Reading Challenge 101:
Ideas on How to Run the Challenge at Your
School/Library
How to Run the Reading Challenge
We know you’re excited about this challenge, but you might be wondering how to run it efficiently
and effectively for your school or library. I asked the librarians and teachers who participated last
year to tell me how they ran the challenge and everyone had amazing ideas that I’m going to share
with you here. From juniors to seniors, the Reading Challenge is easy to implement and you can be
as creative as you want to be! For every child in NZ to be able to participate, we advise one wheel
per child. Thank you for your consideration.
Librarian Clare Lyon, Sacred Heart Girls’ College:
“This is a Year 7-13 school, and it was almost exclusively Intermediate i.e. year 7 and 8 students who
took up the challenge.
We have AccessIt, as a library management system, so students
wrote 8 reviews on
the catalogue, which were done online and checked by me before being made public. It
was pretty straightforward, although proofreading for spelling and grammar was a bit tedious!”
Libarian Sheila Duke,Hillcrest High School, Hamilton:
“Last year we used the pizza wheels as incentives for our lower English NCEA classes. They had to do
writing and reading for the standards and many struggled. We found that once we started clipping
the wheels that engagement increased. The students had
to write a response to the book
they had read and submit it to the teacher and once they were satisfied the wheels was
clipped with a heart shaped paper cutter we have. The other pieces of writing that were needed had
to be at least an achieved level.
We didn't give out many wheels and so thought we would change the way we approach it this year
and use the wheels with year 9 and 10's instead of the older students. All of our
junior classes have started silent reading and we thought we would use the wheels in response to
this new initiative. Whether we ask for a verbal report or a written report, I'm not quite sure yet.”
Sylvia Smith, Papakura Public Library
“We did it at Papakura Public Library. We kept the wheels behind the desk and clipped them with a
hole punch for every
chapter book they read. Once they had done the prerequisite amount
we signed them off on the card and dated it as well.
It was pretty easy to
organise.”
Leigh Allanson-Evans, Librarian at Ranui Primary:
“I kept the process as simple as possible - there was a small display/sign right at the front of the
library – easy to see. I explained the concept once to each class and wrote children’s names on the
back of the wheel. They kept them in their library book bags.
I stamped for each book read – one per slice, as the books were brought back.
When they brought their books back, I checked with them that they had read the book (asked them
a quick question – main character, theme or favourite bit – it’s easy to tell who has read/not read).
I didn’t (generally) limit students in what they could read. However, if a Y6 student was reading
something waaay too easy just to get a stamp I challenged them to read something more
appropriate. If a younger student wanted to read something too difficult I encouraged them to
find something easier and that they should be able to read.”
Paula, Librarian at St Mark’s Church School:
“I wrote a wee blurb explaining what it was about and asking that parents
initial each
segment after book has been read. I then attached stapled blurb to each pizza wheel.
I think I also limited wheel to one per student. Child would come to library to request one.”
St.Margaret’s College Reading Tasks
Felicity McKay, Librarian at St Margaret’s College
“We used the pizza wheels for our book week, attached above is the flyer. We are a year 1 to 13
school, so made the takes similar but obviously easier for the younger girls, 1 task was 1 click. We
gave out the pizza wheels and if they got lost or misplaced we did not replace
it. We also put our stamp on the wheels so Hells Pizza knew they were from us. It worked great as a
one off event and the girls loved the fact of getting pizza as a prize!!”
Librarian Maggie Slight, Tauhara College:
“I held the challenge and don’t know how many students actually passed in their wheels to receive
free Pizzas – BUT do know that the juniors were enthusiastic and read many books,
encouraging their friends to join up & read as well – swapping books etc. I advertised in the
school daily notices & asked anyone who took issued or returned books if they were interested
in getting FREE pizza. Answer was always YES.”
Process was quick & easy:
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I wrote the students name on a wheel & kept them under my issuing desk.
