If you aren’t aware, every year, the massive r/Fantasy Reddit publishes a reading bingo sheet.
If you complete the entire card (and turn it in during a form they post the following March) you get a “Reading Champion” flair in the subreddit. If you do this for multiple years, they’ll increment your title to “Reading Champion II”, “III,” etc.
I like to publish a guide for completing the bingo in the genres I write in (LitRPG/progression), but this year I wanted to encourage my kids to attempt it (not for Reddit flair, just for fun), and as I started thinking about making suggestions for them, I thought: “Why not make a second guide?”
So here we are!
I didn’t leave their full rules for each square in this post to enhance readability, but you can find them in their 2025 thread if you’re curious.
bold = completes challenge
Italics = completes hard mode of challenge
1. Knights and Paladins:
One of the protagonists is a paladin or knight. HARD MODE: The character has an oath or promise to keep.
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
First Test by Tamora Pierce
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez
Witchlight by Susan Dennard
2. Hidden Gem:
A book with under 1,000 ratings on Goodreads. New releases don’t count. HARD MODE: Published more than five years ago.
Away is a Strange Place to Be by H.M. Hoover
Weirdos of the Universe, Unite! By Pamela F. Service
Winter of Magic’s Return by Pamela F. Service
Orphan Planet by Rex Burke
Replacement by Jordan Rivet
BETA by M.T. Zimny (will count as hard mode after September if it doesn’t get a lot of reviews before then)
Monster Makers, Inc. by Laurence Yep
God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez
Kyreol Series by Patricia A. McKillip
The White Road of the Moon Rachel Neumeier
3. Published in the 80s:
HARD MODE: Written by an author of color.
Several titles by by Roald Dahl: Matilda, The Witches, George’s Marvellous Medicine, The BFG, The Twits, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
Space Demons by Gillian Rubinstein
This Time of Darkness by H.M. Hoover
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
Monster Makers, Inc. by Laurence Yep
4. High Fashion:
Read a book where clothing/fashion or fiber arts are important to the plot. HARD MODE: The main character makes clothes or fibers.
Spellcoats by Diana Wynne Jones
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley
Sandry’s Book: Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce
The Selection series by Kiera Cass
5. Down With the System:
Read a book in which a main plot revolves around disrupting a system. HARD MODE: Not a governmental system.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Uglies by Scott Westerfield
Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
Reckoners Series by Brandon Sanderson
6. Impossible Places:
Read a book set in a location that would break a physicist. The geometry? Non-Euclidean. The volume? Bigger on the inside. The directions? Merely a suggestion. HARD MODE: At least 50% of the book takes place within the impossible place.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar
The Wizard’s Dilemma (#5 in Young Wizards series) by Diane Duane
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
All the Dust that Falls by Zaifyr
A Million Junes by Emily Henry
Up & Under Series by A. Deborah Baker
7. A Book in Parts:
Read a book that is separated into large sections within the main text. This can include things like acts, parts, days, years, and so on but has to be more than just chapter breaks. HARD MODE: The book has 4 or more parts.
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies
Westmark by Lloyd Alexander
The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks
The Black Unicorn by Tanith Lee
The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
8. Gods and Pantheons:
Read a book featuring divine beings. HARD MODE: There are multiple pantheons involved.
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane
Eight Days of Luke by Diana Wynne Jones
The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce
Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan (or his other series based on other pantheons, such as the Kane Chronicles)
The Aru Shah series by Roshani Chokshi (or other series from Rick Riordan presents)
His Dark Materials Series by Philip Pullman
9. Last in a Series:
Read the final entry in a series. HARD MODE: The series is 4 or more books long.
There are lots that count here, but here are a few suitable series I can recommend that are exactly 4 books long:
Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
The Time Quartet by Madeline L’Engle
The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale
My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville
The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville
Rod Albright Series by Bruce Coville
The New Magic Trilogy by Pamela F. Service (yes, it’s called that, yes, there are four books)
The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce
Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce
10. Book Club or Readalong Book:
Read a book that was or is officially a group read on r/Fantasy. Every book on this Google Sheet counts for this square. HARD MODE: Read and participate in an r/Fantasy book club or readalong during the Bingo year.
Hard mode is doing a current book club book and joining in the discussion. Y’all on your own with that, but these are all YA books that count for the normal version of the square:
Archer’s Goon by Diana Wynne Jones
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Markswoman by Rati Mehrota
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tabir
The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso
Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorfor
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
I Was a Teenage Weredeer by C.T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus
11. Parent Protagonist:
Read a book where a main character has a child to care for. The child does not have to be biologically related to the character. HARD MODE: The child is also a major character in the story.
Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Legend of Luke by Brian Jacques
Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
12. Epistolary:
The book must prominently feature any of the following: diary or journal entries, letters, messages, newspaper clippings, transcripts, etc. HARD MODE: The book is told entirely in epistolary format.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Dear Spellbook by Peter J. Lee
Magic Tree House #5: Night of the Ninjas by Mary Pope Osborne
Provost’s Dog Trilogy by Tamora Pierce
13. Published in 2025:
HARD MODE: It’s also the author’s first published novel.
