use it broadly and see all the amazing books we have. make lists of books that look interesting and make a point to pursue them. If you ever want to talk, my office door is open to answer your questions — email or twitter!
Oh, I think you’ve come to the right place. Adventures abound.
I love it when this happens in books too! It’s like watching a movie play out in your mind. (Actually, that’s also what happens when I write fantasy books – I picture how it looks in my mind, then I write down what I see!) I also love exciting books – if you like swords and dragons and magic and fire-spiders, you might want to check out The Quest of the Unaligned! 😉
I am so glad you are enjoying the Quest, Alan. It’s all about reading and I want kids and young adults to have a lot of interesting books to read! Books filled with plot twists, intrigue, mystery, danger, and action! When I wrote The Jewel of Peru, I wanted to put in all of those into my novel. Now it’s so great to hear that kids everywhere love to read my book. I have Prince of Alasia on my Ipad and I can’t wait to read it. Thanks for the recommendation!
My favorite genre is fantasy and sci fi. One of my favorite authors is Annie Lima and she is my teacher!
How cool to have a teacher who is also an amazing author!
That is wonderful! 太好了!
這是一件好事，愛你的老師寫道。
Fantasy is my favorite as well. What are some of your favorite books?
Me too, Joe. Isn’t it fun to be able to be able to imagine worlds that are completely different from ours? I’m glad you have a teacher who’s also a great author – it must be really inspiring!
Joe: one thing I really love about writing science fiction is the way I often learn about science in the process. The best science fiction writers keep up with the latest discoveries and use them in their books. Many times you can tell when a science fiction book or film was written because of the science in it.
For example, when the original Star Trek television series about James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock came out they were still trying to put a man on the moon. They did not have orbiting telescopes to tell us how different every planet in the universe is from each other. And personal computers were still 15 years away. So you see that in the show. When Star Trek the Next Generation came out, a lot changed and you saw the technology and science change in line with that.
Prince of Malorn is also a great book written by Annie Douglas Lima (Mrs. Lima)
And I love the book True Colors!
I haven’t read Prince of Malorn yet, but True Colors was so much fun!
Thanks so much! I have to say I had a lot of fun writing True Colors and the sequel 🙂
My favorite book is Prince of Malorn and the author is my teacher!!! I think the book is awesome and full of adventure. I like the part when Thel keeps talking about “I met Korrom on the right of acceptance!’ Everybody in the palace seems to not know what that means. If you are excited and wondering about is there a next book, I can tell you, yes there is and Mrs. Lima is reading it to us. We didn’t finish it yet but from the part we read, it’s good. I highly recommend buying her books.
Hi Ryan! Glad you’re here. I think it’s so cool that your teacher is an author and that she shared this site with your class.
Hi S. J. Henderson, nice to meet you. I joined the ultimate reading quest. I am planning to buy books from some author. Are you a author? I wanted to win the ultimate reading quest to win a book. So far, my favorite authors that I think their books are really awesome is Tui T. Sutherland, Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull. I like books that is kind of adventure type.
Hi Ryan! I didn’t get a notification that you’d responded–I’m sorry that I missed you.
Yes, I’m an author. My books are DANIEL THE DRAW-ER and DANIEL THE CAMP-ER. They’re in the humor category.
I hope you will enter the giveaway again!
How exciting to have a teacher who is also an author! I hope you find some new favorite books here – so many to choose from!
Dear Cynthia Port,
I love your books because it’s funny and interesting. I read kibble talk and dog goner. I bought it and finished it without stopping!
Thank you so much Ryan. It makes me very happy to hear that! I’m working on the third book in the series right now!
I look over some of the fantasy books! I wish I can read every of it. I really wish that I can read the book, The Purple Girl. It sounds and looks fun for me to read! I bet that it will be a exciting and a fabulous book!
Hi Amanda!
The Purple Girl was so much fun to write! I hope you get to read it, and if you do–I hope you enjoy it. (It sounds like you love books as much as I do!) I’m glad you stopped by and joined us for the Quest. Be sure to come back soon:)
Hi! Audrey Kane,
My dad said that he will get me the book, The Purple Girl!
