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: The Night Raven (The Moonwind Mysteries #1) by Johan Rundberg
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
Middle Grade
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman & Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman: My family and I were lucky enough to go see Neil Gaiman and Art Spiegelman speak last Monday, so I wanted to prepare Trent, who had not read any Gaiman books yet. We listened to both Coraline and Fortunately, the Milk and Trent loved both of them! He called Coraline “an R rated kids book because it was so creepy” and Fortunately, the Milk was just an extravagant tale. Both are great reads!
- I am the Walrus by Neal Shusterman & Eric Elfman: I am always so impressed with the ideas that Shusterman comes up with, and this novel is no different. The adventure Noah goes on is nonstop and just has surprises all the way through. The ending seemed to set up for a sequel, so it will be really interesting to see how this seemingly resolved story continues in the next book.
- Gone Wolf by Amber McBride: Whoa whoa whoa! I read this book in less than 24 hours because I didn’t want to put it down. It is a dystopian novel that takes a turn in the middle that I DID NOT see coming, and I just want more people to read this so I can talk to them about it.
- Escape by K.R. Alexander: I can definitely see why this book is on our state reading list (SSYRA). It is a fascinating topic, very timely, is so suspenseful, and just doesn’t stop until the end of the book. It is also a quick read. Most middle school readers would love this book.
- Best Wishes: Time After Time by Sarah Mlynowski & Christina Soontornvat: I truly love all of Mlynowski’s series (Upside Down Magic, Whatever After, and Best Wishes); they are all so much fun to read, and this one was no different. This was a Groundhog Day book (if you know, you know) and the reader will root for Lucy to figure out how to truly make a perfect day.
Young Adult
- Legendborn by Tracey Deonn: Oh, I now see why this book is so loved! It is full of adventure, pain, truth, exploration, and tradition. Deonn uses the Arthur legend to build her own mythology and unveil the truth behind good ole boys clubs, especially those in the south. And Bree, the protagonist, is such a phenomenal character! She just kicks so much butt and her, with her friend Alex, just won’t back down.
Picture Books
- Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Chris Riddell; Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Divya Srinivasan; Chu’s Day at the Beach by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Adam Rex: More Neil Gaiman reading to prep for seieng him!!
- Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series by Traci Sorell, Illustrated by Arigon Starr: As a baseball fan, I loved learning about this slice of history of the game. Both Charles Bender and John Meyers were amazing baseball players whose influence can still be seen today. I am thankful that Sorell was blatant in her description of the racist treatment these players faced, and that Native players still face, while still focusing on their achievements and life. And make sure not to miss out on the Author’s Note to see the truly amazing stats these men held. I also enjoyed Starr’s illustration; her work is new to me, and I look forward to seeing other picture books from her.
- The Bone Wars: The True Story of the Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils by Jane Kurtz, Illustrated by Alexander Vidal: This book is so fascinating! Any reader interested in dinosaurs, scientific research, or rivalries is going to love this one. The back and forth of Marsh and Cope keep the story going and the fact that it is nonfiction will really trip some kids up because some of the antics seem unbelievable. And through the whole rivalry story, readers will get to learn about the early years of paleontology. Reading about the early fossil discovery was just so interesting, and don’t miss out on the back matter to add even more layers to the information. I was specifically intrigued by the Author’s and Illustrator’s notes in the back. Learning the rest of the tale of Marsh and Cope added to the experience, and reading about how the illustrator chose to depict prehistoric creatures in the book is just so cool!
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 and then next week is vacation for us, so I’ll see you in a couple of weeks!
Kellee
- Reading: Strikers: A Graphic Novel by Kiel Phegley, Illustrated Jacques Khouri
- Listening: Me: Moth by Amber McBride
Tuesday: Discussion Guide for How to Heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra
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 love Neil Gaiman, too. How great to be able to see him and Spiegelman! I bookmarked a few others, too, Kellee, like Gone Wolf & Escape. Have fun at NCTE!
Not surprisingly, I’ve read a few of these. I’ll be at NCTE! Maybe we’ll run into each other!
Have fun to those going to NCTE!