The best resources I’ve found here are these Goodreads lists:
Obviously, not all of these titles are speculative fiction, but they’re still useful lists.
14. Author of Color:
HARD MODE: Read a horror novel by an author of color.
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Elatsoe by Darcy Little Badger
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorfor
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorfor
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tabir
Markswoman by Rati Mehrota
Dragon of the Lost Sea by Laurence Yep
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
I am sure there are more out there! Please let me know about authors of color I’m missing, especially if anyone knows of a book that counts for hard mode here.
15. Small Press or Self Published:
HARD MODE: The book has under 100 ratings on Goodreads OR written by a marginalized author.
Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’m a Supervillain by Richard Roberts
Orphan Planet by Rex Burke
Replacement by Jordan Rivet
All the Dust that Falls by Zaifyr
BETA by M.T. Zimny
16. Biopunk:
Read a book that focuses on biotechnology and/or its consequences. HARD MODE: There is no electricity-based technology.
Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
Monster Makers, Inc. by Laurence Yep
Goosebumps #2: Stay Out of the Basement by R.L. Stine
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Pure by Julianna Baggott
Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
17. Elves and/or Dwarves:
HARD MODE: The main character is an elf or a dwarf.
Elves Don’t Wear Hard Hats by Debbie Dadey and Marcia T. Jones
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
18. LGBTQIA Protagonist:
HARD MODE: The character is marginalized on at least one additional axis, such as being a person of color, disabled, a member of an ethnic/religious/cultural minority in the story, etc.
Dear Mothman by Robin Gow
Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost by Esme Symes-Smith
Zachary Yang and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao and Eric Yang
A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (graphic novel)
Elatsoe by Darcy Little Badger
Scholomance by Naomi Novik
Dreadnought by April Daniels
19. Five SFF Short Stories:
Any short SFF story as long as there are five of them. HARD MODE: Read an entire SFF anthology or collection.
I genuinely suggest grabbing a collection of mythology or fairy tales. I’d recommend that for anyone, but especially for kids who love fantasy and sci-fi. Once you read these things, you’ll start seeing their influence everywhere. Now, a lot of these stories can be pretty graphic and gruesome, but there are a whole range of story collections out there so you can pick your comfort point between “the raw story” and “completely sanitized.”
Some specific suggestions:
D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire
D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire
Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki by Kevin Crossley-Holland
For western fairy tales, you could just go with Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but… again, check your version. There are some that are sanitized enough for kindergartners and others that pull no punches. The Langs’ Fairy Books pull from different traditions (mainly but not entirely European ones) and are nice collections that are somewhat bowdlerized.
I’ll also say, that while you may not see their influence as frequently as Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology, reading a collection of myths or folklore from Native Americans, Africa, China, or India can really help broaden you as a reader (and maybe someday you’ll be a writer who draws from a broader knowledge base)!
I don’t personally have specific suggestions for YA-level mythology collections specifically from non-Western cultures, sadly, but if a reader does I would LOVE to add them to this post.
20. Stranger in a Strange Land:
HARD MODE: The main character is an immigrant or refugee.
Dragon of the Lost Sea by Laurence Yep
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Joust by Mercedes Lackey
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The Thief by Meghan Whalen Turner
Up & Under Series by A. Deborah Baker
21. Recycle a Bingo Square:
Use a square from a previous year (2015-2024) HARD MODE: Do the old hard mode
You can read basically any book for this square if you go through enough old Bingo cards to find a place it fits. That said, here are a few books I love but couldn’t make fit into other categories on this year’s card very well, as well as the old squares they qualify for:
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (Under the Surface, Hard Mode, 2024)
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (Entitled Animals, Hard Mode, 2024)
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville (Entitled Animals, Hard Mode, 2024)
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey, not hard mode, 2022)
Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon (Entitled Animals, Hard Mode, 2024)
22. Cozy SFF:
“Cozy” is up to your preferences for what you find comforting, but the genre typically features: relatable characters, low stakes, minimal conflict, and a happy ending. HARD MODE: The author is new to you.
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
All the Dust that Falls by Zaifyr
Haley and Nana’s Cozy Armageddon by M.C. Hogarth
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon
23. Generic Title:
Read a book that has one or more of the following words in the title: blood, bone, broken, court, dark, shadow, song, sword, or throne (plural is allowed). HARD MODE: The title contains more than one of the listed words or contains at least one word and a color, number, or animal (real or mythical).
Court Duel by Sherwood Smith (#2 of Crown & Court Duet)
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones
24. Not A Book:
Do something new besides reading a book! Watch a TV show, play a game, learn how to summon a demon! Hard mode: post a review
25. Pirates:
Read a book where characters engage in piracy. HARD MODE: Not a seafaring pirate.
Peter & Wendy by J.M. Barrie
Cytonic (Skyward #3) by Brandon Sanderson
Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgren
Magic Tree House #5: Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne
Along the Saltwise Sea: Up & Under Series #2 by A. Deborah Baker
Please let me know if you have any other suggestions, and I’ll add them to the list!