I bet that I will enjoy the book very much!
I love fantasy, too! What are some of your favorites?
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will always be one of my favorites. But I also love discovering new books, and I really want to read some of the books on the Quest. I’ve been peeking at The Amazing Adventure of Toby the Trilby all day!
The Chronicles of Narnia are wonderful. If you like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you may also enjoy King’s Warrior. It’s a little more akin to Lord of the Rings, but there are definite influences from Chronicles of Narnia, as well.
I feel the same way about fantasy! It’s both a great and a frustrating feeling to have so many books to choose from and not enough time to read them all, isn’t it? Have fun reading!
I’m sure you’ll enjoy The Purple Girl! 🙂
Hi Amanda,
I think The Purple Girl looks like a fascinating book, too! I can’t wait to read it!
I’m really interested in Fantasy books, and I’m looking forward to read Good-Bye A672E92 Quintus. I wonder if the story is like the movie Intersteller?
Hi Wesley, Wasn’t Interstellar a great movie? Part of it was filmed near to where I live, right here in Southern Alberta! My son actually worked on the production of the movie, and my daughter was an extra in the film. She’s only in it for about 10 seconds, but it’s still cool. Maybe one day they will make a movie about Good-Bye A672E92 Quintus. Did you know that most movies are made from really good books! I hope you enjoy the read.
You may not know this, but I am planning on making Goodbye into a short film once I move to England, starting production probably in 2016/7 with Future Legend Media in Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK.
I think Richard Mann (narrator on the audio edition of Boudicca and in production now for the audio edition of Catherine de Valois) would make a wonderful Lord Malvyn of house Balister! I may even convince FLM to allow me to at least cameo in the film! 🙂
Wow, Laurel! Congratulations….the future sounds so exciting for you!
I am actually moving to England later this year (exact date is TBD by when my visa application is approved). That will accelerate a lot of my planned projects.
After I saw The Imitation Game in February I decided I want to do a biography of Joan Clarke, to tell her story and about the challenges of women mathematicians and scientists in England.
I have not seen Intersteller. Tell me about it!
I think you will really enjoy Good-bye A672E92 Quintus. There is both magic and technology in the story.
If you ever have any questions about it, send me an email or tweet! My office door is always open!
I haven’t read the Peers of Beinan series, but the description on Amazon makes it sound like it might be similar in some ways! Fantasy and science fiction are great, aren’t they? What do you like best about fantasy novels?
Fantasy and science fiction often overlap. In the current Peers of Beinan novel I am working on, Princess Anyu Returns, I talk about techno-magic — that is an idea I gained as a fan of Babylon 5. It is when technology appears as if it were magic to people who do not have that technology.
So when the Beinarians encounter a strange alien race called The Amur (discussed in Princess Anyu Returns even though two Amur are in The Ghosts of the Past) about two yen-ars into The Great Migration, the Beinarians think it is magic. The Amur are very old — a bit like the Q in Star Trek — and they have a mythology of their own that I talk about in Princess Anyu Returns.
You won’t meet them in Goodbye A672E92 Quintus, but I can tell you that Lady Priestess Brigid (who has a very hard time dealing with her magic because it scares her) will meet them.
All of the Peers of Beinan Series stories intertwine like that. I think that is the mark of a great science fiction/fantasy series.
I know you will love it and want to read all the books!
I am planing to buy the other books like in the enemy’s service and prince of alasia.
Hi Ryan! So glad you’ve found some books you’re interested in!
Wow! Well done! I love this and will share with others. Great job!
Thanks, Tianna!
[…] The Ultimate Reading Quest is under way! If you have not yet joined it, you still have until the 17th of January to discover a great new book and win valuable prizes. […]
[…] of young adult and middle grade books and have started something called The Ultimate Reading Quest. The website is very easy to maneuver to find exactly what you’re looking for, and this group of authors […]
A bit of trivia for those of you interested in science fiction and fantasy.
