Grinding AR Points

I can attribute my massive vocabulary and English prowess to a few things, but can’t really pinpopint a singular cause:

• When I was a wee lad, my parents gave me (and only me, for some reason) letter charts, asked me to recite them, and if I couldn’t recite the letters properly, chewed me out.
• I had too much free time, and reading filled that easily.
• It gave me a sense of superiority over the kids that couldn’t read.
• We went to the library often. Though I suppose that’s just a self-fulfilling cycle: I read books, we go to the library for more books, I read books.
• Fun
• AR Points

AR points were extensively used in my elementary school. You would read some books and then take a small quiz for points over the contents and plot.

When we finished our work, reading teachers would often give use some dedicated reading time, with an emphasis on reading books that are “recognized” by AR, which was the majority of our library, methinks. Massive convenience for people who couldn’t/didn’t wanna read at home.

For the kids who could stomach a few books, like me, AR Points were the absolute bomb. You could redeem them for prizes, and if you stacked up enough points you would be invited to a party in the library with snacks ‘n stuff. A party of the intellectual few, we thought of it.

The secret to getting fat stacks of points was to read everything elementary schoolers wouldn’t.

That means reading the long, pictureless (but still very amusing to a young mind) stuff: Harry Potter, N.E.R.D.S, Junie B. Jones, Magic Tree House, The Hunger Games, Hatchet, you get the gist. It seemed to us enlightened reading few that the lenghtier and lexically challenging stuff would grant you more points, and we capitalized upon that. There was a leaderboard at our school, and while the positions were in flux, the people on it rarely changed. Those that understood this core principle were the leaderboard.

But the most furtive, valuable weapon in my arsenal?

I don’t have exact numbers and won’t discuss the plot, but I remember Erin Hunter’s Warriors series for its insane AR points/enjoyability ratio. This was pre-Zootopia so narratives with sentient animals was generally unheard of, and most kids wouldn’t read the stuff.

It was an unmatched opportunity. I didn’t care about being perceived for what I read, and the books weren’t bad at all, I liked them quite a bit for their plot and a few characters stuck with me.

I enjoyed the cat books and stacked the points. Wins all around for me.