Since its launch in 1986, Accelerated Reader has helped millions of students to fall in love with books and reading. AR has also changed how technology is used in classrooms around the world, showing that personalized book recommendations and student-centered goals motivate more reading practice and improve learning outcomes.

To celebrate 40 years of Accelerated Reader, we asked six members of the Content Design team—the people who create AR book quizzes—to discuss a favorite childhood book that shaped their reading journey. But first, let’s consider key benefits of reading practice for students.

How student reading practice drives academic success

The importance of reading practice cannot be overstated, and research shows a strong connection between reading practice and student achievement. In fact, reading for enjoyment is one of the strongest predictors of academic success—greater even than socio-economic status.

Longitudinal research in the UK found that children who read for pleasure at age 10 make greater progress in vocabulary and even in math by age 16. This highlights the compound benefits of reading practice. Students who enjoy reading:

• Read more often;
• Learn 4,000–12,000 new words annually; and
• Strengthen comprehension skills.

Yet, voluntary reading is declining. According to NAEP, only 14 percent of eighth graders read for pleasure each day, down from 27 percent in 2012. Clearly, it’s essential to reclaim reading by scheduling time for daily practice and introducing students to a wide range of books and authors.

How can educators best accomplish this?

Book ideas to promote daily reading practice

Accelerated Reader is a powerful tool for helping students to discover engaging books and track their progress toward personalized reading goals. And it’s no surprise that the people who create AR book quizzes are avid readers themselves.

In the following sections, six Accelerated Reader Content Designers share a childhood favorite, with the hope of inspiring today’s students. We’ve included each book’s reading level (expressed using the ATOS scale) and interest level.

Stories of adventure and resilience

Ann H. (Accelerated Reader Content Designer since 2013)

Once upon a time, there was a shy, awkward girl. Her two front teeth had recently fallen out, and her mother had given her a haircut that was less than stylish, to say the least.

Being shy, the girl spent a lot of time reading. One afternoon, she stumbled across the book Little Black, A Pony by Walter Farley (ATOS 1.7, LG). And she was instantly hooked on Farley’s Black Stallion series, even though she wasn’t a horse enthusiast.

Horses are great, sure, but what really captured her imagination was the unshakeable bond between “the Black,” an Arabian stallion, and Alec, his human friend. Their adventures so inspired the girl that she was soon creating her own graphic novels, featuring a poorly drawn horse and his companion as they wandered through southwestern desertscapes.

After reading all 20 books in the series, the girl discovered other adventure stories, most notably those of Jack London. White Fang (ATOS 7.4, MG) and The Call of the Wild (ATOS 8.0, MG) were particular favorites.

The girl eventually married another reading enthusiast, and they raised three voracious readers of their own. The girl is now a grandmother, but she never lost her love of stories about adventure, survival, and resilience. She’s lucky to have a job that has put so many great stories into her hands over the years—stories she can share with new generations of readers.

Learning powerful life lessons

Frank D. (Accelerated Reader Content Designer since 2002)

I’ve always thought of my thirteenth birthday as my portal to adolescence. It was around this time that an older cousin handed me his tattered copy of The Catcher in the Rye (ATOS 4.7, UG). I’d never heard of the book or its author. All I knew was what my cousin said: “This book is about you.”

Of course, the novel’s narrator and I were very different. Holden Caulfield was a privileged kid from New York in the 1950s, while I was a middle-class kid in small-town Vermont in the early 1980s. He was flunking out of prep school. I was doing the bare minimum at a public junior high.

That didn’t matter. I couldn’t put the book down.

Holden’s voice was unlike anything I’d ever read. It felt like he was speaking directly to me—as if we were sitting in the same room, trading stories. He used some slang I didn’t know, but I understood him. He was honest and raw. I believed every word he said.

Some of his adventures in the city shocked me, but I admired his impulsiveness. I looked up to him the way I looked up to the cousin who’d introduced me to him. I shared his disdain for “phonies” and felt his ache as childhood slipped away.

As an adult, I can now do what I couldn’t back then: articulate the heartbreak at the core of Holden’s dream. You can’t catch people in the rye. You can’t shield them from life’s pain.

Did a part me understand this as I left my own childhood behind?

I don’t know. But The Catcher in the Rye is still one of the best books I’ve ever read. It hit me hard. And it sparked a love of books and storytelling that I carry with me to this day.

Visiting a galaxy far, far away

Julie U. (Accelerated Reader Content Designer since 2005)

As a kid, one of my favorite books was the novelization of the movie Star Wars (ATOS 6.0, MG). I first read it in 1977, shortly after the film came out. I’d been amazed by the special effects, but I also loved the story and the characters.

I especially looked up to the main female character, Princess Leia, and her commitment to fighting for what she believed in. She was the first of many strong females in the Star Wars universe. The book gave me the opportunity to reconnect with the characters, and I reread the story multiple times as I waited for the second movie to be released.

