It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!
Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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
Tuesday: Top Ten 2014 Releases We Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To
Wednesday: Blog Tour!: Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Friday: Mock Sibert Award: Favorites Announced
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Congratulations to
Michele K.
for winning When Otis Courted Mama!
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: I have been able to get more reading done over these last two weeks than I thought I would be able to. One thing that really helped is when you are staying at a hotel with people running races is that they go to bed SUPER early, so I spent a lot of time reading when we were out at Disney for Jim’s Dopey races (yay Jim!).
First, I read a ton of nonfiction books in preparation for the 2015 Mock Sibert! The books I read were: Star Stuff by Stephanie Roth Sisson, Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins, Beetle Busters by Loree Griffin Burns, Feathers, Not Just For Flying by Melissa Stewart, Chasing Cheetahs by Sy Montgomery, Neighborhood Sharks by Katherine Roy, and Born in the Wild by Lita Judge. I picked my top 5 nonfiction picture books out of these and other 2014 NF PBs I read. I shared them on my Mock Sibert post, and I plan to share my other favorites on a post later this month. All of these were phenomenal books.
Additionally, I did a lot of other reading: The Other Side of the Wall by Simon Schwartz, a nonfiction graphic novel about being born in East Germany; Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, a tragedy-filled, intense story of a young girls senior year; Caminar by Skila Brown, a beautiful novel-in-verse that takes place during the guerilla warfare in Guatamala; I Am Jackie Robinson by Brad Metzler, a fun comic/PB mix biography (so glad I finally got to read one of Metzler’s books!); Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, a celebration of the little things we sometimes miss; The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami, such a weird little book; Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger by Jon Sciezska, another funny, smart Frank Einstein book, How To Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby, a book that tore at my heart strings and made me think about so many things; and Torn Away by Jennifer Brown, a frightening, sad, empowering book about loss and family.
Ricki: This week, I fell in love with Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. It has been on my TBR list for years, and I finally put it on my #mustreadin2015 list. I also started four other books that were recommended by YOU on Monday, and so far, I love them all. Bloggers have the best recommendations.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I am not sure what I am going to read this week! I have a couple more 2014 NF picture books that have been recommended to me since Mock Sibert that I hope to get to read. I then have my #mustread2015 pile and other piles and library piles and piles of books all over 🙂
Ricki: As I stated before, I am reading four books right now. The two books that I have been reading the most of are Dreaming in Indian (Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Leatherdale) and Audacity by Melanie Crowder. Both are exceptional.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Feature Characters Who Show Resilience Despite Disabilities
Wednesday: Great Picture Books Kellee Has Read Recently
Friday: National Readathon Day Overview
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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Great NFPB reading! We read lots of the same books, Kellee! I enjoyed Pam Munoz Ryan’s The Dreamer and can’t wait to finally start reading Echo!
I have heard Echo is incredible. I am looking forward to reading it, too!
Thanks! There were some incredible books in my pile over the last 2 weeks.
I saw you read I Am Jackie Robinson and liked it as well. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Albert Einstein book.
Yes, like Ricki said, Echo is supposed to be phenomenal. Enjoy!
Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah sounds like an amazing book. I’m looking forward to reading this coming Tuesday’s post. Wilma Unlimited is my favourite picture book biographies.
I haven’t read Wilma Unlimited but will certainly check it out! Emmanuel’s Dream was excellent. As you might guess, it is featured on this Tuesday’s post!
It is such a special story. If you like Wilma Unlimited and her amazing story, you will truly enjoy Emmanuel’s story.
Ooooh, I loved Gabi, Caminar, Esperanza Rising and Dreaming in Indian. I’m eager to get Last Stop on Market Street. I need to read some more of those Mock Siebert books. Have a great week.
Crystal, I am always impressed by the number of books you’ve read. 🙂 I am almost finished with Dreaming in Indian, and I love it!
