It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!
Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.
We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.
Last Week’s Posts
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Wednesday: Gamer Squad#1: Attack of the Not-So-Virtual Monsters by Kim Harrington
Thursday: Teaching Ideas for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Friday: Guardians of the Gryphon’s Claw by Todd Calgi Gallicano
Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Reaching Reluctant Readers” by Brian Rock, Author of The Tyler Files
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee
- The Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman is such a well-crafted roller coaster of twists and turns and suspense and complications and mayhem and BRILLIANCE. It is so good. Sad that I’m putting the final book on hold, but I will read it soon!
- I loved Giant Pumpkin Suite and Things That Surprise You! I am reviewing both this week, so stop by on Wednesday and Friday 🙂
- Because I had so many students reading the 2nd Mighty Jack book, I felt I needed to reread it. Mighty Jack and the Goblin King is a perfect continuation of the first Mighty Jack story yet is so unique in its adventures. Also, the cliffhanger at the end may just kill some of my students as they wait for the next book!
Ricki
Henry and I have read It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk every night since I received the book two weeks ago. He laughs out loud every time we read it. This is a great book, and I am very excited to write the full review Thursday of next week. 🙂
Here Comes Teacher Cat by Deborah Underwood is another recent favorite in our house. I like how certain words repeat across the pages. It’s helping Henry learn certain words by sight. This makes me very happy!
The new wordless picture book Owl Bat Bat Owl by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick is a great story to explore. It’s about a family of bats and a family of owls who aren’t sure if they can co-exist on the same tree branch.
I re-read American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Gosh, I love this book. I am very excited to talk about it with my students on Wednesday!
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee
- Currently Listening: Guys! Knockout Games is getting INTENSE! I don’t listen to my audiobooks on the weekends, but I so bad want to know what is going on. If you haven’t read this, I say it is a must read. It gives a look inside getting sucked into gang-like activities.
- Currently Reading: Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Well, I technically haven’t started it yet, but it is what I am going to start. It is our Teacher Book Club book for September. Can’t wait!
Ricki
I am still enjoying listening to The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock.
I also restarted The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. I was loving it earlier in the year, but I got interrupted with my dissertation.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Ten Favorite Quotes from Books from Habiba, 9th Grade
Wednesday: Giant Pumpkin Suite by Melanie Heuiser Hill
Thursday: #mustreadin2017 Fall Update
Friday: Review and Giveaway!: Things That Surprise You by Jennifer Maschari
So, what are you reading?
Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!
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Kellee I too loved Mighty Jack and the Goblin King. That ending wowed me, but so did the whole part where Lily seems to be headed off to her own kind of adventures.
Rickie, two weeks of the same book! Wow! That is high praise indeed for It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk. I’ll be looking for it. I’m looking forward to reading what you think of The Smell of Other People’s Houses.
I am loving it so far! I am starting to wish my commute was longer! 🙂
Kellee –
You described the Unwind series perfectly! I actually recommended it to an Apple employee this week while we were stuck on the phone together waiting for my iPod system to reload! ha ha I mentioned I was in the middle of listening to an audiobook when my iPod froze and now I would lose my place, she said she loved to read and asked what I was listening to…and we had plenty to talk about for the next hour! I love finding other book lovers in random places. She said she’ll look for Unwind 🙂 Now I need to read Scythe!
Ricki – Isn’t it great when a book makes a little kid laugh like that? Nothing better! I’ll be interested to hear what you think about The New Jim Crow. I (and the rest of my book group) found it interesting and very important…but not very well-written. It’s repetitive and a bit dry, but the information in it is SO important.
Hope you both enjoy your books this week & are enjoying the holiday today!
Sue
Book By Book
Interesting that you found The New Jim Crow to be poorly written. I will approach it with an open mind, but I appreciate that insight!
I’m really looking forward to reading the GUARDIANS book. I think I’ll get to it later this fall, too many books to review first… And I’m interested in what you think about PUMPKIN SUITE. I have it, but really don’t know anything about it. And my GAMER SQUAD series is all checked out…shocker!!
Ricki, most of my reading team colleagues read JACK this week, it’s so fun!
I agree! It is SO FUN! 🙂
I’m excited that Ben Hatke is visiting our store. It seems that Jack and the Beanstalk is getting lots of interest again.
It’s such a great tale that has great potential!
I have had the ARC of Giant Pumpkin Suite forever but just haven’t gotten around to reading it. I need to read it soon!
I just read It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk today and loved it. Josh Funk is one of my favorite picture book authors!
I agree. I have a lot of love for that man!
There are so many great books, just out, coming out, older. My list is long! Ricki, I love American Born Chinese, read it with more than one book group, and have The Smell of Other People’s Houses ready, but it will be a while. Kellee, those Shusterman books are new to me and I’ve loved other books by him. Wow, more! Thanks to you both!
I agree. ABC is one of my favorites of all time. 🙂
I still haven’t gotten to Jack, but I love Ben Hatke so I need to do that.
The New Jim Crow isn’t an easy book to read, but it’s valuable. It had some of the same information as the documentary 13th. Have you seen that yet?
I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s on my list. You just bumped it up to the top. Thanks, Crystal.
I’ve read so many wonderful things about Schusterman’s Scythe – can’t wait to find and read it soonest. Lots of Schusterman love here.