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
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Tuesday: Books to Deepen Our Understanding of the Countries on the #MuslimBan List
Wednesday: Sea Otter Heroes by Patricia Newman
Thursday: Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Friday: An Alphabet in Bloom by Nathalie Trovato
So, what are you reading?
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee
I had a much better reading week! I finished everything I had started last week when I didn’t finish anything 🙂
The three books I read this week could not be more different. First The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham is the first book in a fantasy series about a town that has many legends that end up being true, and our protagonist, Rye, is more involved with these legends than she could ever imagine. Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter is the final book in the Embassy Row series which I have LOVED! I listened to all of them, and I really enjoyed the audiobooks. While listening, I couldn’t stop talking about the story. So many of my students are reading them now, and I love talking to them about this modern royal drama. (My Goodreads Review) Lastly, I finished a historical fiction novel about emigration to the Washington Territory called The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming by J. Anderson Coats which I’ll be reviewing next Friday.
I had a heartwarming thing happen to me this week! One of my students has an ELA teacher that let’s them use tickets they earn to buy a book of their choice, and he chose to get Dogman Unleashed because 1) He wanted to read it; and 2) I didn’t have it in my classroom library yet. It was so sweet!!
I also realized that Trent and I had gotten into a reading rut because we are reading the same 10 or so books over and over, I am working hard on trying to introduce him to new books since we have so many amazing books in our library. This week we read four new picture books that I have a feeling will be added into our rotation. Super Jumbo is the companion to How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler. Jumbo is here to save the day but it is harder than he thought and not always what he thinks is needed. The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield is one of my favorite picture books I’ve read in a long time. It is such a special story about passion and love and music! The other two I read, Duck and Hippo and Mr. Fuzzbuster will be reviewed soon, so I’ll share them then.
Ricki
Henry and I read Duck and Hippo and Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite. Both are charming picture books. Duck and Hippo reminds me of Frog and Toad, which is a series I adore! Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite reminds me of Dog vs. Cat by Chris Gall.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee
I am so excited that my lunch book club, the same club that did the Mock Newbery, will have the opportunity to Skype with author Dan Gemeinhart on Friday! The Honest Truth is on our state list, so many of the students have read it (as have I) and Some Kind of Courage was on our Mock Newbery list, so he seemed like the perfect author to Skype with, and I am so glad that he was willing and available! I’m currently reading Scar Island, his newest, and if I finish, I’ll pick up Some Kind of Courage.
I am also reading Barbara Dee’s new book that comes out soon, Star-Crossed. I just started, but I love the middle school voice so far.
Ricki
I am alternating between Pose, Wobble, Flow by Antero Garcia and Cindy O’Donnell-Allen and For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood by Christopher Emdin. If I wasn’t spending so much of my time writing my dissertation, I would be finished with them both by now. Both are excellent books that I recommend for all teachers (inservice and preservice).
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Happy Valentine’s Day! Our Favorite LBGTQ Love Stories
Wednesday: Famous Fails! by Crispin Boyer
Thursday: Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite by Stacy McAnulty
Friday: Time Museum by Matthew Loux
Sunday: Guest Post
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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Your past and your future reading sounds very good. I’d love to read Scar Island, maybe soon? And I love what you’re doing for Valentine’s Day-awesome.
Thank you! I am so excited for tomorrow’s post too 🙂
Famous Fails sounds like an important book to share with students. The fact that mistakes can be turned into success is a great lesson for students to learn. I have to get to Mr. Fuzzbuster this week.
I agree about Famous Fails! I think learning how to fail is one of the most important things for a child to learn.
I’ve been looking for Mr. Fuzzbuster at the library, but so far he hasn’t been ordered!
I’m looking forward to Scar Island. Hoping to get to it this year, it’s already gotten pushed back!
He’s adorable!
It is so good so far! I really hope to finish it before our Skype meeting on Friday!
I can’t wait to read Scar Island – I have read both of Dan’s other titles. Good luck with your dissertation Ricki – I don’t know how you do it all!
Thanks, Carrie!!
I loved The Honest Truth, and I am really enjoying Scar Island! I really hope to get to Some Kind of Courage as well.
Oh, I really enjoyed the first book in The Embassy Row series but somehow missed the rest!
I also enjoyed both of Gemeinhart’s books (recently read The Honest Truth on YOUR recommendation!) – you are so lucky to get to meet him!
Enjoy your books this week –
Sue
Book By Book
You have to read the rest! I love the series so much!
I am so glad you loved The Honest Truth–it is a special book 🙂
Happy reading this week!
Oh darn! Fannie Never Flinched isn’t yet available in my library system.
Kellee, while I liked the first one, the second in the Embassy Row series didn’t work for me. Love the picture of you and your student! Have you read Debbie Reese’s post about Some Kind of Courage?
Ricki, Duck and Hippo sounds delightful because I love Frog and Toad. (I even bought stuffies of them) I’m looking forward to reading Mr. Fuzzbuster.