When I first published “Good-bye A672E92 Quintus” (the astronomical naming system is explained at the back of The Great Succession Crisis), my choice of the blue-white class A/B star (A672E92) was actually challenged by an astrophysicist!
Most of the time in science fiction, authors pick stars more closely resembling our class O yellow sun. But A/B stars are big,hot, and die very quickly. They also tend to go nova when they die — which is exactly why everyone has to say “Good-bye” to their planet.
For that reason, the astrophysicist gave her approval on the book!
The science part is exactly correct!
In Boudicca: Britain’s Queen of the Iceni, Boudicca meets her future husband, King Prasutagus in Camulodunum, the Roman capital city in Britain which they took from the local Trinovantes. Boudicca destroyed the city in 61 CE (common era).
Many scholars believe that the Arthurian city “Camelot” is a reference to Camulodunum. That means that it is actually possible that Boudicca and Prasutagus may have inspired some of the legendary stories about King Arthur and the knights of the round table — the latter part added in the high middle ages by the French.
In Catherine de Valois we meet Catherine’s Alexandrine parakeet, Isabelle. Alexandrine parakeets were one of four parakeet species (parakeets are actually one of three families of parrots. The other two are cockatoos and “true parrots”) called “popinjays” in medieval Europe. People do not usually think about it, but most royal and noble household kept at least one popinjay as a pet with the men keeping them to show wealth and the women keeping them mostly because they love the beauty, friendliness, and vocal abilities that living with a parrot brings you.
I am pleased to say I have the honour of living with two beautiful cockatiel cockatoos who inspired me to research and learn all about parrots in the middle ages! It’s one of the fun parts of the biography I am sure you will really like too!
I am thrilled to see that so many readers like fantasy! If you think about it, all fiction invites us to play the game, enter into the fantasy, and have the “vivid, continuous dream” in our minds that is inspired by the book as we read and imagine the events and characters. My contemporary fantasy novels (like APRIL, MAYBE JUNE) are grounded in today’s reality, but take you on a fantastical ride. It is fun to see all the different worlds that authors can create.
[…] The Ultimate Reading Quest is under way! If you have not yet joined it, you still have until the 17th of January to discover a great new book and win valuable prizes. […]
[…] The Ultimate Reading Quest is under way! If you have not yet joined it, you still have until the 17th of January to discover a great new book and win valuable prizes. […]
This is a nice little tool to find new books, thanks!
Thanks Tim, we’re glad you like it. And all the authors here are eager to interact with readers young and old.
Hope that you will visit us often!
Books in this website look so fun!
I think my goal is to try reading all the books I find. 🙂 😛 LOL <3
That’s a great goal! So many great books to find and enjoy, no matter what your area of interest is!
That would be great! There are some wonderful books here, and so many to choose from. Thank you for going on The Quest!
[…] The Ultimate Reading Quest is under way! If you have not yet joined it, you still have until the 19th of January to discover a great new book and win valuable prizes. […]
Searching this site will help you to discover lots of books that you probably did not even know were out there. Have fun and feel free to share with all your friends!
Remember that it never hurts to explore a genre that you generally don’t read. You never know, you might even discover a whole new area of interest that you never realized you had.
I agree Barbara. The wonderful thing about this quest is the opportunity to discover something new. There are so many wonderful books in this quest — explore them all! Every book is different. Every book has something for everyone.
This is really cool! So glad I found you.
Thanks, Tina. I’m glad you found us, too! Be sure to share so we can help teachers and parents get young people reading!
We are so happy to have you here! What books/authors have sparked your interest so far?
Always a joy to link up with friends at Mommynificent. SHARING IS CARING!
I hope you are having fun with the reading quest. What books have you found that you love?
I love reading historical fiction, but I also love other types of books too. 🙂 Annnie Lima is a great author as well! 🙂 I love her Prince of Alasia series!
