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 Books We Would Classify As ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS Read In The Past 3 Years
Wednesday: A First Year Full of Books Video: Trent’s Journey Through Books
During Trent’s first year, we took a photo of every book we read to him. This slideshow documents our journey through books with Trent from three days old to one year old.
Thursday: Litweaver
A new website for teachers to access hundreds of different texts
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: This week didn’t seem long, but when I think back a lot happened this week! I was able to finish two novels this week. Both were unique and well done, but VERY different. First I read Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs which was a good senior year /figuring out who you are book. Then I finished Playing for the Commandant by Suzy Zail which was about a young pianist who was chosen as the commandant’s pianist at Aushwitz-Birkenau. It was interesting to read them one after another because Breakfast was a very emotionally driven book written in almost a journal format while Playing was much more matter-of-fact.
On Mondays and Thursdays, Jim, Trent, and I are now going to the park to go for a walk (run for Jim), and Trent and I have been listening to audiobooks while we walk. Last Monday we had the pleasure of listening to Mercy Watson to the Rescue and Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo. I am always so blown away by DiCamillo’s ability to tell these perfect stories and use such perfect language. There is no question that she is one of the best around. Within all of our rereading we also read (then reread and reread) a new book he got for his birthday: Duck and Goose Colors. I like reading it because Trent now says “quack quack” if you ask what a duck says, so this book is perfect to get him to say it.
Ricki: Happy Monday, friends! I am still working on my YAL grant and also a manuscript about the evolution of a struggling reader’s identity when she is exposed to YAL. It’s all fun stuff. I’ve been up every night until about 3am working on these (ah, the life of a mom!), so the writing has taken precedence to reading. I suspect I will get back in the grove within the next week or two. This week, Henry and I read a new book, Second Banana by Keith Graves. It tells the story of Bubbles, a monkey who is the top banana of the circus show, and his friend Oop, a gorilla who wants to be something more than second banana. Henry and I also read Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton a few times (I’ve been practicing my singing voice) and several pop-up and lift-the-flap books. He is a big fan of those books, and his grandmother keeps buying new ones.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I am almost done with The Family Romanov. It is such an eye opener! I am learning so much about the time period. I am also going to start When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds.
With Trent, we started listening to Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne while walking, so we’ll continue that on Monday.
Ricki: I am still working on Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil, but I love it. If I wasn’t so focused on writing YAL stuff, I would have devoured it long ago! Of course, East of Eden is still playing in my car. I think I am on disc ten, and I still love it. That Cathy is a memorable character!
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Books for Readers Who Like Nonfiction
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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A life full of reading and writing surrounded by family and friends- what more can we ask for? I hope you two and your families have fun and productive weeks ahead!
Love this comment–thank you!
🙂 🙂 🙂
You are are ‘busy’! Me, too, don’t know when I can just sit for an hour or so & read! Am getting some things read, but not much. Have a lovely week!
You, too, Linda!
After seeing Playing for the Commandant on your Goodreads page Kellee, I am definitely intrigued by this book. Looking forward to reading it!
Oh my goodness. Never Fall Down was one of the most disturbing books I have ever read (with my ears). It’s an incredibly important story but wow. It’s definitely a book worth discussing with students to explore the idea of good vs. evil and the gray areas in between.
I think you will really like it, Beth. It is equal love of music and intriguing Holocaust book.
I very much agree about Never Fall Down. I am so glad that Ricki told me to read it. I cannot stop talking about it. I am reading Endangered with my students, and I keep on finding times where I want to talk about Never Fall Down. I think I have mentioned it so much, I have sold every student on it.
A week filled with family, work, reading, and writing? Sounds good, even if busy! Enjoy those walks with Trent and Winne the Pooh. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on YAL!
Thank you, Kay! Walk was canceled because of a cold today, but I look forward to continuing it with him 🙂
These are our lives lately! 🙂 I can’t wait to share!
Now that I’m finished with curriculum pieces for SLJ(link below),I’m tackling a pile of titles. A few pages in to El Deafo, Romanov, but am being drawn like a moth to a flame by David Arnold’s Mosquitoland! Will be happy to let you know later how I liked this. I’m enjoying your site, as a lurker usually. Today tried out LitWeaver and read a few stories. Very cool!
http://www.slj.com/2015/02/standards/curriculum-connections/spotlight-on-ecosystems-terrestrial-biomes-their-denizens/#_
Congratulations on your SLJ piece! You must be so proud!
I have heard wonderful things about Misquitoland–I’d love to hear the final verdict. I have it in my eventually TBR pile 🙂
El Deafo and Family Romanov are super different, but both important pieces of nonfiction.
Happy reading this week!
Yay for your SLJ piece! I have been meaning to get to Mosquitoland. It is at the top of my list. Your comments made me chuckle. 🙂
I not only finished The Family Romanov but actually passed the AR test! I usually fail the nonfiction ones! I try to do the highest requirement of points that any teacher in the building assigns, so I had to have 20% of my reading be nonfiction.
It is such a great piece of nonfiction. Fleming know show to craft narrative nonfiction.
Oh, I just love Winnie the Pooh! Such kind, gentle stories. I bet it’s great on audio.
I hadn’t yet heard of any of the YA books you are both reading – will have to look for those – they all sound good!
BTW, there’s no link-up showing today! I’ve tried reloading a few times but still nothing.
Enjoy your books this week –
Sue
Book By Book
The audio for Winnie is great! I love the voices though they are different than the voices I know, so it is a bit hard to to get used to.
All of the YA books are good–I think you’d especially liked Playing.
Thanks for letting us know, Sue. I am assuming that because I see it now, Kellee fixed it. I hope you have a wonderful reading week!
Hi Ladies,
I am having so much trouble finding time for reading and writing. I’ve squeezed 5 minutes here and there for reading, but it has really stretched out my completing a book!
I can’t wait for going on a walk and run weather!
I agree, Michele! What the heck happened to time? I can’t WAIT for the summer. I am going to catch up on so many titles!