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!
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
Picture Book
- The Magical Science of Feelings: Train Your Amazing Brain to Quiet Anger, Soothe Sadness, Calm Worry, and Share Joy by Jen Daily, Illustrated by Gwen Millward: This was a perfect book to read on the day that I saw Inside Out 2. The movie shows how complex emotions are which segues perfectly to this book. It does a brilliant job making emotions accessible and easy to discuss for children. For each emotion, it describes what is happening in the body to make the emotion, has the reader reflect on the emotion, and has activities that help with the feeling. This is a perfect book for homes and for schools–it truly is about the magic and science of feelings.
Middle Grade
- Super Pancake and Super Pancake & the Mini Muffin Mayhem by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Illustrated by Abhi Alwar: This series has the perfect mix of superheroes, humor, and every day challenges which makes it a perfect graphic novel for elementary readers–they’re going to love the action of Peggy fighting the villain, the silliness and adorableness of all the characters, the humor of the jokes, and will connect with the school and family conflict.
- Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride: Amber McBride is back and is gracing us with a very different book than her readers are used to, but do not fret, it is just as brilliant as her other work. Readers will connect. and/or empathize with Onyx’s drastic life changes and the pressure and responsibility he feels. This historical fiction novel-in-verse is so multi-layered and beautifully written. (Out 10/1/24!)
- Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E.F. Barone: If you didn’t know, I am a secret volcano nerd. I took a geology class during my master’s degree, and it sucked me in, making me a bit obsessed with volcanoes, specifically Mt. St. Helens, which I was able to visit in 2005, so you may guess that I devoured this book. Barone does a brilliant job turning this historical event into a narrative that students will delve into and not want to put down until they are finished.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer by Jeff Kinney: Another win from Jeff Kinney. Diary of a Wimpy Kid readers are surely going to enjoy this one, too. This one specifically was enjoyable from an educators point of view because of how he took on issues of school systems.
- Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey: Like the other Dog Man books, the newest is just as goofy and silly as the others while also throwing in some lessons such as a discussion on AI.
- Sunny Makes Her Case by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm: I love the Sunny books, and readers will love this newest installment that looks at finding your place and academics vs. athletics within schools.
Young Adult
- The Island by Natasha Preston: What a roller coaster! The cover pretty much covers the plot and the feeling of the book: Spooky theme part, darkness, and a bit of hope. I read this book so quickly but ended up furious; I now understand why many have a love-hate relationship with Natasha Preston, but it isn’t going to keep me from reading another of her books.
- A Queen’s Game by Katharine McGee: Although the cover looks just like McGeen’s American Royals series, it is a very different type of book–this one is based in history in the Victorian era and is completely inspired by true events. Told in alternating points of view, readers get to see three royals looking for love and all of the drama and scandal during this venture. Readers will be thrown into the ballrooms of England and not want to take a breath until the end, though I will say that I am already excited for book two! (Out 10/1/24!)
- Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy: WHOA! This murder mystery was mind blowing and kept me (and the characters) on my toes the entire time! And I DID NOT see anything coming. This will not be the last Murphy book I read because I was quite impressed.
- The Champions by Kara Thomas: The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas was one of the first young adult thrillers I read and loved, so I am so excited that a companion is coming out which will hopefully lead even more readers to The Cheerleaders as well. The Champions is very different than its companion though they both take on super tough topics within their pages. The Champions takes place in the same town as its companion, but it is years later and this time we are seeing the story of the town’s champion football team from the eyes of a student reporter who is extracting information that will change everything. (Out 8/27/24!)
- Break to You by Neal Shusterman, Debra Young, and Michelle Knowlden: Every time I think Neal Shusterman cannot surprise me any more, he puts out a new book that is so unlike anything else he has written. This time we get a love story between teens getting through sentences at a juvenile detention center–so many risks for love! The book is as well written as you would assume for a book with Shusterman’s name on it, and this time it includes poetry! (Out 7/2/24!)
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
It is my week off; see you next week!
Kellee
- Reading: Frankly in Love by David Yoon
- Listening (slowly because there isn’t a lot of driving during the summer): You Are Here: Connecting Flights edited by Ellen Oh
Tuesday: Discussion Guide for The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtado
Thursday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Guide Them like Lighthouses to the Shores of Success” by Preston Norton, Author of The House on Yeet Street
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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