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: Ten of Our Auto-Buy Authors
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: Holy first week Batman! This is the first year that I have felt completely overwhelmed with preplanning week. I think it will all seem better once the students start (today!), but this last week was brutal. With that being said, I did finish my reread of A Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. I’ve started the second in the series, The Tiara on the Terrace, but I did not get anywhere near as far as I would have liked to. I’m always super sad when I have these types of reading weeks, but I just couldn’t find the time!
Ricki: Hello! I’ve missed everyone! As some of you know, I broke my right elbow about two weeks ago. I’d tell you the story, but it is embarrassing. I apologize I haven’t commented on anyone’s posts, but I promise I’ve been reading them! And thank you all for your well wishes. I wasn’t able to hold up any books for a good portion of the time, but I read a bunch of books before the injury and in the last few days. I read Kelly Gallagher’s Deeper Reading: Comprehending Texts, 4-12. I loved it so much that I am making my students read it this semester. There are a lot of great, practical strategies to help students break down challenging texts.
Henry and I have read a dozen new picture books, but I will share the best ones. Henry’s favorite picture book from the last few weeks is Planes Fly by George Ella Lyon. We read it three times in a row every night. He loves the illustrations of the different types of planes and the descriptions of the different things that planes can do. Mom’s favorite from the last few weeks is Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall. I added it to his birthday list because I liked it so much! Two other books we enjoyed a lot were the new Dr. Seuss book, What Pet Should I Get? and Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon. I love sloths!
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: We’ll see! I hope to finish Tiara, but I am not putting any pressure on myself. If I do, I want to start Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz.
Ricki: I am listening to I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. It is phenomenal!
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Texts that Might Be On Ricki’s English Methods Syllabus
Thursday: Review and Giveaway!: Goodnight Songs: A Celebration of the Seasons by Margaret Wise Brown
Sunday: Author’s Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Why We Still Need Coming Out Stories in YA Fiction” by Emily O’Beirne, Author of A Story of Now
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!
and
Busy times! I hope you both have a little bit of restful reading this week. Have a terrific week back, Kellee, and hope you’re healing well, Ricki.
Thank you, Linda!
Thank you, Linda! Today was wonderful 🙂
Kellee, Have a great first day with students! I know you have lots of good books to share with them this year!
Ricki, Glad your arm is feeling much better! Welcome back! I love flying and George Ella Lyon, so the Planes books sounds phenomenal. And I’ve loved everything by Kelly Gallagher. How cool that your students will read it, too.
I agree. Kelly Gallagher is incredible. I am going to go to one of his NCTE presentations this year. 🙂
Thank you, Kay! I loved meeting my kiddos today! I cannot wait to talk books with them!
Hi ladies!
Ricki, so glad to hear you’re on the mend!
Kelle, I’m with you this week. School starts today. Reading will slow down.
Have a great week!
Thanks, Michele!
Yep. Slows down the speeds up then slows down. The ebbs and flows of a reader’s life 🙂
Red was good! I’m glad he has a birthday registry of sorts for books! I can’t wait to read Heidi Schulz’s new book.
Earl, it helps me keep track of the books I want to buy him. 😉
That is a great idea, isn’t it?!
I’m excited to read Hook’s Revenge! Then I’m sure I’ll be excited for the new one!
I didn’t realize a sequel to The Wig in the Window was coming out! That’s exciting! Feel better Ricki. I can’t wait to read the Sloth picture book and I’ll Give You the Sun made me cry and cry! Such a beautiful book.
The Sloth picture book is so delightful. I think you will enjoy it!
Yes! It comes out in January, I think! I’m so excited to be presenting with her in November!
I agree about I’ll Give You the Sun. It is such a special book!!!
Welcome back, Ricki! Glad you are healing and getting back to normal.
So school starts today already? My kids usually start the last week of August, but with Labor Day so late this year, they don’t start until next week.
Hope you two both enjoy your first week back with the kids and whatever reading you can fit in!
Sue
Book By Book
Thank you. I am very glad to be back!
This is actually early for us! Last year we started on the 18th 🙂
Thank you, Sue! 🙂
Kellee – it’s so hard when you don’t get enough reading time in, isn’t it?! This time of year does that to us. 🙁 I got to meet Kristen Kittschner at Nerdcamp this year. Fun! So sorry to hear about your elbox, Ricki. That sounds terribly painful! I loved I’ll Give You the Sun!!!!
It is improving more quickly than I anticipated, so I am a happy girl
But luckily the reading dips for something we love. I adored meeting my kiddos today.
I cannot wait to meet Kristen IRL!
Oh Kellee, I now want to read A Wig in the Window, but I am already overwhelmed by everything I have to read! Thankfully it’s not available at our local library.
Rickie, I’m sorry to hear about your arm and hope it is on the mend. Kelly Gallagher’s book looks like a good professional book for our library collection. Red: A Crayon’s Story, had our VP weepy when I gave it to him to read.
Good luck with your reading this week!
I am glad you gave it to your VP. What a great idea!
I hope you can fit it in Cheriee sometime–it is a great middle school mystery!
Red is such a special story. I love that you shared it 🙂
I loved both Deeper Reading and Red. Such great books – but very different reasons obvs. 🙂
I was just on your site! Too funny. 🙂
Both very important books.
Hooray, I know my next audiobook now- I’ll give you the sun… thanks! 🙂
A wonderful book!
Thumbs up!
Thank you for stopping by Jessica 🙂
This is our prep week Kellee and mine has been a little on the brutal side too. I too hope that once the children walk in the door, things will be better.
Rikki, I’m glad you are able to type again and have less pain. Red is a great book. I enjoy sharing it with students.
Hi Ricki. Great to see that you’ve been recovering well. Kellee, best of luck on your first week in school – exciting! I like the look of A Story of Now. 🙂 Have a great reading week, you two!