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.
CONGRATULATIONS
Madeline S.
for winning a copy of Two Truths and a Lie!
Last Week’s Posts
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Tuesday: Ten Books that Leave you Wanting More from Ash and Sam, 8th grade
Wednesday: More Favorite Books From Ten of Kellee’s 16-17 Middle School Students
Thursday: Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
Friday: The Bobs and Tweets by Pepper Springfield
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee
Happy July! I have a lot to share because I have been getting some great reading done, and I was at ALA last week!
I read three novels for pleasure! First, I read one of the SSYRA books Shadows of Sherwood by Kekla Magoon which is a dystopian, girl power adventure retelling of Robin Hood. Then, to continue to get ready for introducing Neal Shusterman at the ALAN breakfast, I read Tesla’s Attic by Shusterman and Eric Elfman, and I am so excited to read the rest of the series! Lastly, as soon as I got Patina by Jason Reynolds at ALA, I started reading it. You know I am a huge fan of Ghost, and Patina does not disappoint Ghost fans!
While at ALA, I also read a ton of not yet released (and a couple recently released) picture books:
- Willy and the Cloud by Anthony Browne
- Claymates by Dev Petty
- Happy Dreamer by Peter Reynolds
- In Plain Sight by Richard Jackson and Jerry Pinkney
- When’s My Birthday? by Julie Fogliano and Christian Robinson
- The Wolf, The Duck, & The Mouse by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
- La La La: A Story of Hope by Kate DiCamillo and Jaime Kim
- Sea Monkey and Bob by Aaron Reynolds and Debbie Ridpath Ohi
- Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown
- Noisy Night by Mac Barnett and Brian Briggs
- After the Fall by Dan Santat
- Life by Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel.
All of these are must reads, but I HIGHLY recommend After the Fall by Dan Santat; Life by Cynthia Rylant; The Wolf, The Duck, & The Mouse by Jon Klassen & Mac Barnett; Happy Dreamer by Peter Reynolds; and Claymates by Dev Petty. All of these are definitely new favorites!
I also read these graphic novels, picture books, and early chapter books, but I am reviewing all of these, so I will share my thoughts in the reviews.
At ALA, I was also so lucky to attend the Coretta Scott King Breakfast (which always makes me cry!) and the Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet, and I also got to meet so many amazing authors in my two days in the exhibit hall!
Left to right: Marie Lu, Dan Santat, Fred Koehler, Nate Powell, Kristin Cashore, Deborah Heiligman, Neal Shusterman, Jenni Holm, Katherine Applegate, John Lewis!, Vivian Johnson, Laurel Snyder, Nicola Yoon, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Bryan, Peter Brown, Kadir Nelson
Ricki
Please focus all of your energy on Kellee’s awesome post! Our movers come this week as we head from Connecticut to Colorado. I am excited to start my new position at Colorado State University and anxious to get back to reading!
I did read this gem! March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell is incredible. I loved reading about John Lewis’ early life and am very excited to start books two and three this week!
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee
Right now, I am continuing the Accelerati Trilogy by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman with Edison’s Alley. I’ll be taking off a couple of weeks on the blog for family time, so I hope to have a bunch to share with you when I blog IMWAYR again at the end of July.
Ricki
I am 3/4 of the way through The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book begs to be discussed in classrooms.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Listen to the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence This Fourth of July #WeThePeopleListen
Wednesday: Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart
Thursday: Busy Builders: Construction Site by Katherine Sully
Friday: Story Path by Madalena Matoso
Sunday: Author 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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ALA sounds like a great time! I still need to read Ghost. Now that Patina is coming out I need to move Ghost further up on my list. So many have said that Ghost is great so I don’t know what I’m waiting for!
It was my students’ favorite on our Mock Newbery last year–it is a definite must read 🙂 You’ll love it and Patina 🙂
Wow,Kellee, so many wonderful books. I loved seeing the pics from ALA. And Ricki, best wishes for your move!
Thank you, Linda 🙂
It was so great seeing you at ALA, Kellee! And I’m glad you were also able to meet John Lewis. That’s certainly a moment I’ll never forget as long as I live. And yes, the CSK breakfast was so incredibly moving. If I ever go to ALA again (which I’m sure I will since they’re based in Chicago), I most definitely will not miss the CSK breakfast ever again.
I’m sorry we didn’t get to see each other more, but I know how busy you were!
Thank you for helping me meet him–without you, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance which was probably once in a lifetime.
And I agree about CSK–it is my favorite event!
Kelle, I am so envious of you and everyone else who made it to ALA and are now talking about all the fabulous books you brought home with you. Just Wow!
Ricki, I finished March: Book One, last week and am looking forward to the rest of the series too. it looks like your summer is going to be very busy. I can’t imagine moving and having small children to mind at the same time.
There are some great books coming out soon!
Wow, so much excitement for you two this week!!!
Kellee, ALA looks & sounds amazing. You got to introduce Neal Schusterman???? Eeek! He is one of my favorite YA authors. His Unwind series is an all-time favorite at our house, with me, my husband, and our son. We’ve also gotten our cousins and my son’s girlfriend hooked on it! And you got to meet Angie Thomas, too? Wow, those collages of author pics were awesome. Luck you!!
Ricki, you are moving from CT all the way to CO…and starting a new job, too? Wow, big changes for your family! Funny, for some reason, I though that both you and Kellee lived in FL. I was obviously confused. I have heard great things about March & also really want to read the new Saenz novel.
Good luck with the move!!
Sue
2017 Big Book Summer Challenge
I’ll actually be introducing Neal in November at the ALAN breakfast, so I am trying to read as many of his books as possible. I haven’t finished the Unwind series, so I am going to reread the first and then read the others.
Yes! I was so excited to meet Angie Thomas! And she was so humble! It was a pleasure 🙂
I love seeing all of the ALA pictures, it really was a great time!
I have the Accelerati Trilogy on my TBR, I’ll be interested in seeing what you think about it. Now it’s your turn to be gone, and I’m hoping to get lots of reading done!
Ricki, good luck on the move, looks like you have a lot of fun stops to make!
Those are gorgeous photos! I enjoyed the March graphic novel trilogy – very powerful.
Great reading both of you, even if just one or the whole lot. I love March and can’t wait for Patina.