It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!
Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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.
Last Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Characters We Wish Would Get Their OWN Book
Friday: Snowman’s Story Blog Tour
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: I was able to finish 2 of the 4 books that I was reading last week: Ares by George O’Connor and Amulet: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi. They were both SO GOOD! If anyone ever questioned the brilliance of graphic novels, they just need to pick up these series. I also was able to read Exquisite Corpse by Penelope Bagieu, an adult graphic novel from France, and it has a twist I DID NOT see coming. Overall, a wonderful graphic novel reading week!
With Trent we read three new books this week. They all were from my mom and quite good. First, Watch Me Hop! had animated illustrations and a nice rhyme scheme, I Love You When… was another sweet “I Love You” book, but the best was Bob the Dog by Rodrigo Folgueira which was quite funny and had great illustrations.
Ricki: I am thrilled to say that I finished my last professional development text for the semester! Yahoo! I read Lynn Atkinson Smolen and Ruth A. Oswald’s Multicultural Literature and Response: Affirming Diverse Voices. I particularly appreciated the chapters devoted to different races and ethnicities. For instance, I learned a lot about Appalachian literature. There is a lot of practical advice for teachers in this text. The last chapter provided a great overview of different multicultural awards, a conference, and outreach programs devoted to multicultural literature.
I also finished listening to Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. I’ve wanted to read this book since it came out many, many years ago. On a whim, I reserved the audiobook at the library. It was an excellent book to listen to, and I loved getting lost in the Dutch, 17th-century setting.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I had planned on reading The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney, but so many students wanted to read it, I couldn’t keep it any longer. Dylan F. is now reading it, and I have a 5+ name waiting list. One day I’ll get to read it 🙂 I am still reading Mira’s Diary: Bombs Over London and am about half way through. It is as good as the first two, but I just haven’t found as much time to read as I liked since I am working on getting ready for NCTE (I’m presenting with Cece Bell, Nathan Hale, Frank Cammuso, and Trevor Pryce!) and ALAN (I’m moderating the Walden Award panel!). I also have The Silver Six by AJ Lieberman, a new-to-me graphic novel, to read. I love being introduced to new GNs! I am not sure how much reading I’ll get done over the next two weeks because of the conference, so we’ll see!
Ricki: I am free! Free to be! I am excited to get back into my groove of reading young adult literature. I feel like the world is my oyster, and I am pumped to get started on a few YA ARCs that I’ve received this month. One I am particularly excited to read is Audacity by Melanie Crowder.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Topics We’d Like to See More in Picture Books
Thursday: Henry and Ricki’s favorite PBs, 6-12 months
Friday: Trent and Kellee’s favorite PBs, 6-9 months
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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All the books you both mentioned sound great, Kellee & Ricki. I loved Girl With the Pearl Earring-very fun. Have a good time at NCTE, Kellee.
Thank you Linda! I am excited 🙂
Thanks, Linda! It is always a good time. 🙂
I haven’t even bought Long Haul yet! I have it on my order for January, but perhaps someone will lose their personal copy and I can sneak in a read overnight before they come claim it. THe snowman book is timely– we have a good inch out there today!
This is the first time that I didn’t read the Wimpy kids before passing them out. I think I secretly like them 😉
I could not believe the weather for the north today! Hope every one stays warm and safe.
It feels MUCH too soon for winter, doesn’t it?
Glad you’re getting a reading life back, Ricki! It’s nice to have some freedom, isn’t it?
Kellee, I just wrote about Amulet and The Long Haul in my Saturday post – I had reading kids, who used to hate reading, dying to hear their name called in the raffle. And the raffle was just to borrow my copy, i wasn’t even giving the book away! Loved the excitement!
Hope to see you both this week. Will you be at the Nerdy meet up on Saturday night?
I KNOW! The excitement for these books is something that excites me so much from an educators point of view because they really do suck kids in. And when they leave, they want to read more!
The freedom is invigorating. 🙂 I won’t be, unfortunately. I already RSVPed to a dinner. I am bummed they are on the same night!
I won’t be at the Nerdy meet up either 🙁 Also have a dinner. Though maybe afterwards?!?!
Enjoy NCTE! Ricki, enjoy those YA books now that you have time to get back to them. I have to agree about the graphic novels. I resisted them at first (I had trouble slowing down enough to take in the pictures) but series like Amulet and the Olympians and titles like Maus and Smile made a convert of me.
Yay convert!!! You should write a post about your struggles with accepting them. I’d love to share your realization with others. I am trying so hard to help people see the merit.
Darn! I just bought Snowman’s Story at our Scholastic Book Fair! I should have just waited to enter the giveaway. Ha. 🙂
You can always have 2 copies 🙂
I am somewhat new to graphic novels but enjoying them more and more! I did read Silver Six last year and liked it, so I hope you enjoy that one. I just finished Sister by Raina Telgemeier last week – it was great!
I’ve never read Girl with the Pearl Earring, but my husband and I enjoyed the movie. I’m not always a big fan of period films like that (or books), but that one was pretty good.
And isn;t that a great feeling, having the freedom to pick your next book from the dozens waiting on the shelves?? I went through that last week, too, after finally finishing 2 long nonfiction books for book groups – they were good but i was glad to get back to some fast-paced fiction!
Enjoy your books this week –
Sue
Book By Book
So glad you are beginning to enjoy graphic novels! Sisters by Raina Telgemeier is a great example of a well done GN. I hope I like Silver Six, too! It’d be one more to get for my classroom 🙂
(I’m seeing more trouble from adults/educators not letting students read graphic novels. I’d love for all adults/educators to like them, but truly I just want them to allow kids to read what they want to and what they enjoy! *off soapbox*)
You have some great posts coming up. Wow, Kellee, you are doing some amazing presentations! Wish I could be there. Ricki, congratulations on reclaiming your reading life! Yippee!
Thank you Carrie! I am very excited (and super, super nervous!).
You have a wonderful week 🙂