Armchair
Traveler Challenge
Madison Library’s Year-Long Reading Adventure
AGES 12 and Older
January 1 through December 30, 2024
NO MORE NEW SIGN-UPS AFTER OCTOBER 31
Reading can take you places and we are going on an adventure!
Have you ever wanted to travel to all 50 states? Take an epic journey with us this year as we visit each great state of our nation. Armchair travelers will read one book set in each state, earning state stickers and opportunities to enter the final drawing for our grand prizes. Any reader who joins us for even a portion of the trip will have the opportunity to earn small prizes along the way. Each reader who completes the journey will earn a special travel bag commemorating their travels.
Are you ready? Get Packing, here we go!
Rules of Play
Here’s how it works:
- Participation is limited to Madison Library District patrons ages 12 and older. Travelers must have a current library card to be eligible.
- The adventure starts January 1, 2024, and ends at 5:00 pm December 30, 2024. Sign up any time, but only books read between those dates will count. All challenges/books must be reported before 5:00 pm on December 30, 2024, to be valid. Travelers who report their completed journey to all 50 states before 5:00 pm on December 30, 2024 will receive a special edition travel bag.
- The tour is comprised of 12 challenges. To complete a challenge, read a book set in each of the 4 to 5 states listed in the challenges below. When you’ve finished a book, visit the Circulation Desk at the Library to collect that state’s sticker and get one step closer to completing that challenge. Once a challenge has been completed, readers will earn a small prize and an entry into the grand prize drawing.
- Prizes must be picked up by the participant or a family member.
- To complete a challenge each state under that challenge must be read to earn a prize. However, states can be read in any order.
Finish before the end of the year? Extreme travelers who complete this adventure early can continue their journey! Pick up your international reading passport to continue reading around the world, receiving extra prizes and additional entries to the grand prize drawing.
Logistics:
- Travelers must be independent readers ages 12+ to embark on the journey.
- You will receive a log book when you sign up. The title and author for each book read must be recorded in the reading log.
- Books must be set in the location/state to count.
- Books must be a minimum of 100 pages in length. Books that will not be accepted include junior nonfiction, junior fiction, easy readers, and picture/board books. Magazines are also not accepted.
- Audiobooks are accepted as long as the print version of the book meets the reading requirements.
- Books read for other reading programs and book clubs can be counted toward this challenge as long as they fit the reading requirement.
- A book can only be counted once, even if it is set in more than one location.
- A challenge, including the reading challenge as a whole, may only be completed once per traveler. No double dipping!
Need help? Pick up a suggested title list for each state at the Library or use Goodreads or NoveList Plus to find new titles and plan reading lists. Don’t forget about ebooks!
Read something amazing? Suggest titles for your fellow travelers to help them on their journey. Fill out a suggestion form at the Circulation desk.
The Challenges
Expedition 1:
- Alaska
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Georgia
Expedition 2:
- California
- Ohio
- Delaware
- Tennessee
Expedition 3:
- Montana
- Oklahoma
- North Carolina
- Vermont
Expedition 4:
- Washington
- Kansas
- Pennsylvania
- Mississippi
Expedition 5:
- New York
- Alabama
- Colorado
- Indiana
Expedition 6:
- Wisconsin
- Nevada
- Maine
- Louisiana
Expedition 7:
- New Hampshire
- West Virginia
- New Jersey
- South Dakota
- Hawaii
Expedition 8:
- Oregon
- Minnesota
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
Expedition 9:
- Rhode Island
- Florida
- Utah
- Michigan
- Arkansas
Expedition 10:
- Wyoming
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- Arizona
Expedition 11:
- North Dakota
- Texas
- Illinois
- Maryland
Expedition 12:
- Iowa
- South Carolina
- Missouri
- Idaho
Discover New Books
Regular Hours of Operation
- Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Tuesday - Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Thursday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Sunday: CLOSED
Closures in 2024
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 15 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- February 19 – Presidents Day
- March 22 – Staff Development Day
- April 6 – Building Maintenance
- May 25-27 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- August 31 – September 2 – Labor Day
- September 20 – LCEI Conference
- October 5 – Building Maintenance
- October 31 – Open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
- November 11 – Veterans Day
- November 27 – Closing at 5:00 pm
- November 28-30 – Thanksgiving
- December 24-26 – Christmas
- December 31 – New Year’s Eve
- January 1, 2025 – New Year’s Day
Closures in 2025
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 20 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- February 17 – Presidents Day
- April 5 – Building Maintenance
- May 24-26 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- August 30-September 1 – Labor Day
- October 4 – Building Maintenance
- October 31 – Open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
- November 11 – Veterans Day
- November 26 – Closing at 5:00 pm
- November 27-29 – Thanksgiving
- December 24-26 – Christmas
- December 31 – New Year’s Eve
- January 1, 2026 – New Year’s Day
Address
73 North Center
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
We are located on Center Street, just north of Main Street, by the Historic Rexburg Tabernacle.
Contact Us
(208) 356-3461
24 Hour Phone Renewal: (208) 356-6658
askmadisonlibrary@madisonlib.org
Madison Library District
73 North Center
Rexburg, ID 83440
A public library.