Guess what! It is finally my favorite time of year, Halloween! This means it’s also the time of year for the Hocus Pocus Readathon! I can’t believe this will be the fourth year that we have been hosting this readathon! Where has the time gone?
If this is your first time joining the Hocus Pocus Readathon, welcome, and if you are returning, welcome back! It is good to finally have everyone back! This is a place to celebrate Halloween, reading, and the spooky classic film, Hocus Pocus!
This year, in particular, is very special because this year, Hocus Pocus 2 comes out on Disney+, which is super exciting. I can’t believe we are actually witnessing a sequel to this classic Halloween film! I have watched this movie every year on Halloween since I was a kid, so this is especially exciting!
Anyway, I am sure you are looking forward to getting to the rules and prompts, so you can start planning your TBRs! Let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of the Hocus Pocus Readathon!
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What is the Hocus Pocus Readathon?
This readathon was created 4 years ago by a group of Halloween and book lovers! Together, we created a team event where 3 separate groups work to earn enough points to survive Halloween night! Although there is only one winner, it is always so much fun for everyone involved. The winning team is the one that completes the most prompts throughout the month!
To stay up to date on the Hocus Pocus Readathon, and to ask any questions you may have, check out the Twitter page here!
What are the Rules?
Here is the general idea of the Hocus Pocus Readathon!
- Choose a team: There are three different teams that are listed below! Choose your team wisely!
- Complete the prompts: Each team has a list of 7 prompts that you can choose from. You do not have to read a book for each prompt unless you feel like it! Just read as much as you can or want to.
- No doubling up on prompts: I know, sorry! But even if you read one book, you are earning points for your team! Every point counts and teamwork makes the dream work.
- Have fun: This is supposed to be a fun way to celebrate Halloween through reading, so enjoy yourself and enjoy all of the spooky stories!
What are the Teams?
There are three teams to choose from, each with a different set of prompts! Choose wisely, you are stuck with this team for the entire month!
1. Team Sanderson Sisters
2. Team Trick-or-Treaters
3. Team Undead
Click here to sign up for your team!
What are the Prompts?
Each team has 7 prompts! Complete all of them or complete one. Whatever you read will help your team towards victory!
Team Sanderson Sisters
- You’re a witch now, act like it! Read a witchy book or a book with magical characters! (15 points)
- Use your cauldron to make some potions! Read a cookbook or a book with food on the cover! (15 points)
- The black flame candle has been lit! Read a coming-of-age novel! (15 points)
- We are a coven! Read a book about siblings, or read a book about a group of friends! (15 points)
- I put a spell on you… and now you’re mine! Read a book about magic and curses, or read a book from the perspective of a villain! (15 points)
- Bring out your dead! Read a book about a necromancer, or a book about the undead! (15 points)
- Watch the movie! Watch Hocus Pocus or Hocus Pocus 2! (25 points)
Team Trick or Treaters
- Halloween night is full of spooky and eerie vibes! Read a book with an atmospheric setting! (15 points)
- Max started this whole mess when he lit the black flame candle! Read the first book in a series! (15 points)
- Trick-or-treating is all about the candy! Read a short and sweet book, less than 300 pages! (15 points)
- Halloween is such a fun and colorful holiday! Read a book with Halloween colors on the cover (orange, black, purple, or green)! (15 points)
- Max, Allison, and Dani have to stay up all night to defeat the witches! Read a book that is so scary that it would keep you up at night! (horror, mystery, thriller, etc.) (15 points)
- Team trick-or-treaters need to come together to survive the night! Read a book with multiple POVs! (15 points)
- Watch the movie! Watch Hocus Pocus or Hocus Pocus 2! (25 points)
Team Undead
- While the undead doesn’t sleep, neither can you! Complete a 24-hour readathon, and try to read as much as possible in 24 hours! (15 points)
- The undead are here! Read a book that has to do with the dead (zombies, ghosts, etc.) (15 points)
- Binx is trying to stop anyone from lighting the black flame candle to bring back the witches! Read a witchy book about magical characters! (15 points)
- Winnie brings Billy back from the dead! Read a book where someone is given a second chance! (15 Points)
- Binx is torn up about what happened to his little sister, Emily! Read a book that has to do with a sibling relationship! (15 points)
- It has been a long time since we last saw the Sanderson sisters! Read a book set in or near Salem, Massachusettes! (15 points)
- Watch the movie! Watch Hocus Pocus or Hocus Pocus 2! (25 points)
Strengths and Weaknesses!
We all have strengths and weaknesses in life, right? Well so do the teams in the Hocus Pocus Readathon! Every team has an advantage and a disadvantage that they must follow during the readathon!
Team Sanderson Sisters
Strength: You steal the life force of children to live! You can now steal a prompt from another team and switch it with one of your own!
Weakness: You only come out on Halloween night! For the first 5 days of the readathon, you can only read at night!
Team Trick-or-Treaters
Strength: There are only so many hours of Halloween night! You can have a head start, and begin reading your Hocus Pocus Readathon TBR 4 days early (starting September 27th!)
Weakness: Team Trick-or-Treaters are young, so they must deal with parents and rules! You have to abide by the rules and read each book on your TBR in the order of the prompts. You can’t move on to the following prompt until you finish the last!
Team Undead
Strength: Undead people lived a long time ago! You get an extra point for each book that you read that was published before the first movie was released (1993)!
Weakness: Ghosts are a part of team undead! You have to choose a book you previously ghosted! Add a book that you have previously did not finish onto your TBR!
Group Book!
There will also be a group book this year! We love reading a book as a whole, it brings everyone from each team together!
Reading the group book will earn 25 points for your team!
The group book for round 4 of the Hocus Pocus Readathon is…
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
Click here to purchase this book on Amazon!
If you can’t get access to this book, feel free to read any book that has to do with ghosts! You will still get the points!
Scoring!
With all these talks of points, you are probably wondering if there is a winner! And the answer is yes! The team that collects the most points wins the readathon! We always have a pretty close run!
Here are the winners of the past 3 years!
In 2019 the winner was… Team Undead!
In 2020 the winner was… Team Undead!
And in 2021 the winner was… TEAM UNDEAD!
I can’t believe it, Undead has been absolutely killing it for the past 3 years! Come on Team Sanderson Sisters and Team Trick-or-Treaters! This is our time to shine!
You will be able to enter your points into a spreadsheet that will be posted closer to the start of the readathon! It will be posted here and on Twitter, which you can find by clicking here! It will also be linked on this page.
Useful Links
We are so excited for another fun-filled October of spooky reads and witchy fun! We can’t wait to compete in this readathon with all of you!
Let me know down below if you have any questions! I am going to create a post full of book recommendations for each prompt so stay tuned for that!
And stay spooky!
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