Wonderful to here, Jodi! I hope you are taking advantage of the Quest to explore all the many historical fiction options, including my Legendary Women of World History biography series. These are short biographies — about 30 to 50 pages long — exploring fascinating lives from across history. Two are in the Quest; I have three more in the works for 2015: Empress Wu Zetian of China, Journey to Gloriana: Queen Elizabeth I, 1570-1590, and Empress Matilda of England (Matilda was daughter of Henry I and was almost the first sovereign queen of England).
Please check out these and other exciting historical fiction books!
I love history and mystery books. My aunt is helping me with this and in finding me some new books to read.
-A.P.
(Jamie is my aunt who is my guardian and helping me with this and under who I entered as I do not have my own email)
Jamie: you will absolutely LOVE the Legendary Women of World History Series! Every book has a comprehensive suggested reading list at the end so you can keep researching! Boudicca has a study guide to focusing on reading comprehension and critical thinking. Catherine de Valois has a detailed timeline. The 15th century can be confusing because so much was going on at the same time; my timeline really makes it easy to learn!
If you read Catherine de Valois AND Shakespeare’s “Henry V” you get a special award from me! I want everyone to look at Henry and Catherine’s story from both of their points of view — which is exactly what you learn to do when you study history.
If you ever want help with history, my office door is always open to help! peersofbeinan@gmail.com. I will answer any questions I can about history. This goes for EVERYONE reading this! I am here to help! Teaching history is my passion in life!
Hi Jamie, I hope that you will check out the Little Miss History series of books that make learning about history a lot of fun. There are lots of little known facts plus connections to other issues and interesting questions for you to ponder. Please visit my website http://Littlemisshistory,com or email me at Barbara@littlemisshistorycom You can also find me on Amazon.com
[…] We are in the process of developing each topic into a QUEST. By next year I hope to have a ROCKS AND MINERALS QUEST, A FUR TRADE QUEST, A SIMPLE MACHINES QUEST, etc. I’m also trying to build in the inclusive elements to these quests so the learning is accessible to all students and the supports are in place for them to access all the learning. Try a quest out! Kids can learn about reading genres, win free books and prizes and find their next ultimate read in the Ultimate Spring Reading Quest here: http://questteaching.com/wordpress/ultimate-reading-quest/ […]
Reading is like a movie.
I like reading fantasy, mystery, and sci fie because some of them have awesome endings.
ya except it has it in your mind.
It definitely is, Max. It’s the best kind because you get to decide how it looks and sounds. Sometimes watching or hearing a book put into a movie, television show, or even audio book (I’m low vision so I like my books to be in audio) is a bit jarring. Because in these formats other people are deciding how a book looks and sounds instead of you deciding!
Sometimes it is fun to read.
what is your favorite book max or series?
I really like fiction books.
That’s great Joy. I love fiction too – it’s fun to feel like you are a part of a new world, or get to make new friends and follow them through their adventure. Do you write fiction too? (oh, and middle name is Joy!)
hi
i like realistic fiction
I do too, Megan, and especially historical fiction, though the books I’ve published so far are humorous fiction with a little fantasy thrown in. Have you found any great books here on the Quest? Thanks for commenting.
I like reading fantasy, mystery, and sci fie because some of them have awesome twists. Another reason I love fantasy and sci fie is because of all of the awesome worlds in peoples imagination, and I love mystery because I try to figure out the person who did it.
Joe: I like mystery too, especially science fiction mystery because you can have all sorts of fun with aliens, high technology, and so on.
I like reading fantasy, mystery, and sci fie because some of them have awesome twists.
The plot twist for me is the most fun part about writing science fiction. I love to surprise people. Because there is a LOT of murder in it, my big science fiction mystery (The Ghosts of the Past) is a bit grown up, but it has some twists to it that I think you will love once you are older. 🙂
I like fantasy!!! Fairy tales, unicorns, and adventures!
Hello, Suphitca.
I’ve started the series The Mystic Princesses, with the first book being The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool. The girls are mythology based, but you might like their adventures.