It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.
The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.
Happy reading!
Tuesday: Educators’ Guide for Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
Well, school is back in session! It is so nice to be with students again! But it also means that my life is very full which makes me so thankful for manga and audiobooks. It is because of them that I keep my reading up, specifically during busy times.
- Secondhand Dogs by Carolyn Crimi: I listened to this with Trent since it is on his state reading list, but it was a reread for me (I reviewed it in 2021)–I am not always a fan of rereading, but it was fun to listen to it this time, and Trent LOVED it, so that add some new fun to the experience.
- Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Sergei: Yuna is a kick butt video game player who gets chosen to go on a new adventure, one that seems more like real life with magic than a new game. In her new life, her armor is an adorable bear costume which, it seems, makes her the strongest in her new world. We’ll see where it goes from here!
- The Extraordinaries and Flash Fire by TJ Klune: The Extraordinaries was a favorite of mine when I first listened to it, but I never got around to the sequels, so I went ahead and relistened to it to get ready to listen to the sequels, and I must tell you–IT IS SO FRIGGIN’ FANTASTIC! And I really enjoyed book 2 also! Please, YA book reading friends, read this one if you haven’t! Nick is one of my favorite people I’ve read ever.
- The Time Machine: Because It’s Never Too Late to Apologize by Pauline David-Sax, Illustrated by Melquea Smith: What a perfect book to read to discuss the hows and whys of apologizing. This is a skill that students need to be taught because a true apology is more than just the “Sorry” that so many say when they do something. In the story, Bailey realizes she cannot go back and undo what she said, but an apology can help repair the damage. Within the book is also “Apologizing Dos and Don’ts” and before/during/after questions.
- This Train is Bound for Glory by Alice Faye Duncan, Illustrated by Paul Kellam: Duncan and Kellam reimagine the spiritual “This Train is Bound for Glory” to bring it to a new audience. Filled with fantastic rhythm found in the words and with representation of all people who all gather on the train found in the colorful illustrations, this book is screaming to be read aloud. Also, I love the addition of the re-writing activity in the back where kids are asked to make their own version of the song.
- Veo, Veo, I See You by Lulu Delacre: This is a love letter to the essential workers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I love how it focuses on the importance of the jobs, how they help the community, and that they deserve recognition. This theme is taught through a sweet bilingual story of Marisol and her family on a neighborhood walk. I loved the inclusion of dialogue bubbles and the collage illustrations were perfectly colorful and detailed. It also lends itself to a fun game of I Spy!
To learn more about any of these books, click on any title/image to go to the book’s Goodreads page or check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
This is my week off–see you next week!
Kellee
- Reading: Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Vol. 3 by Sergei, The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler
- Listening: Heat Wave by TJ Klune
Tuesday: How Color Code Behavior Charts Almost Ruined My Son’s Love of School and Much More
Friday: Student Voices: Reflections on Middle School by Neko L., 8th grader, and Leticia R., Lauren Q., & Ronny D., 7th graders
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Growing Up and Growing Older” by Ciera Burch, Author of Finch House
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!
and
Hope things are going well at school, and it looks like you got a lot read even being back. Secondhand Dogs is the reason Pongo got popcorn once a month until the poor little guy had to have teeth pulled. Glad you were able to enjoy it again with your son.
I tried getting into The Extraordinaries and I enjoyed the audiobook but the schtick got old pretty fast for me. It bothers me that I haven’t read the other books yet though since I’m a completing.