Whenever they returned a book I stamped a segment. (might use a punch this year as stamp
often wiped off as it wasn’t a quick dry – perhaps this year don’t make it a shiny surface)
I made sure they had actually read the book by asking a few pertinent questions.
I allowed Graphic Novels, Quick Reads & Fiction books for a wedge stamp.
No written reviews – only verbal which I find quicker & not so invasive especially to the
reluctant reader or reluctant sharer.
“I would celebrate more by asking to publish (in daily notices & to relevant
English Dept. teacher)the names of those who have finished their wheels.”
Anne Fahey, Library Manager at Villa Maria College:
“ I’m in a Yr 7 – 13 school and we found that it took a bit of time because we
asked the
students to come and see us as they returned each book and we
asked them questions about it or they told us a bit of the story. This was sometimes
hard when we were busy, but it was more often a great time with the student. We saw
them enthusiastic and positive and enjoying sharing what they were reading. We enjoyed it from
this perspective because that is basically what we are trying to do – engender that love of reading!
We signed each segment of the wheel as they told us about their book and
when they had read the 8 titles we put our school stamp on the back. I rang the 2
closest pizza outlets and told them that this was how we were verifying the wheels and they were
quite happy.
I wouldn’t like to ask students to write a report on the books because that would make reading
more like work than encouraging the reading for pleasure aspect. I think that you can get a good
sense of whether or not they actually read the book by skimming the blurb and a few pages yourself
and asking just a couple of questions.”
Chris, English Teacher at Riccarton School:
“Our middle/senior school had to read their books and tell me some major events from the story as
proof that they had read them. Didn't take up too much time.
I tried to encourage them to
come in before school and during lunchtime so as not to hold up class times.
think the juniors
I
got theirs for doing great reading in the class rooms.
They were very popular here and I'm really looking forward to running it again. It really encourages
the students to get more books out and to READ them!!!!”
Kylie, Librarian at Seatoun School
“I don't think you can totally avoid the extra workload it creates but I think it was worth it :)
This is what I did:
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I told the kids that they could get a click for each book they read that was at
their level (for kids reading chapter books slowly I gave a click for every couple of
chapters).
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I know all the kids and their reading pretty well so those that
tried it on got no click! For picture books/early reader level I gave a click for each
book if they read it themselves, some of the younger kids read me a page to show me :)

I also signed each wheel when it was complete and told the kids that unsigned wheels
couldn't be redeemed.
I'll be interested to read what everyone else did :)”
Liz Jones, Librarian at Hagley Community College:
“Last year we asked students to read a book from several different categories, one of which was
a LIANZA Book Award book. Some categories were easy - they had to read 2 picture books
and 2 graphic novels, for example - so it was a realistic target for less proficient readers.
We kept a sheet at the desk with everyone's names on, with the categories they had completed
ticked off, so that if they lost their wheel we could give them another one. Of the students who
completed the challenge, in the end only a couple actually went in to get their pizzas. It
difficult to administer.”
wasn't
Susan, Librarian at Chilton School:
Our rules
were that they had to have taken the book out from our library, it
couldn't be a picture book or 'quick read', it must have been a book
they hadn't previously read, and they had to answer questions about
the book before they had a section of their wheel clipped. They had to
“I limited ours to Years 7,8 and 9s but let any Book club members also participate.
look after their own pizza wheels. Once their wheel was full, we signed it.”
Saskia, Librarian at Cashmere School:
“We managed it quite well I think. I kept the wheels in my office and required that each click
(with my special star shaped clicker from Spotlight - $9.99!) was accompanied by a book review, oral
or written, to me or my staff. For
those who struggled with literacy we tied it
into achievements within the classroom and often one completed
book got an entire wheel clicked off. I judged each student in front of me on their
own merits so those who had read 8 picture books still got them clicked off if those picture books
were all they had read in the last 5 years! And the mid and high achievers were treated according to
their successes too. It meant I got to know the students - those who were in it for the pizza and
those who weren't.