I love that 4 of the books that Ricki and I read this week were featuring Hispanic main characters! Makes me so glad to see such diversity! You will enjoy Last Stop and any of the Sibert books you read 🙂
Last Stop on Market St. was featured on my vendor’s site, so I requested it from my library– the street I grew up on was right off of a Market St. Looking forward to the Readathon, although my daughter has a clarinet competition that day.
I hope you like it, Ms. Yingling. I thought it was fantastic and very well-written. 🙂
I think you will definitely connect with the story if that is where you grew up. Also, it is a great book, so that will make it easy to enjoy.
I am going to have trouble reading for all 4 hours, but I hope to get some reading in to help celebrate the Readathon.
I enjoyed reading The Last Stop on Market Street this week! I can think of a lot of different ways to use it with kids 🙂
I saw How to Speak Dolphin is in the Scholastic order for February, I’ll pick it up for sure!
Have a great week 🙂
I am glad you liked it too! I saw you read it on GoodReads. I thought it was very teachable. It made me want to take a bus ride! 🙂
It is so exciting that How to Speak Dolphin is in book orders before its publication date! It is a special book. I love how Ginny touches on human and animal issues in one book!
OH! And I agree about Last Stop. It is a wonderful PB.
Wow, you did read so much, Kellee! I loved Caminar, & just got Gabi, a Girl In Pieces from the library. And Ricki, so happy you enjoyed Esperanza Rising. I’ve read it more than once with a book group & students love it too. Happy Reading this week!
It is a fantastic book. I was so glad I read it—even though I was years late! There are so many teachable aspects of the book.
It was a great couple of reading weeks!
Caminar was a special book. I learned a lot from it.
Enjoy Gabi. I love the truth of it.
Wow! That’s a lot of reading. I have to agree with you about Esperanza Rising. It was amazing! Of course, everything I’ve read by Munoz Ryan has been amazing. How to Speak Dolphin looks like one I need to add to my list to read.
I agree, Kay. I can’t wait to read her new book, Echo. I have it in my TBR pile!
Thank you Kay 🙂
I hope you enjoy How To Speak Dolphin when you get to it.
Esperanza Rising is a book I should really read. I loved Becoming Naomi Leon, but for some reason, I haven’t read more Pam Munoz Ryan. I’ve been reading at Dreaming in Indian too. The writing is a bit uneven, but I absolutely love the images and design! Just a gorgeous book. So glad you’ve found time to read, Kellee! I just haven’t felt like myself over the last couple of weeks as I’ve struggled to find/make time for reading. Determined to do better this week!
Esperanza and The Dreamer are both great Munoz books. I haven’t read Naomi Leon actually. I need to.
I know how you feel re: struggling! It’d been a while since I’d read as much as I did these last two weeks. Hope this week is better for you!
I agree that some of the writing is better than others, but I have enjoyed it overall. The visuals are incredible. I highly recommend Esperanza Rising. I was blown away.
Wow, Kellee – that is a LOT of books for one week! I haven’t read any of the titles either of you mentioned, though I also had a busy reading week. So far, the new year has been far too hectic!
Enjoy your books this week!
Sue
Book By Book
*cough* two weeks 🙂
Oh! Pick up any of them and you will be happy with your choice 🙂
Have a great reading week! I can’t wait to stop at your blog!
I must read The Other Side of the Wall. I have always been fascinated with the Cold War and Berlin is my favorite city in the entire world, so I eat up any and all books that come from that era. I’ve noticed that we are just now starting to come upon books from that era. There haven’t been that many written about them previously.
I’m hearing a lot lately about Gabi, Girl in pieces. I definitely need to read that one.
The Other Side of the Wall is so interesting! I learned so much and liked it being told by someone who lived it. I need to learn more about the Cold War. It is such a fascinating time period.
I think it is starting because the kids who aren’t afraid to talk about it are now our age.
Gabi is wonderful! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
Kellee – great nfpb reading – so challenging to pick those 5 Mock Sibert picks! I really liked Caminar and am putting Other Side of the Wall on my TBR list. Ricki I am hearing a lot about Dreaming in Indian lately. I know my library has it. Will try to get to it soon. So many books . . .