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: Dark on Light by Dianne White, Illustrated by Felicita Sala
Friday: The Little Bad Book 2 by Magnus Myst
Sunday: Follow That Line!: Magic at Your Fingertips by JaNay Brown-Wood, Illustrated by Rob Justus
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
I haven’t updated since 11/7, so there is a lot to share!
- A Man and his Cat Vol 1 by Umi Sakurai: Like the Gamer + Cat series, this is a story about a new cat owner learning the joys and humor of owning a cat. I love this duo–I will definitely read more!
- Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam: I love this debut about judging differences and finding friends with those who you don’t expect. I was a huge fan of the art style, too–it was so much fun to read.
- The Moth Keeper by Kay O’Neill: This graphic novel is beautiful and is all about found family and friendship. I loved following Anya’s journey.
- Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith: This is such a clever retelling of Beowulf where the adults are the monsters and the kids must protect their tree house. Kids and adults alike will love this book.
- Squire and Knight by Scott Chantler: So many of us have met people that take credit for things that they didn’t do–this is a story just as that where the knight, who claims to be a hero, needs his squire who he often looks down on. Filled with monsters and magic, this graphic novel is a fun read.
- Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa: A realistic fiction romance book about the quiet and smart Belle who starts tutoring the girlfriend of her crush leading to awkward but also wonderful situations as all 3 of the girls get to know each other.
- Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin by Tracey Baptiste, Illustrated by Shauna J. Grant: I am so glad that this History Comic focuses on Claudette first to show her activism and share what happens to her. Great biographies of these two women and a historical account of the times, which I wasn’t worried about with Baptiste writing it!
- Travis Daventhrope for the Win! by Wes Molebash: Fans of HiLo are going to love this book! This is a hilarious, sci-fi graphic novel with a main character and sidekick that all readers will root for.
- Grace Needs Space! by Alison Wilgus, Illustrated by Rii Abrego: I loved both the story and artwork of this book! Grace is so excited to hang out with her “fun” mom instead of being with her overbearing mom, but it doesn’t end up being what she expected at all. This leads to Grace searching for her own adventure which leads to the rest of the story.
- Unretouchable by Sofia Szamosi: Whoa–this look into fashion and photography, including body image, eating disorders, and photoshopping, dives into this world of harm, specifically around social media, in a way like I haven’t read before. An important message in an emotional graphic novel.
- The Big Adventures of Babymouse: Once Upon a Messy Whisker by Jennifer L. Holm, Illustrated by Matthew Holm: It was so great to get back into the world of Babymouse! Like her other books, this is full of imagination and fun. This time, Babymouse is questioning her messy whiskers, but there’s more to them than she realizes.
- Harold the Iceberg Melts Down by Lisa Wyzlic, Illustrated by Rebecca Syracuse: I am so proud of Lisa for this book! It is such a cute story and the illustrations are perfect for the story! I love that the book is a mix of silly and serious and has a message that many kids will connect with.
- We Are Here by Tami Charles, Illustrated by Bryan Collier: I was so lucky to have Bryan Collier and Tami Charles share this beautiful book and message at NCTE. It is a must get!
- Best Wishes by Sarah Mlynowski: I am a HUGE fan of Mlynowski’s other fantasy series (Upside Down Magic & Whatever After), so I was so excited to read the first book in a new series for her. Like her others, it was so engaging and easy to connect with.
- Speak Up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm by Tonya Bolden: I reviewed this before break.
- Love Radio by Ebony LaBelle: Alternating narration between Prince and Dani as they get to know each other lends itself to this story that is more than other high school love stories–it is a coming of age story full of support, music, books, passion, family, and friends.
- Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs: Book two of the series took Ben to camp where SPYDER follows causing quite a catastrophe.
- The Gingerbread Witch by Alexandra Overy: This fairy tale-esque was different than I expected, in a good way! It was more. More than just a retelling or reimagining, it is a story about finding your power when no one else believes in you. It also shows you that friendship sometimes come from those you least expect.
- New Kids & Under Dogs by Margaret Finnegan: I’ll be reviewing this soon 🙂
- Piece by Piece by David Aguilar & Ferran Aguilar, Translated by Lawrence Schimel: I’ll be reviewing this soon 🙂
- Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King: This book is an automatic favorite and was exactly what I needed right now with everything going on here in Florida. Amy King brilliantly took something that happened to her son and turned it into a call to action about the censorship and other mandates. You need to read this. Now.
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy: I loved this book. Well, as much as you can love a book that made you cry and infuriated you and made you want to be able to find the stranger you are reading about and give her a hug. And the audio, read by Jennette, made it even more impactful.
To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2022 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
This is my week off; I’ll see you on here next week!
Kellee
- Listening to: Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Reading: That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger
Tuesday: Piece by Piece: How I Built My Life (No Instructions Required) by David Aguilar & Ferran Aguilar, Translated by by Lawrence Schimel
Thursday: Magnolia Flower by Zora Neale Hurston, Adapted by Ibram X. Kendi, Illustrated by Loveis Wise
Saturday: The Atlas Obscura’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid by Dylan Thuras & Rosemary Mosco, Illustrated by Joy Ang
Sunday: Author Guest Post by Josh Funk, Author of The Great Caper Caper
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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Attack of the Black Rectangles is so good. Sorry about what you have to deal with in Florida! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Jennette McCurdy’s book.
Agree with Lisa, sorry you are having to deal with the new policies about teaching and books, Kellee. Yes, I loved Attack of the Black Rectangles, too. Thanks for the titles you shared, many new to me!
I wasn’t even sure I would comment on any posts this week, Kellee, but you can’t tempt me with that many cool graphic novels and then expect me not to thank you in the comments! I added Meesh the Bad Demon, The Moth Keeper, Unretouchable, and Grace Needs Space to my reading list. Also, I second the other commenters—I cannot imagine what teaching in Florida is like right now, but I’m so glad they have someone like you counteracting all the awful energy. Thanks so much for the wonderful post!
So many good books that I haven’t read! Adding to my TBR. Attack of the Black Rectangles was also an easy favorite for me and when I saw a student reading it the other day, I was so excited! It’s just what we need.
I really wish The Moth Keeper was available at any of my libraries! Ditto for Unretouchable. In fact, I am feeling kind of depressed after reading about all these books and discovering that non of them are available locally.
I too love Amy Sarig King and will read anything by her.
I’ve added I’m Glad My Mom Died to my list and even put it into a file for adding it to my must read list next year.
Happy reading this week.