After the books were all clicked off, I signed the centre of the disc. Then the students could go and
redeem them. I had a good relationship with our local Hell's Pizza who do a LOT of normal business
with Cashmere already.
It's been a few years since I did primary schools but I imagine I would run it the same way. Hand out
a disc (with their name on it in permanent marker), ask them to come back for a click for every
chapter book they read, a
click for every 3 Quick Reads (or 2 if they're a bit
younger) and a click for every 5 Picture Books (or less if they are
younger). A short verbal book review would do. Yes, you'll get the older ones reading the
picture books BUT what a lovely task, reading picture books to each other! Worth a click in my book.
One caveat would be that for older, more able students, that at least one of
the clicks on their discs needs to be a chapter book or a decent length nonfiction book. Having said that, primary librarians know their kids and their kids' capabilities so it
wouldn't be too hard to manage within these broad guidelines.”
Bridget Hayes, Librarian at St. Martin’s School:
“I guess in my opinion- libraries just need to be careful that the reading is age/reading level
appropriate for the child. I know last year I had to catch some staff who were
stamping cards for teens for example who usually would read a good solid teen
book but read younger junior fiction so they could get more clicks.
We made spinning wheels/ divided them into 8 segments and wrote different options on each
segment like:
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non fiction
Graphic novel
Fiction
Historical
War
3 magazines (this helps cater for struggling readers but gives them a chance)
The kids spun the wheel and whatever they landed on they chose from that section.
We also got the kids to give a brief review to a librarian (what,where,when,how who).
You can generally tell if the kids are using the back of the book for their review or if they’ve
genuinely read it. Also, I’m pretty strict on it being a new book they haven’t read
before. It can’t have been on their library card before otherwise they could take it out, not read it
but remember the story.
We kept the wheels in the Library and used a punch to mark the slices, they
were then stamped with a school stamp and initialed before handing them to
the children. I made a big point of telling them how they needed to be stamped and initialled so
that they wouldn't think they could mark them up, however I think keeping the wheels with us until
they were full worked best. For our Yr 5/6's we tied it in to a reading challenge we were doing so
they were having to give a review of the book and have it signed off by parents - once the review
was done we marked the stamp.”
Suzanne, Librarian:
“The 2 big things that we fell down on last year were that we did not take the
details of children who asked for the wheels so could not follow up on those
who had almost finished to encourage those last couple of books and also this year
we will be encouraging
children to name them as several lost theirs (and
thought that other children may had taken them).”
Christine Busby, Library Manager at Te Puke:
“Winter Reading Programme booklet, promoted through all the Te Puke Schools, our Facebook and
in the Library
Activities based on the finalists once they’re announced
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7 activities
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7 spaces for books
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Combination of books/activities up to 7 = wheel
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7 books =wheel
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7 activities = wheel
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7 books AND 7 activities = 2 wheels
Jane, Librarian at Heaton Intermediate
“I’m going to incorporate it into a reading challenge that I ran last year, the “Heaton
Interplanetary Reading Challenge” which encourages
students to read across a
range of genres. I’ve created my own worksheets, with 7 pizza shaped wedges.
The students will need to read 7 books, each from a different genre and
note on each wedge the book title, genre and date they read it. Once
they have finished they will bring it to me and I will ask them a few questions. The
advantage of being in an Intermediate with around 500 students is that I get to know a lot of
the students and I will be able to judge quite easily who has really read all the books.”
Meet Some Hell Pizza Franchisees
We talked to a few of the Hell Pizza franchise owners to find out more about them and to find out
why they’re excited to participate in our Reading Challenge!
Rebecca Nash, Hell Hastings
Rebecca opened up her Hell Pizza in Hastings 8 years ago when she came back from her “long” OE.
