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: Stay Angry, Little Girl Inspired by Madeleine L’Engle, Illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
I cannot believe that it is already back to school time! My students start today 😲
To all educators, I hope your year starts off (and continues to be) wonderful!
Picture Books
- Kingdoms of Life by Carly Allen-Fletcher: As soon as I finished this book, I texted my 6th grade life science PLC head because this fits right in with the lesson that I collaborated with them on last year. It does a great job of sharing all of the kingdoms of life, including colorful illustrations and lots of interesting, informative, and fun information!
- Missy and Mason: Missy Wants a Mammoth by Pam Vaughan: Mason can’t seem to get Missy to understand that she can’t have a mammoth as a pet, and it is hard to squash her excitement, but he knows he has to get Missy to understand. Or does he?! This is such a fun book to talk about pet responsibilities, extinction, and authors inclusion of silliness.
Middle Grade
- Lola Reyes is so not Worried by Cindy L. Rodriguez: I am so lucky to have been able to write the teaching guide for this fun new middle grade magically realistic novel about cursed worry dolls, mental health, and family changes.
- Find Her by Ginger Reno: Ginger Reno is coming to the 2024 ALAN Workshop, so I was so excited to read Find Her, and it did not disappoint. It is so multi-faceted. First and foremost it was about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). We learn early on that Wren’s mother has been missing for 5 years with no leads. The author then also intertwines everything else about Wren’s life as she learns to continue to navigate a world where her mom is not there. I loved dynamics of Wren’s family, especially her grandmother Elisi. My other favorite character is Brantley who is the perfect friend for Wren and Wren is the perfect friend for him. And also within the book is a story of bullying, abuse, and animal abuse. It is a huge feat to fit so much into one book, but the author did a fantastic job, and I couldn’t put down the book.
- PetWizards by Kirk Scroggs: This silly graphic novel is psychedelic in so many ways–colors, characters, plot, silliness. It is all just an all out fun graphic novel filled with everything that middle grade students are going to love.
- Coyote Queen by Jessica Vitalis: After reading Jessica Vitalis’s author guest post, I knew I wanted to read Coyote Queen, and I am so glad I finally did. There are not enough books about children who struggle day to day either when it comes to home security, family stability, food stability, or domestic abuse, like Fud does. But I am so happy that this book, despite everything, has hope, though not too unrealistic.
Young Adult
All of these YA books are by authors that are attending the 2024 ALAN Workshop, and I’m even more excited for them after reading their newest works!
- Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo: I knew I was going to love Jo after reading the publisher’s pitch about this book, but this book was much more about mental health/trauma and a mystery than I thought it was going to be, and that made the book even better! Although it is a tough read, it is well done and important.
- The Art Thieves by Andrea L. Rogers: This book blew me away. It is hard to explain the book or summarize it without giving away anything, but I highly recommend it.
- Better Must Come by Desmond Hall: Deja and Gabriel’s story ends up being a thriller with Jamaican life as the backdrop. I do not know of another book like this for young adults, and I love that it is written now for the readers who need to see themselves and for others to hear this story. Readers are going to enjoy this intense read!
- They Thought They Buried Us by NoNieqa Ramos: I am a sucker for books at boarding schools, as you know, and here is another one, but it is unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Like The Art Thieves, I can’t tell you very much, but I can share that Yuiza, one of the few students of color at Our Lady of Perpetual Mercy, knows something is wrong, but it is even worse than she can imagine. The story is full of trauma and gaslighting and mystery and questioning and definitely an analogy for our society. (You know this book got me because I kept having to tell my sister about what was happening because it was blowing my mind.)
- Thirsty by Jas Hammonds: There are not a lot of books that look at unsafe, peer pressured, and excessive drinking that comes often times comes with older teens’ lives, but Hammonds tackles it so well in this book while also looking at the pressure and exclusion that comes with prestigious organizations. I read this book so quickly; I had trouble putting it down!
- The Judgement of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum: This book is a roller coaster of emotions. Yoyo is the perfect Jewish daughter for her rabbi father in her Orthodox Jewish community. But her eyes are opened overtime of transgressions and hypocrisies in her community, and it is just time before these small notices begin to change her and make her question herself and her life. I, as an outsider of this community, learned a lot about their religion and traditions while also going along for Yoyo’s journey of self discovery.
You can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
This is my week off; see you next week!
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “A Walk in Nature: Science for the Very Young” by Julie Downing, Author of Hello, Sun
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
So many great books here, Kellee—wow!! I’m intrigued by so many—Find Her and They Thought They Buried Us especially stand out, and the premise of Lola Reyes Is So Not Worried seems brilliant.
But to be frank, the book I’m going to 100% find is PetWizards—because I *adored* Kirk Scroggs’s books as a kid, and the pride flag energy on the cover did not go unnoticed, and those are the only two deciding factors I need!
Also, I assume you’re getting to attend the ALAN Workshop, and it sounds incredibly cool to hear from all these authors—I love that you’re preparing by checking out so many of these books!
Thanks for all the wonderful picks, as always, and have a great week!
Hey people!!!!!
Good mood and good luck to everyone!!!!!