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.
CONGRATULATIONS
PATRICIA
for winning a copy of Margarita Engle’s Sky Painter!!!
Last Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Parents in Books
Friday: Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post: Go, Pea, Go by Joe Moshier and Chris Sonnenburg
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: This week was a much slower reading week than last. I did finish another 2 graphic novels. They were very different, but both very good. First, I read Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier which is a different holocaust story than most and told in a very gentle way. It would be interesting to have this same story but told from the adult’s point of view. I think the illustrations and story would be much tougher. I also read Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword by Mike Maihack which is the second book in the Cleopatra in Space series, and it ends with a HORRIBLE cliffhanger. I need book three now! Additionally, I did finish the novel I was reading Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither. I wanted to love this book, but I ended up just liking it. Worth a read because the plot and concept are so interesting, but I just had trouble connecting with the characters.
With Trent, I actually read 3 new books with him this week! First, we read Thumper’s Furry Friends, a Disney book about Thumper from Bambi. Trent loves touch and feel books and books with holes in the cover that make it easy to open, so this was a win-win for him. We also read Sophie’s Busy Day, a DK book about Sophie la girafe which was also touch and feel. Finally, I read The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, which is, I think, a favorite of so many people! Jim had read this to Trent before, but this was my first time. I’d forgotten how wonderful this story was! Though I really do wish I had a good Grover voice….. Next to these three books, it is usually the same thing every night (though he has discovered his bookshelf instead of just picking up books off the floor, so I hope this gives us some variety in the future).
Ricki: It’s finals week! Huzzah! One more week and then I am in book freedom! I did get a chance to read Lisa Pliscou’s Young Jane Austen: Becoming a Writer. This was a fabulous little book that taught me a lot about Jane’s early life. I also enjoyed Photos Framed: A Fresh Look at the World’s Most Memorable Photographs by Ruth Thomson. This book explores the photographic elements and subject matter memorable photographs from 1844 through 2011. I found it to be very interesting. Henry and I reread the same ten books that he is in love with. I tried to sneak in a few new ones, and he flipped out each time. Ha. Maybe next week?
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: Last night I started A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn. I am still at the very beginning, so we’ll see. It has gotten mixed reviews, but is compared to Bitterblue (big shoes!). In the car, I am listening to The Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson and narrated by Katherine Kellgren who is doing a WONDERFUL job–I love all of her voices! With Trent we have two more Sophie books to read that his aunt got him, and I hope to read Farmer Dale’s Red Pickup Truck by Lisa Wheeler if he is feeling up to some variety.
Ricki: I would like to read X by Kekla Magoon and Ilyasa Shabazz this week! I have to read and review six manuscripts for a class, and then I am a free bird. 🙂
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Ten Books We Will Probably Never Read
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
I want to read X as well.
I just read The Monster at the End of this Book a few years ago and enjoyed it tremendously.
We will have to compare notes, Earl!
I can’t wait because it is one of the Audiobook Sync free audiobooks this summer!
The Monster at the End of the Book is hard not to love 🙂
Roller Girls was quite good– I think this one will be even more popular than Smile. X was good, but sadly not very middle grade appropriate. I love Magoon’s work and wish more of it were MG!
That is a bummer. I bet that is very frustrating. Well, at least you enjoyed the book!
I agree about Roller Girl, and I look forward to reading more of Magoon’s work. Have you read Camo Girl by her?
Hidden sounds good. I love Holocaust literature but didn’t know of any graphic novels other than Maus–definitely more adult in its approach, though I had a few 8th graders who read it. One of them actually introduced me to it!
Enjoy your book freedom–it’s almost here!
I also loved Hidden. It is an excellent text for the classroom.
It is very good! I think your 8th graders would love it.
There is the Anne Frank graphic novel by Jacobson as well.
Oooh, compared to Bitterblue… shall watch for reviews. Ricki – soon, soon!! 🙂 And… I dislike no abhor cliffhangers at the end of books. Just finished one where I just rolled my eyes. Ech. Go figure, my son loves them.
We’ll see. So far I don’t know if it is equal at all.
I don’t like cliffhangers either!! That is why I have stopped reading series until they are all out. But you are right, kids do love them!
Why do some kids love them? They drive me insane!
Wow, sounds like you both did a lot of reading last week, on your own and with your boys. My son does a GREAT Grover voice! One of our all-time favorite Grover segments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=42&v=ngg0pyz0Tfc
Good memories!
I had a BUSY week, with 4 days spent traveling to Booktopia in VT – an amazing book-filled weekend!
Hope you both enjoy your books this week –
Sue
Book By Book
Oh my gosh! I am showing that video to Henry tomorrow. Thank you for sharing. I loved your post today about Booktopia!
I am very jealous of your son!
And I love the video! That was one of my favorite Grover moments as well. Thank you for reminding me of it!
The Monster at the End of the book is just so good. I was so pleasantly surprised when I revisited it a few years ago reading it to my son. It was a favorite of mine when I was growing up. Ricki, how exciting to be so close to book freedom! I well remember that time of year from grad school–suddenly being turned free to read whatever I wanted again!
It is such a funny book! I, too, hadn’t read it in years and loved it!
I know! I am pretty thrilled. 🙂
I highly recommend X. Such an amazing, life-changing novel.
Can’t wait for the audiobook during the summer Audiosync!
I remember your review! It is definitely next. I can’t wait to compare notes!
I need a new list of Trent books. It is not fun bringing him a book he already has! I love to bring him books!!
The Monster at the End of the Book was one of my favorites as an elementary school student. Grover is so awesome. We have Cleopatra in Space at my school, but I haven’t gotten to it. Maybe I need to take it home.
Rikki, I really enjoyed X, I hope you do too. I want the Jane Austen book!
The Monster at the end of the Book brings back so many wonderful memories for me. My two guys are now 31 and 34 and this was one of our favourites. Isn’t Roller Girl just stunning. I’ve convinced some friends to go to a derby with me next weekend. We’ve got the first Cleopatra in our library. Thanks for the heads up about the cliffhanger as I HATE books that end like that! Riki, congratulations on being almost done. I’m impressed with the quality of your reading life. I think I read something akin to westerns and romance at the end of the term – at least until my brain had relaxed a bit.
As always I love hearing about both of the little ones likes and preferences when it comes to books. Apologies for arriving here late – was ill last night and came home and went to bed.