This year, I’ve undertaken a fun new reading challenge: reading a book set in each U.S. state. Of course, I am mostly reading my usual favorite, vintage middle grade! I hope to share the complete list of titles at the end of the year when I’ve finished the challenge.

I wanted to give a quick rundown of a few books in my state challenge that I really enjoyed recently.

Alaska: I had several books to choose from for Alaska, but I ended up going with Summer on the North Star by Elsa Pedersen. (This one was actually retitled when it was published again; the original title was Alaska Harvest, which is actually a bit more accurate since the majority of the book takes place in the fall.) I read this one in a single day (the fourth of July!) and enjoyed it a lot. The story follows a girl who lives with her father and brother on a boat while they try to harvest crabs in order to earn enough money to buy their own house.

Maine: I re-read The Penderwicks at Point Mouette for Maine. Again, I had many delightful books to chose from for Maine (one of my favorite states to read about), but I chose this third book in the Penderwicks series because I was in the mood for it. Although this book isn’t my favorite in the series (mostly because Rosalind barely makes an appearance), it’s still a charming story full of the wonderful humor that makes Jeanne Birdsall’s writing sing.

New Hampshire: Over the weekend I read Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick, the first book I’ve read from this author. (I know she is a Betsy-Tacy fan and I loved that there was a reference in this book to a ‘Hill Street’–maybe a subtle nod to Maud?) It’s a very fun story about a girl whose family moves to a small town, and she helps run the family bookstore–solving a mystery along the way.

Have you ever done a U.S. state reading challenge before? If so, I’d love to hear about it!