I am so excited to share with you the ultimate reading tracker template! Actually, it’s a bundle of seven templates that you can customize to fit your needs. 

I went with a clean, minimalist design, and every template comes in a full-color AND black-and-white version to suit your preference. I even have a tracker for kids and students in school.

In this blog post, I’m going to show you exactly how to use each of the seven templates. So, click the image below to download your free printables right now. 

What is a reading tracker template?

It’s a form that helps you keep track of certain details about your reading life. What does it track? Well, it can track a few different things. As readers, we like to track…

• The titles of the books we’ve read over a period of time
• Basic details about the books we’ve read, such as author, genre, likes/dislikes
• The time we’ve spent reading or the number of days we’ve read in a row (a.k.a. a reading streak)
• Progress toward a reading challenge

Why track your reading?

• To form a reading habit
• To keep track of the numbers you’re most interested in (# of books, # of pages, # of minutes)
• To remember what you’ve read (so you don’t get halfway through a book and then realize you’ve already read it. Not that I’ve EVER done that before!)

The good news is that this bundle of reading tracker templates is simple, customizable, and printable. (I’m not one for reading spreadsheets—they make me cross-eyed. Plus, Goodreads and Storygraph have great visual analytics that you can access for free, so there’s no real need for a digital product to keep track of books.)

Now, for the instructions!

Reading Time Tracker (for adults)

Why use it? To keep track of how many days you’ve read in a row. But, you can also modify this template to ALSO track:

• How many minutes you’ve read
• How many pages you’ve read

How to use the Reading Time Tracker template

Below the title, you can jot down the date you started this tracker. 

Just below that, you’ll see the sentence: “I can ✓ the box if I read for ___ minutes.” Fill in the blank. What’s the minimum number of reading minutes that you want to track? Five minutes? Ten? As long as you pass the minimum, it “counts.”

In the top left-hand pink box, write the week you’re tracking. There are seven yellow boxes to the right, one for each day of the week, Sunday through Saturday. Put a checkmark in today’s box if you read for the minimum number of minutes.

Instead of a checkmark, you can write the actual number of minutes that you read for, such as 30 or 90 minutes. That way, you can tally up the minutes and see how much reading time you accumulated. (Both options are pictured in the photos.)

You can also do this with pages, if that’s more interesting to you. In the box, write the number of pages you read that day. Then, tally away!

My Reading Log (for kids and students)

Why use it? To keep track of your child’s reading progress and build strong reading habits. Teachers sometimes require this for summer reading or independent reading. If you homeschool, this is a handy tracker that you can print and use however you wish.

How to use the My Reading Log template

It’s as simple as filling in the blank areas that the teacher requires (or that matter to your student). It can be very motivating for a child to realize that they’ve read hundreds—or even thousands—of pages. If you’ve got a numbers-oriented kid (like I do) this can quite possibly take their love of reading to the next level—by adding numbers. 

Keeping track of book titles comes in handy when you say, “No, you haven’t read this one,” and your kid insists, “Yes I did!!”

My Year in Books

Why use it? To keep track of the total number of books you’ve read in a year. 

How to use the My Year in Books template

This simple, handy tracker is about as easy and minimalist as it gets. Read a book in January, and put a star in a box next to the month of January. 

At the end of the year, tally up how many books you’ve read, and write it in the Notes section at the top. You can compare how many books you read this year to last year. Or, you can use the Notes box to write down your reading goals, such as “50 books this year” or “a minimum of two books per month.”

There are enough boxes for 84 books. I know that some of you read way more than that, but you are magical unicorns of Booklandia and cannot be contained by minimalist reading tracker templates. Please, tell me all your secrets!

Starting in the middle of the year? No problem. In the left-hand box that says, “For the year of” write down the range, such as 2022–23. Start with the current month, and when you get to December, go back to the top and start with January (and make a note that it’s the new calendar year). 

Reading Challenge

Why use it? To keep track of your current reading challenge. Reading challenges are often designed to get people out of their comfort zones and introduce them to new books and authors. This tracker lets you list all the challenge categories, the book you picked for each category, and whether or not you’ve read it yet. 

How to use the Reading Challenge template

In the Category column, write the specific challenge. If you’re following a challenge for a book club, then chances are the categories are chosen for you. They usually look something like this:

• A book by a new-to-me author
• A classic I’ve been wanting to read
• Set in a different country
• Set at least 100 years in the past
• Book 1 in a YA series

In the Book/Author column, write the book (and its author) that you selected to fulfill that challenge item. In the checkmark box on the far right, put a check—or any symbol that you like—to indicate you’ve finished that book.

I don’t have a reading tracker template for an X-by-X reading challenge, but if you’re interested in that, let me know in the comments!

My Book Log (Simple)

Why use it? To keep track of the books you’ve read. Period! 

