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.
Tuesday: Bob Ross and Peapod the Squirrel by Robb Pearlman
Thursday: This Book is Gray by Lindsay Ward
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
**Descending from newly read to older**
Novels
- The Toll by Neal Shusterman: Read it. That is all. (P.S. Taking notes on the timeline at the beginning helps if you are struggling.)
- How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox: “Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, who loves her so hard, and who shouldn’t be here but is. So Biz doesn’t tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn’t tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was six. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface—normal okay regular fine.”
- Forever Neverland by Susan Adrian: “A contemporary sequel to J. M. Barrie’s timeless classic Peter Pan. Clover and Fergus are the great-great-grandchildren of Wendy Darling (yes, that Wendy). And now Peter Pan wants to take them to Neverland for the adventure of their lives! But Clover’s a little nervous–she’s supposed to look after her brother. Fergus is autistic, and not everyone makes him feel welcome. What will happen to him in this magical world?”
- Bouncing Back by Scott Ostler: “Back in his old basketball league, Carlos Cooper owned the court, sprinting and jumping and lighting up the scoreboard as opponents (and teammates) watched in awe. Now thirteen-year-old “Cooper the Hooper” is out of his league, new to life in a wheelchair, and struggling to pull his weight with his wheelchair basketball team, the Rollin’ Rats.”
I went on a picture book binge reading spree during Thanksgiving Break after NCTE/ALAN, and I read so many wonderful picture books! I am so happy to share them all above, but I don’t think you want me to write about them all, but here are a few highlights…
- The Seekers by Hari Panicker and Deepti Nair: The artwork in this book blew me away! Tied with the interesting mythological tale, the book is a treasure.
- Albert’s Quiet Quest by Isabelle Arsenault: There is power in quiet.
- Operation Photobomb by Becky Cattie: Photobombing in the jungle! Such vivid illustrations and fun storytelling that will definitely win readers’ hearts.
- The Big Race by David Barrow: A fun take on the tortoise and the hare but with a different message (one many kids need!).
- Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins: Christmas looks very different for different families in America, but this is a story that hasn’t been told and readers need to see it (either as a mirror or window).
- At the Mountain’s Base by Traci Sorell: Such a powerful book looking at a family waiting for their person to return from war at the base of a mountain.
- Big Boys Cry by Jonty Howley: We need more books stopping toxic masculinity and the notion that boys should ignore emotions.
- Skulls by Blair Thornburough: I just love the execution of this book. Takes a fun twist on a nonfiction book.
- How to Code a Rollercoaster by Josh Funk: I love this series by Josh Funk because it makes coding less foreign and ties in a fun story with it.
- Rocket Says Look Up by Nathan Bryon: Rocket just wants us all to notice the bigger world and stop being sidetracked by the small things.
- Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows by Jessika Von Innerebner: So often kids do not get to hear that it is okay to not be happy. Kevin shows us that it is.
- Room on our Rock by Kate Temple: This book can be read forward and backwards, each with a different message and lesson.
Out of the picture books I read with Trent, his top 3 favorites were…
- Happy Pig Day by Mo Willems: I had to limit him to 1 Elephant and Piggie book–he just loves them!
- Snack Attack by Terry Border: Trent loves this photography illustrated book where snacks are trying to escape their doomed future.
- Rot, the Cutest in the World by Ben Clanton: This shows that cuteness in the eye of the beholder and we’re all cute in our own way. And it makes Trent LAUGH!
To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2019 Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
The busiest semester of my life is over in one week! One of my three classes of students just turned in their unit plans, so I’ve been grading all week. There are 72 students in that class, so it is taking a bit of time. 🙂
Kellee
- Reading: Impossible Music by Sean Williams
- Listening: Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz
- Reading with Trent: Mia Mayhem is a Superhero by Kara West
Tuesday: Review and Giveaway!: Snail & Worm All Day by Tina Kügler
Thursday: Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist: Bad Hair Day by Jim Benton
Sunday: Q&A with Author Ginny Rorby
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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I’ve added Bouncing Back to my list. I already had Albert’s Quiet Quest on my to read list but have now added a few more from your list here. I’m especially looking forward to Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border, Big Boys Cry, and Room On Our Rock.
I really enjoyed Bouncing Back! Looks like you had a productive break!
Will be getting back to The Toll this week, I would love to see your notes!
Jealous of your reading!
Ricki, good luck with grading!
How DARE you limit him to one Elephant and Piggie book, Kellee! 😉 I love your long list of picture books. I’m about to go on a huge picture book binge, myself. I’ve had a huge pile and I can’t wait to dig in.