It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. 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.
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: Kingdom of Secrets by Christyne Morrell
Thursday: Long Distance by Whitney Gardner
Sunday: Student Voices: Recommended Mangas by Sabrina Kayat and Lisa Wojciechowski, 9th Graders
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
- Slay by Brittney Morris: I am so glad I put this book on my must read in 2021 list! I don’t even know how to put into words my feelings throughout this book, but I will try. First, the representation of multiple points of view of Blackness and uplifting of all Black people was everything. Also, I was blown away by the fully-developed Slay game Morris created, complete with rules, cards, design… everything! I also found the inclusion of microaggressions by white friends super important because they need to be shown in narratives to help remediate them. And I was quite shocked by the surprise about 75% of the way in when the book definitely shifts. Overall, I can just say that I highly recommend this book!
- AstroNuts Mission 3: The Perfect Planet by Jon Sciezska, Illustrated by Steven Weinberg: What a wonderful (I’m assuming) conclusion to the series! If you don’t have the first two and aren’t getting them into kids’ hands, please fix that. The series is funny and informative–a perfect mix! Then when this one comes out in September, grab it too.
- Juan Hormiga by Gustavo Roldán, Translated by Robert Croll: I’m reviewing this book this week!
- With Trent:
- Little Fox by Edward van de Vendel: This was a beautiful book. I mean, wow beautiful. The prose was lyrical and fluid and was filled with imagery. The illustrations were a brilliant mixture of photographs and hand-drawn illustrations in different mediums. And on top of that, the story was quite fun and engaging. I am just a big fan!
- Dragon Post and Santa Post by Emma Yarlett: Emma Yartlett is one of our favorite picture book authors. She is so inventive and funny and this series is no different. If you have not read anything by her, I highly recommend picking up this series or her Nibble series.
- I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 by Lauren Tarshis: Trent says this is his favorite so far, and I can see why: action-packed and full of suspense.
- Out by Arree Chung: A mostly wordless picture book that is fun to discuss because of the multiple ways OUT is used and the use of the illustrations in telling the story.
- Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever by Julie Falatko: Reading this made me realize that I hadn’t read any Snappsy books before, and now I am mad at myself for missing out for so long! I can’t wait to read the first one to get to know the characters better, but we still thoroughly enjoyed the second one where we learn that things are really better with friends.
To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2021 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
I am with a lot of children, and I’ve really been rocking the picture book reading. Maybe: A Story about the Endless Potential in All of Us by Kobi Yamada really hit me. It won the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, and it is very well-deserving. I can’t believe I missed this book!
Kellee
I’m back to school this week, so my reading will probably slow down in general, but hopefully we’ll get back in a good rhythm with family reading time and bedtime reading again, so maybe it will even out!
Reading: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
Reading during family reading time: Check Please: Book 2 Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
Listening: Unicorn Rescue Society: The Secret of the Himalayas by Adam Gidwitz & Hena Khan
Trent and I listening to: I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 by Lauren Tarshis
Ricki
I’ve been reading a lot about communities of practice, so it is no surprised that Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity by Etienne Wenger is my current read. I am thinking about the ways in which to apply it to my practice as an educator.
Tuesday: Juan Hormiga by Gustavo Roldán, Translated by Robert Croll
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Using Anthologies to Teach Writing” by Rochelle Melander, Author of Mightier than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World Through Writing
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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Best wishes for back to school, Kellee. I have never heard of Slay, so I will look for it. Enjoy your “communities” book, Ricki. I don’t read professional books anymore but this sounds very good!
Kellee, Slay sounds like an excellent book—there seems to be so much packed into it! Little Fox sounds lovely as well, and my library has it on Hoopla, so I’ve added it to my list! And enjoy reading Check, Please—my sibling has enjoyed both of those books!
Ricki, I am so aggravated that my library doesn’t have a single Kobi Yamada book on either Libby or Hoopla, which seems ridiculous to me! I’ll keep an eye out in case Maybe shows up. And enjoy your professional development reading!
Thank you both for the great post and link round-up!