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 Books for Readers Who Like Nonfiction
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: This week I read When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds. Now that I’ve read the book, I love the cover so much! I know it has gotten a lot of publicity over its portrayal of a gun on the cover, but if you read the book, it is a perfect cover for a special book.
I also finished listening to The Family Romanov which deserves any award that is has received. Candance Fleming’s research is flawless and the fascinating story is told brilliantly with a mix of narrative about the Romanovs, information about the state of Russia, and primary sources.
Additionally, I finished reading Endangered with my students. The loved the book, hopefully as much as I did. It took us a bit to read it, but it was because they wanted to talk so much about it. They had so many questions and were so invested! I cannot wait until after spring break when we get to Skype with Eliot Schrefer. (I would like to add that the end of that book ALWAYS gets me. I cannot read it without crying. It is so perfect.) We are starting Hurt Go Happy on April 1st, and I cannot wait to share another of my favorite books with my amazing kids.
Ricki: This week, I read a professional development text—James Paul Gee’s An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method. I know that sounds boring, but it was actually quite interesting! It made me think about how our language reveals power relationships and our figured worlds (the ways we understand the world). I listened to two more CDs of East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I think I am on disc 11 out of 23, but I am probably wrong. I love it. It makes my rides very enjoyable!
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I started Words and Their Meaning by Kate Bassett on Friday, and so far I am enjoying the voice. I also plan on beginning the audiobook of Counting by 7s on Monday. I am so excited to FINALLY be reading it!
Ricki: I am almost finished with Melissa Keil’s Life in Outer Space. I will probably be done with it tomorrow. It is delightful (Paper Towns meets Stargirl). Then, I plan to read Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign. I am a bit behind on pleasure reading, but I plan to go crazy this summer. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what everyone else is reading this week!
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Books On Our Spring TBRs
Sunday: Author’s Guest Post!: “A Love for Reading Begets Passionate Writing” by Jake Marcionette, Author of Just Jake
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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Wow, Kellee, you just read three of my favorite books, & get to Skype with Eliot Schrefer. I loved both Threatened & Endangered, passing them around the class! And Ricki, thanks for that title, Life In Outer Space, sounds like a book some of my students will like. Have a good week you two!
You are welcome! Kellee actually told me about it. Sharing the love! 🙂 Have a great week!
It was a great reading week, wasn’t it?!?!
Threatened and Endangered are both brilliant. He is such a deep writer. I am very excited about skyping with him and my kids after spring break.
I loved your description– Paper Towns meets Stargirl. However, since I didn’t like either of those very much, now I will have trouble picking up Life in Outer Space, but I’m also curious to see if I like it any better than the other two!
Hi! It also reminds me a lot of The Perks of Being a Wallflower–if that helps! I was thinking that I should have included that book last night. You will have to tell me what you think about it. 🙂
Kellee, I love Endangered and Hurt Go Happy. I read Endangered to one of my 7th grade classes last year, and they loved it, too. I’m jealous you get to Skype with Elliot Shrefer. How amazing!
Ricki, I’m with you. Discourse Analysis is fascinating. I wrote my master’s thesis on the discourse analysis of a listserv from a freshman comp class. It’s amazing what people reveal through their use of language if you dig down to find it.
Kay, that sounds fascinating! I know discourse analysis isn’t for everyone, but people and language intrigue me, so I find the process to be very compelling. I am not in love with Conversation Analysis, though. It will take me some time to like that one a bit more. 🙂
Two of my favorite books! They are both definitely in my top 5.
I love Eliot, and I cannot wait for my kids and him to chat. I am so looking forward to it!
Counting by 7’s and Rain Reign are both on my want-to-read lists – there’s just never enough time!
Loved hearing about how excited Kellee’s students were about Endangered – that is so great! I love to see kids excited about books – I had a blast a few years ago giving talks to Craig’s middle school English classes about book and writing 🙂 And so cool that you will be Skyping with the author! Can I come??
Enjoy your books this week!
Sue
Book By Book
I agree, Sue! There is certainly never enough time! Lately, my reading hasn’t thrived due to time, but I know I will be back in the saddle soon!
Come on down!! 🙂 He is so great to skype with 🙂
Seeing students excited about a book is what makes my job so worth it!
Ricki – enjoy Rain Reign. It was one of my favourites of 2014! Kellee – I also just read When I was the Greatest. The cover is perfect. It completely makes sense. How I love Jason Reynolds! Ricki, I am sure Kellee is insisting but if you haven’t yet read his books, they are must reads.
Thanks, Carrie! I am looking forward to reading it!
The cover is perfect. It is the first thing I addressed in my review because I think it has been getting a lot of flack.
Ricki is already planning on reading this one so we can dual review 🙂 🙂
Hello ladies!
Kellee, your review of When I Was the Greatest made me immediately put it on my list! I’ve seen it reviewed before, but now it’s even more on my radar!
Ricki, I give you so much credit plowing through these books, some of the titles intimidate me! Can’t wait to hear the fun books you get to this summer!
I promise the fun is on its way back in! I just need to get through the semester. I can read one fun book per week (excluding picture books) without getting behind. 🙂
Thank you!! I cannot wait to review it here on the blog as well 🙂 I hope you like it!!
Endangered AND Hurt Go Happy? Wow, love both so much… Can’t wait to read Life in Outer Space… Kellee- enjoy Counting by 7s, I just loved it too much…
They are two of my top five favorite books ever! I love reading them with my students 🙂
Life in Outer Space is a great book too.
I’m about 2.5 hours into Counting by 7s, and Willow has my heart.
I loved When I was the Greatest. I’m a knitter so I was a fan of the cover art. Rikki, I’m glad the professional book wasn’t as dry as the title might lead us to believe. 😉
The cover is perfect for the book. It is an important book.
I want to read Counting by 7s since the author will be at the Children’s Institute next month.
I’m interested in what you think of Rain Reign.