Back then, the wait for new Star Wars stories seemed endless. New titles slowly started to trickle out when I was still in school, but nothing like the number of books available today.

Accelerated Reader offers many Star Wars-related book quizzes, and I work on them whenever I can. I’ve written quizzes for graphic novel series for younger readers (including Star Wars Rebels), as well as longer novels for high schoolers (such as Star Wars: Thrawn).

I really enjoy being transported back into the Star Wars universe and encountering new characters and plots—all while thinking of the original story that started it all.

Exploring new cultures

Lucy M. (Accelerated Reader UK Content Designer since 2022)

As a ten-year-old, my favorite book was Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (ATOS 5.3, MG). I found this book at a key time in my life, because my family had recently adopted my youngest brother from Guatemala.

The Hispanic culture in the novel really resonated with me. It made me want to learn more about Latin America more generally and about my brother’s Guatemalan heritage. I also found Esperanza’s strength, courage, and determination inspiring, and I really enjoyed learning about life experiences so different from my own.

In my time creating Accelerated Reader quizzes, I’ve read other books that have had a similar impact. One that’s really stuck with me is A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh (ATOS 3.8, LG). It’s the heartfelt story of a young Palestinian girl learning from her family about their ancestral home, and what it means to carry her home in her heart.

I wish this book had been around when I was young, because I think it would have taught me so much about the people in my community who’d moved away from their homeland for one reason or another. It’s a wonderful story that I’d recommend to absolutely everyone.

The rewards of hard work

Nikki R. (Accelerated Reader Content Designer since 2013)

One of my favorite childhood books was The Little Red Hen (ATOS 2.0, LG). The story follows the Hen, a hardworking character who lives among other farm animals. Time and again, she asks them for help with simple tasks, but they repeatedly turn her down.

The Hen doesn’t give up, though. She plants the wheat, harvests it, hauls it to the mill, and finally bakes a loaf of bread, all on her own. When the delicious smell fills the air, the other animals want a slice. But the Hen stands firm: because they didn’t lend a hand, they don’t get a bite. Instead, she shares the bread with her chicks.

I’ve always loved this story because it’s a powerful reminder of what an individual can achieve through hard work and determination.

Recently, I wrote the Accelerated Reader quiz for another memorable picture book about determination: The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of, by Kirsten W. Larson (ATOS 5.2, LG). Through lyrical text and stunning illustrations, the book tells the story of Cecilia Payne, a groundbreaking astronomer and astrophysicist.

Starting as a curious young girl fascinated by the mysteries of the universe, Cecilia’s journey unfolds in parallel with the birth of a new star—from a spark of possibility to a brilliant explosion of light. I love seeing books that celebrate women in science, especially now that I have a daughter who also loves the subject.

Finding the magic in everyday life

Sena N. (Accelerated Reader Content Designer since 2011)

As a child, my favorite book was Heidi by Johanna Spyri (ATOS 8.2, MG). I liked it because it reflected parts of my own life. I grew up in a small town, but I spent a week each summer on my grandparents’ farm. Like Heidi, I found enjoyment in the rhythms of rural life. I remember helping my grandmother pick strawberries, then wash and hull them to freeze or make jam.

One of my favorite memories, though, is of making butter. My grandfather would bring raw milk from the barn, and I’d help to churn it by hand. It took a lot of patience, but the reward was worth it.

Being of Swiss heritage made Heidi feel even more personal. My father’s great-grandmother emigrated from Switzerland in the 1800s, and he now owns part of the land she once farmed there. That family legacy adds another layer of connection. There’s a cultural thread in the story—one of resilience, simplicity, and deep ties to nature—that resonates strongly with my upbringing and values.

The main character’s kindness and her ability to bring comfort to others also reminded me of how small gestures can have a lasting impact on the people around us. Looking back, I realize Heidi isn’t just a story about a girl in the mountains. It’s about healing, belonging, and the quiet strength that comes from being rooted in place and people.

And it reminds me that the most meaningful parts of life can be the ones that feel most familiar.

How Accelerated Reader motivates student reading practice

We hope these stories inspire you to think about books that sparked your own love of reading—and how you can encourage students to share their own favorites with peers to support a strong reading culture.

If you’re not currently using Accelerated Reader, we invite you to discover everything the program offers. With more than 220,000 book quizzes, AR helps you to motivate daily reading practice by:

• Providing personalized book recommendations, so students can explore the topics that interest them most;
• Covering a wide range of books and genres, from classics and biographies to the latest graphic novels;
• Making progress visible as students work toward achieving reading goals; and
• Offering quizzes in Spanish to support multilingual learners’ journey to biliteracy.

In education, small changes can make a big difference. By turning reading into something kids want to do, your impact on their futures truly can be life changing.