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: Books to Read if You Are in the Mood for a Good Laugh
Thursday: Blog Tour and Review!: Normal Norman by Tara Lazar
Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “School Visits” by Iain Reading, Author of The Dragon of the Month Club
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: I read two very different but very good books this week. First, I read Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee. We’ll be reviewing it next week, but I want to tell you that this book is so beautiful; however, it is also one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. I recommend with tissues. Next, I read Alamo All-Stars by Nathan Hale, the 6th book in his Hazardous Tales series. Man! Nathan Hale does an amazing job bringing history to life, adding comedy to the not-funny-at-all stories, and making complicated situations understandable. This one has a soft spot in my heart because I lived in, and loved, Texas for 5 years, and it brought me back to my time there.
In the picture book realm, I read Dig In! and The Typewriter, both which we are reviewing this week. Trent is in love with his Thomas the Tank Engine Me Reader right now, so I am listening to a lot of Thomas stories. We also read books on the Disney book app on the iPad. Both the Me Reader and the app are great because they can be read to us or we can read them.
Ricki: I also read Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee. I cried from cover to cover. It was such a powerful book that tugged my heartstrings. I recommend this book highly. I also read Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. This important book belongs in classrooms. Applegate’s honest portrayal of poverty will connect with readers. I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: This week I have one goal that I have to meet: read The Honest Truth by Gemeinhart for our teacher book club on Friday. I haven’t read it yet! And I chose it and am leading the first meeting!
Ricki: Hmm. I am struggling in the same way as Kellee. I keep saying that I am going to read All American Boys by Reynolds and Kiely, and then I pick up another book! I don’t know what is holding me back. I think I am nervous I won’t love it as much as everyone else loves it. I also have to read a book about the history of Hartford for my Human Rights class.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Ten Unfortunate Character Names
Wednesday: Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, and Review!: Dig In by Cindy Jenson-Elliot
Thursday: Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Review!: Good Morning Yoga by Mariam Gates
Friday: Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Review!: The Typewriter by Bill Thomson
Sunday: Author Q&A with Kathy Cyr, Author of the Max Hamby series
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 still want to read Maybe A Fox, but guess it will be a while, too many others in the stack. I loved Crenshaw, too, & actually remember wishing it were longer. I have a giveaway today, come by!
I love Crenshaw also! I think the honesty in it is so needed.
I would take a longer Crenshaw! It is such a wonderful book! I am not seeing your post for today on your blog!
I need to get some of Nathan Hale’s books for my nephews. They love history, and I suspect they will love Hale’s take on it, too. Of course, I will read them before I wrap them! I do want to read Crenshaw for myself.
Good luck meeting your reading goals this week!
YES! They are hilarious and informative! 🙂 They will love them.
And Crenshaw is great! Different than Ivan but still wonderful.
Crenshaw was lovely. I highly recommend it!
Ok, since you’re BOTH talking about Fox, I’ll try to get to that one over Spring Break. So no one can see me crying 😉
Kellee – what part of TX did you live in? I student taught in San Antonio! Can’t wait to get to see this one. We can talk TX next time we get together!!!
Ricki, I’d go All America Boy over the history of Hartford anyway 🙂 🙂
I hope you like Fox, Michele!
I lived in Austin from 4th to 9th grade 🙂 Yes! I love San Antonio too–Schliterbahn?!?!
SO wonderful to meet you yesterday! I am going to put our picture on IMWAYR next week!
You’re right. But, ahhh, homework is homework, I suppose.
YES, please read Fox. It is so, so good!
I finally got one of the Nathan Hale books–the one about Harriet Tubman. Might try to read this week. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle Maybe a Fox. I don’t want to cry from cover to cover!!! I still need to read Crenshaw too. My husband read it and didn’t love it, but he doesn’t read a ton of middle-grade. Ricki, I have been putting off All American Boys for the same reason.
That’s a good one! The first one really explains the premise, but you can jump in on anyone. I hope you like it!
Maybe a Fox is rough. I’ll be honest; I didn’t cry but I think it was because the book was so tough all the way through there wasn’t any point that pulled me down any further than I was. It is incredibly written though!
Maybe we will make a pact and read All American Boys together. I love Reynolds’ other books, so I know (deep down) I will like it. I just get worried when a book is so well-loved! 🙂 🙂
While I cried from cover to cover for Maybe a Fox, it was a good cry!
You’ve both had very busy reading weeks! I haven’t read any of the books you’re reading now, but they all sound interesting.
Hope you are both able to get to the books you want to get to this week – enjoy!
Sue
Book By Book
Have a wonderful week as well, Sue!
Thanks, Sue! Have a great week!
Hmmm… is it strange that the extreme sadness of MAYBE A FOX has made me more intrigued to read it?
No! It would intrigue me too!
It would intrigue me, as well!
Ricki – come on read All American Boys – I am reading it aloud to my family right now. Kellee – The Honest Truth would be a great for a sit and read in an evening kind of read. So so good! Happy reading to both of you this week!
I am going to start it as soon as I post this comment 🙂
I love that you are reading it out loud to your family! Okay, okay! I will read it right after I finish this book for my class! 🙂 🙂
I’m going to stay away from crying books if possible. I am really looking forward to The Typewriter. It looks wonderful and since we have a 1940s typewriter in our library, I am on the lookout for typing books.
I also have an old typewriter! I have to keep it hidden because my son wants to take it apart!
Maybe a Fox is a good cry. I recommend it—crying book or not!