This is for avid readers who want to keep a spectacularly uncomplicated book list. It’s also a great place to start if this is your first time tracking your reading. Why make it hard? This is as easy as it gets, and it’s a space-saving way to keep track of a lot of books.

How to use the My Book Log template

Just below the title, jot down the date you started this log. Then, it’s as simple as filling out the basic information about each book as you finish it. When you’ve filled the page, print a fresh tracker page, and keep going!

This is a fluff-free, no frills log. Just the book titles, author names, and date finished. What more do you want to know, anyway?

Well…some of us want to track a teensy bit more info than just that. If that’s you, then you’ll love the next template. 👇

My Book Log (With Notes)

Why use it? To keep track of the books you’ve read—with space to jot down a few notes about each one. One quick glance, and you can get a snapshot of your reading life. 

How to use the My Book Log (With Notes) template

Just below the title, write the date you started this log. Then, as you finish each book, fill out the basic information. Directly below is a box for notes. This is where you can write any tidbits that are important to you or that you don’t want to forget, such as:

• Your star rating
• Genre
• Basic plot/character notes to jog your memory later
• Format: Did you read a paper copy or listen on audio?
• Whether or not you own the book and where (hard copy or Kindle?)

This is still a highly streamlined book tracker template, and it’s super-easy to use. And (blessedly) it requires nearly no effort on your part. 

Book Journal (With Prompts)

Please note that this journal page doesn’t have a formal title printed at the top.

Why use it? To quickly and easily journal about the specific books you’ve read. Think of it as a book review template or a reading journal template. 

Reflecting on what you’ve read is a fabulous practice to get into. It does require a chunk of time and some mental effort, but it helps you to make a true connection to what you’ve read. And without that, what’s the point of having read, really? 

For me, when I take the time to journal about a book, I bond with it—even if I didn’t like it or disagreed with it!

How to use the Book Journal (With Prompts) template

In the big box at the top, write the book title. 

In the next box down, fill out the basic information. The one item that might confuse you is “Format.” That means, “How did you read this? Was it a hard copy, ebook, or audiobook?” You may also want to indicate if you own the book, borrowed it from a friend, or got it from the library. 

On the left-hand side, you’ll see the rating rows, each with five boxes below. Those boxes are for your star rating, 1 through 5. Here’s a breakdown of each: 

• Plot: How would you rate the plot? Did it keep your attention? 
• Character: Were the characters lovable, believable, and well-drawn? 
• Craft: How would you rate the writing? Was it easy to read? Beautiful to read? Or was it just meh?
• Pacing (slow to fast): How quickly did you move through the book? Some books are designed to be slow and meandering. Others are so fat-free and tight that you zip through with zero resistance.

Just below that are two boxes for you to write notes on the book’s major themes and the mood. 

• Themes: What is this book about? Coming of age? Found family? Forgiveness? You can also take note of any strong tropes, such as the chosen one, enemies to lovers, etc.
• Mood: List adjectives that describe how the book made you feel. What was the book’s atmosphere? Examples: Dark, funny, lighthearted, adventurous, emotional, etc.

On the left-hand side are areas where you can write what you liked most about the book and also what you didn’t like. I find this one of the easiest ways to journal about what I’ve read. It doesn’t ask you to be an English major. And it helps you to develop your taste in books. Over time, you’ll realize, “Hey, I love dystopian dramas.” Or, “Wow. I’ve hated every sci-fi book I’ve tried this year.” Patterns will emerge, and you’ll notice some neat things about yourself.

Book Journal (Blank)

Please note that this journal page doesn’t have a formal title printed at the top.

Why use it? To journal about a book that you’ve read—YOUR WAY!

You may look at the previous template and think, “I like this layout, but I don’t like the prompts. I want to write my own prompts.” 

First, I must say that I like your style! That’s why I deleted all the words from this book journal template so that you can customize it to your heart’s content. This is for your own personal use, so it should be, well, personalized!

You may find that you want to journal about different things for different books—which I highly recommend. My book notes vary widely based on the book’s content. I often use a different rating system for fiction versus nonfiction. 

You may want to use one of the big boxes to copy favorite quotes or even new vocabulary that you encountered. Let the book be your guide! What do you not want to forget about it? What info do you want to keep handy for your own needs? 

This template is the best way to journal about nonfiction, which varies widely by type and content. In the photo above, I filled out this template for a nonfiction book I’m reading right now. 

🎨 Book journal pages that you can color!

Calling all doodlers and Sharpie lovers. I’ve created a bundle of five free printable reading journal pages that you can color. As you’re letting your mulling over your most recent read, you can unleash your creativity on these cute (happy!) designs. Opt in below to get your free set.

Which reading tracker template will you use first? 

Okay, book lovers. Leave me a comment and let me know if you nabbed this freebie and how it worked for you!

Didn’t grab the templates yet? You can get them right here. 👇