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
Tuesday: Top Historical Settings We Love
Wednesday: Kid Athletes: by David Stabler
Thursday: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Friday: Unleash Your (and your students’) Inner Reader
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: Although I didn’t get to anything I said I was going to, I had a pretty fantastic week of reading. I got to read Booked! Oh man, everyone–it is a pretty great follow up to The Crossover. Kwame Alexander once again tackles sports and family issues in a perfectly-crafted, smart verse novel. A must read! I also read Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine this week with one of my students. Her mom was a bit concerned about some of the content, so the student asked me to read it with her. It was so good! I can see why it would be good for an 11-year-old to have someone to talk to about the book because it deals with racism, sexism, abuse, and death, but it was such a great read and would be a perfect book to read alongside Lions of Little Rock.
I also read Last Stop on Market Street, Red, and The Day the Crayons Quit with my classes during our theme unit. Reading these picture books with my students was really inspirational. So much so that I plan on writing two blog posts about it to share the lessons and my students’ thoughts.
With Trent, we’ve been reading Thomas the Tank Engine books from a Me Reader set. The Me Reader allows Trent to choose the book he wants then he can press a certain button, and it will read the page to him. He still wants me sitting with him, but he loves being in control of the story. Trent is also loving Friends by Eric Carle still and has been asking for Goodnight Moon more than usual.
Ricki: Henry and I read The Typewriter by Bill Thomson—a fun, new wordless picture book about three kids who find a typewriter. Because he’s been sick (double ear infection!), we have been rereading all of his favorites each night (Racecar Alphabet by Brian Floca, Cat vs. Dog by Chris Gall, among some older classics like Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom).
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I have Poptropica: Mystery of the Map by Jack Chabert that I plan on reading this week. It is based off of Jeff Kinney’s concept and is a new graphic novel adventure series. I’m looking forward to it! This week is also going to be a bit crazy (wonderful crazy!) because my mom, sister, and brother-in-law are all coming into town for Trent’s birthday party! He doesn’t turn 2 until the 20th, but we’re celebrating on the 13th. Whenever family comes into town, my reading really takes a hit, so we’ll have to see how much I get read.
Ricki: I am reading Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928 by David Wallace Adams. Sorry I am boring—but it is a really informative book! I am also hoping to get to All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. I am not sure if I’ll have time, though!
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Literary Couples
Wednesday: I Want to Be a… books by Ruby Brown
Thursday: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Friday: Talking about Last Stop on Market Street in a Middle School Classroom
Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “All About Imps” by Henry Herz, Author of When You Give an Imp a Penny
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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Enjoy the week and the birthday celebration, Kellee. Glad to hear about Booked and Seeing Red. Your book might be a little dry, but also heartbreaking, right, Ricki? One book I’ve read with students is Hal Borland’s When The Legends Die. It’s older and done very well.
Thank you, Linda!
Interesting, I haven’t read that one. Thank you for the suggestion! It started off a bit dry, and then it quickly became much more interesting (and depressing).
Seeing Red is set at about the same time that Ruby Lee and Me and Call Me By My Name. Those all surprised me– living in the north, it seemed to me that the worst of prejudice and discrimination was over by the 1970s. Apparently, not so! Need to read the new Alexander book!
Haven’t read Ruby Lee and Me, but I did read Call Me By My Name, and they all are so intense. A great text set about integration.
How did your boys get to be 2 already? Time goes by so quickly.
Ricki, if you start All American Boys, you will find the time to finish it. So good!
I cannot believe it! Henry is 3 months older, so as soon as he turns two, I know Trent’s is coming!
It is our book club book, and we are meeting next week, so I will finish it for sure!! I am really looking forward to it!
I am looking forward to the post about reading Last Stop on Market Street with your classes Kellee. Ricki – my copy of All American Boys just came in at the library so I need to pick it up and get reading. I enjoyed your review of More Happy Than Not. Will admit it was a heavy book for me although I appreciated it in many ways – whoa, intense.
Thank you, Carrie. It was a wonderful experience! I hope you like the post.
It is quite heavy, I agree. I am still thinking about it. I found it to be unforgettable in its message.
I’m very intrigued by Seeing Red (or any book, really, that bears any sort of comparison to Lions of Little Rock, which is one of my favorites). I’ve yet to really LOVE any of Erskine’s books, but she always has some interesting stories.
I can imagine that Education for Extinction is a tough read, but I’m sure it has some eye-opening information.
You’ll have to read this one and let me know if you like it. I surely did. Lions of Little Rock is special, but this one is pretty good too!
It is definitely eye-opening, although I did know a lot about this time period and subject. There are students’ letters within the book that are really interesting. I think I’ll be doing a full review!
More Happy Than Not is one of those books I keep meaning to get to but haven’t yet. I need to move it to the top of the TBR.
Yes, please do! I look forward to hearing what you think about it!
Sorry Henry’s been sick – it’s that time of year! My 18-yo son had a bad cold last week & we are trying to keep him from getting a sinus infection. He used to love Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – all classics!
Hope you both enjoy your books this week and get through the illness & birthday stuff with ease!
Sue
Book By Book
Thank you, Sue! I hope your son gets well soon, too! 🙂
Kellee, Happy Birthday to Trent! Enjoy the visit with your family. How cool that you got to read Seeing Red with one of your students. I’m glad it was a good experience for both of you.
Ricki, I hope Henry is feeling better. I don’t think your book choice is boring at all. The Indian boarding schools were such a cruel time in our history that many of us don’t know much about.
Thank you, Kay!
Reading it with her was truly a great experience. I think it has prompted me to start a book club with students! (I’m already going to start a teacher one!!!)
I should amend my comment…boring to some but not to me. I have done much research about this time period, but this book is quite comprehensive. I thought I knew a lot about this topic, but the book is proving me wrong!
Oh wow, Kellee, I envy that you have already read Booked! I loved Crossover and discussed it with my book club here in Singapore. Perhaps I should booktalk Booked as well. 🙂
Booked is one of the books I am most anticipating this year – so cool that you have the chance to read it ahead of time.
Educating for Extinction sounds like one I’d read so no apologies necessary in my case. 😉