Realising that the job market was tough, she decided that owning her own business would be a
direct route to success. The best part of owning a Hell Pizza for Rebecca is being able to meet lots of
new people and providing them with a great product and great service. Being a big reader, Rebecca
is thrilled to be a part of the challenge. She’s currently reading ‘If this is a woman’ by Sarah Helm,
‘Andy and the Pit pony’ by Matthew Thomas and ‘A woman called Fancy’!
Ivan Shi, Hell Kapiti
Ivan opened his own Hell Pizza joint after working 6 years at an Auckland branch. New to the market,
he’s only owned his Hell for 2.5 months, but he loves delivering great quality food to everybody that
comes into his store. He’s excited to be a part of the Reading Challenge again because it’d worked
well in the past and he feels that this a very good encouragement to get kiwi kids to embrace
reading. FYI: Ivan’s a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes’ stories!
Adrienne, Jacob and Courtney, Hell Whangarei
Adrienne Chubb has worked in the Whangarei Hell Pizza since 2006 – it was her first job! She worked
there during 7th form on phones & front counter, and then moved to Wellington for Uni. While she
studied German & Media studies, she worked at Hell Cuba for 3.5 years. After that she moved back
to Whangarei as Store Manager, and then in Dec 2012 she bought the shop in partnership with her
brother Jacob and his partner Courtney. Jacob comes with plenty of Hell experience too: he worked
at Hell Sydenham for 3.5 years, first as a driver and then worked his way up to Duty Manager. And
that’s where he met Courtney, who was also working there! All 2 owners are passionate about the
brand and take pride in their shop. They believe that the reading challenge is a great way to get kids
into reading & encouraging them to become regular readers from an early age. Adrienne says “It’s
great to give back to our community with this program!”
As avid readers they’ve all got some books on the go:
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Jacob- Collapse; How societies chose to fail or succeed (by Jared Diamond)
Courtney- Earths Children Series (by Jean M Auel)
Adrienne- Edge of Eternity (by Ken Follett)
Lei (Kenny), Hell Taupo
Lei has owned Hell Taupo for 2 years. Originally from China, Lei moved to Taupo because he loved
the lakeside views and he says the people of Taupo are “very friendly and kind.” As a small business
owner, Lei understands the challenges of entrepreneurship, but he loves employing locals and being
a part of the Taupo community. Lei believes that the reading challenge is a good idea to encourage
students to go back to reading books. An avid reader himself, Lei likes books that feature heroes!
As we all know, running a small business in New Zealand or anywhere is a real challenge. The owners
of the Hell Pizza franchises are champions of our Reading Challenge and we want to make sure that
no one participating in it will take advantage of their generosity and good will.
This year we’ve created strict rules around the Reading Challenge, and with your help we can help
police the wheels, and the challenge, to ensure that all students participate fairly.
**Please note that if you want to use the vouchers for school lunch you need
to order through the LIANZA Office via email 2 weeks in advance.
RULES and REGULATIONS
This wheel is good for one 333 HEllthy
Pizza from any Hell store nationwide.
This wheel must be clicked off and signed
by a teacher/librarian from your school or
library and stamped with your official
school/library stamp.
Pizza must be picked up in store only. One
pizza per visit per child.
This wheel is non-transferable for money.
This offer expires December 4, 2015.
Hell Stores have the right to refuse this
offer in cases of suspected fraud, or when
presented with unsigned and unstamped
wheels.
We thank you in advance for adhering to these rules!
NEW!: Art Challenge
This year we’re offering another incentive, but this time we’re focussing on ART! We want to all
schools to participate in creating a LIANZA Children’s Book Awards display in their schools, and
we’re also inviting libraries and bookstores to this party as well. Here are the details:
Create an art display featuring the books your students have
read. Easy! We’re looking for creative displays that showcase
your school/library, the children involved, Hell Pizza and
LIANZA.
The winning school/library wins a pizza party! Jason and Stu
from Hell Pizza will decide the winners on the last day of the
2nd Term’s school holidays: July 3rd.
Send in the photos of your displays including your school’s
name and address to Ines@lianza.org.nz by July 1, 2015.
We can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with!