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 On Our Spring TBRs
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: This last week I read two very different YA novels: Words and their Meaning by Kate Bassett and Noggin by John Corey Whaley. Words may be one of the most depressing and emotionally-intense book I’ve read in a while. Noggin, on the other hand, was a bit emotionally-intense, but it also was super unique and quite funny. I can see why it was a National Book Award finalist (though I wish the focus had been a bit more on Travis and less on Cate).
I also read two picture books this week: The Red Bicycle: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Bike by Jude Isabella and Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes by Henry L. Hetz. I loved the story of The Red Bicycle. It just shows how one thing can change so many peoples’ lives. Monster Goose will be reviewed on Friday, so stop back.
With Trent, we are continuing to read the same books over and over (see our 9-12 month favorites list). I try to switch it up, but he is just not interested. I now have Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton, Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton, and Pete the Cat by Erit Litwin & James Dean completely memorized.
Ricki: I finished Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil, which is nothing about outer space. The main character reminds me of Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Last week, I compared it to other books, but all in all, it is quite lovely. I hate movies and don’t like video gaming, but it incorporated these two topics in a way that was interesting to me. This book would be a fantastic addition to classrooms.
Henry and I received a lot of great, new books this week from relatives. His favorite is Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler Seder. It doesn’t have much depth, but the scanimation part is admittedly cool. The animals run when you move the pages.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I am still listening to Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, but this week is spring break which means I may not listen to as much as I do on a work week. Trent is home with me this week as well, so I am going to try to read 5-7 books this week; however, it is going to be tough. We’ll see!! I am going to start 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith tonight as book one.
Ricki: I started reading Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin this week, and I love it. I am still working on balancing work and life, so while this one book a week thing is making me feel pathetic, it just has to do. My date for my comprehensive exams is on April 30, so I have been doing a lot of planning for them.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Books from Childhood (or Teen Years) We’d Like to Revisit
Friday: Review and Author Guest Post “Josh, Harrison & Dad’s Excellent Adventure” by Henry L. Herz, Author of Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes
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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I bought Noggin a long time ago & still haven’t read it, should just give it to a student! I loved Rain Reign, think many teachers should read that one. Have a good spring break, Kellee-sounds busy. And getting ready for exams sounds like a tough few weeks, but May should be good, right, Ricki? Happy reading!
I think Noggin is a book that is well written yet still high appeal 🙂
I agree about Rain Reign. It is a special book.
May should be lovely! I just scheduled my comprehensive exam oral defense today, so I am nervous!
Enjoy your spring break! My kiddos on break this week, too, so I will have to figure out how to work while she’s hanging around.
Nothing wrong with one book a week–especially with all you have on your plate. I’m glad you are still finding time to read with everything else. That’s impressive!
Working with Trent around is so tough! I swear my computer is a magnet for him.
Our kids must be similar. 😉
Thank you, Kay! You are so uplifting!
Haven’t read Personal Penguin, oh boy! 🙂 Haven’t read 100 Sideways Miles yet, can’t wait… Ricki- balance and enjoy- I loved Rain Reign. 🙂
You can hear the song for Personal Penguin here http://www.workman.com/boynton/#songs but the book makes it perfect.
I’ll let you know about 100 Sideways Miles. So far so good. Very Andrew Smith (unique, a bit vulgar, and interesting).
Counting by 7’s and Rain Reign are both on my want-to-read list!
Kellee – sounds familiar! We had several Boynton books memorized at that age, too – just different ones (though Personal Penguins sounds GREAT! lol)
Ricki – did you say you hate movies?? All movies? I don;t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that before! Then, you probably don’t care that the movie adaptation of Perks of Being a Wallflower was actually pretty good.
Both of you enjoy your books and spring break!
Sue
Book By Book
Which Boynton did you and your boys like the most?
Counting by 7s and Rain Reign are both special books–you will enjoy them 🙂
I know…I am crazy! I do generally hate movies. I probably watch three movies a year. I liked the Perks movie adaption, and I loved the TFioS movie adaption. Overall, I steer clear from movies. When my husband (who loves them) has movies on, I sit beside him and read. 🙂
I LOVED the audio of Counting by 7s. I thought the narrator got Willow’s mannerisms and cadence’s perfectly.
I’m looking forward to reading Rain Reign since it won the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award.
I’m really loving the audio! I got it because you recommended it 🙂 I also love the voices she gives to the other characters. It is perfect.
Rain Reign is so good–enjoy when you get to it!
My goal is to always read 1 middle grade/young adult/adult book each week. Sometimes I do more, but they do take longer, so 1 a week is great! I try to fill in other smaller amounts of time with picture books. Somehow, it all evens out! It’s Spring Break and I have not read a lot yet!
Same here 🙂
Yes! I have the same goal! Lately, I haven’t met it, which is disappointing, but some weeks, I read a few of the categories you mentioned, so I try not to beat myself up…
I really enjoyed Rain Reign. I want to get to The Red Bicycle soon. Kellee enjoy spring break. Rikki – don’t be hard on yourself. We can only do what we can do. 😉
The Red Bicycle is quite inspiring. I love the story of one object influencing and changing so many lives.
Thanks, Crystal. You rock. 🙂
I’ve been waiting on my copy of Andrew Smith’s Alex Crow for the longest time – and now I see here that he has a new book published (100 Sideways Miles) wow. I have just sent our librarian a list of over 100 middle grade/YA/graphic novels to purchase for my new course. I also included Rain Reign in that list. Looking forward to reading it. Have a great Spring Break, you two!
100 Sideways Miles was actually before Alex Crow. He is a bit ridiculous and Winger then Grasshopper Jungle then 100 Sideways Miles then Alex Crow were all published in less than 2 years. Amazing.
Wow! That must be an epic list! Would love to see it.
I can’t wait until I have time to read Noggin.
If I feel like I need to read more but feel I don’t have the time, I tend to look for shorter books- but still of quality! Luckily there have been many lists that says which books fit this criteria.