It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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.
Twenty-four Seconds from Now… by Jason Reynolds is a beautiful romance between two teens and is told from the perspective of the boy. They are deciding whether they are ready to have sex, and they get advice and thoughts from all those around them. This is an incredibly thoughtful book that does a wonderful job bucking all of the assumptions that people have about young adults.
Adult
I read James by Percival Everett for my book club, and I am so glad I read it. It is a beautiful revisioning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from the perspective of James (“Jim” in Huck Finn). I recommend this one highly.
Adult Romance
And I’ve been lavishing in romances to keep me happy in the turbulent political times. I loved Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. It is about two writers who reunite after not seeing each other since high school. There are a lot of thoughtful themes in this book, and I appreciated Williams’ care and attention to the ways that migraines plague so many people.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas is a fun work romance that entertained me, for sure. The main character needs a date for her sister’s wedding because her ex will be there.
And with weddings as a theme, I also read The Wedding Date, in which a character gets stuck in an elevator with a guy who actually needs a wedding date, as well.
Tuesday: As You Wish by Nashae Jone
Sunday: Author Guest Post; “Connecting the Past with the Present for Students” by Sarah Raughley, Author of The Queen’s Spade
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!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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.
I took today off from IMWAYR because I went to a wedding this weekend and sadly didn’t have time to write up my post, but you can learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
This is my week off; see you next week!
Tuesday: Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria Huang
Thursday: Henry’s Books: Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
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!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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.
It’s my week off! You can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
Picture Books
The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please is a quirky book that my son loved! It is an very odd but very fun!
I adored I Want to Read All the Books by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. I love any books about reading in mass quantities, and this one really celebrates reading! Teachers might read this one before a library trip!
Middle Grade
My son’s Battle of the Books’ team was assigned to read Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea, so I read it with him. He absolutely loved it. I believe he may even review it for the blog next week!
A friend recommended Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar. It’s a stunning book about civil rights in India. I especially appreciated that it tackled tough topics like–how can we cause harm when we are working toward equity and justice.
I love, love, loved Mexikid by Pedro Martín and will be using it next semester when I teach about critical theory—particularly social class.
Noodle & Bao by Shaina Lu is a great graphic novel that invites readers to consider tradition and innovation!
Young Adult
I read Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan’s Surviving the City books I and III. I appreciated the symbolism within the text along with the ways they shared very real issues of murdered and missing Indigenous girls and women, racist monuments, and Indian boarding schools. These graphic novels are short (about 60 pages) and well worth the read. I need to get my hands on volume II!
A friend recommended Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes. I had been meaning to read this memoir, and it is beautifully written and utterly heartbreaking. Nikki demonstrates such incredible strength.
I loved Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia. This graphic novel is about a girl who goes to help her father renovate brownstones, but she doesn’t speak Spanish. There are so many complex themes explored in this book. I loved it.
A friend and colleague is hosting a book discussion of Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore, so I reread it to join the conversation this week. I love this book so much—it is a powerful retelling of The Great Gatsby.
A student recommended Northranger by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo. It’s about a gay teen who goes with his step-father to work on a rural ranch. I liked this book a lot and felt like the setting and characterization were extremely well done.
I was blown away by The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky by Josh Galarza. It explores eating disorders in boys. We need more books like this one. The writing is absolutely stunning.
I was so excited to read Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin after the author spoke at the ALAN Workshop. This is a book that shares the harms that can come to women if we ban abortion.
Adult
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is going to be my favorite adult read of the year (I can confidently say this in January). It is a creative nonfiction about the true story of a midwife in the 1700s. I highly recommend this book!
Lula Den’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller was popping up on a lot of folks’ best books of the year lists, so I snagged it to read. It’s about a little library of banned books—but the irony is that the books have been swapped and are in dust jackets of old-fashioned texts. So people take books out of the library thinking they are going to read “wholesome” texts, but they end up reading banned books. The little library is in Lula Dean’s front yard, and she is the central censor in the town.
My book club loved Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods. I enjoyed it, but I listened, and I think it is a book that would have been more enjoyable in print. It took me a long time to understand which characters were which. I liked it, but my book club loved it so much.
Adult Romance
I separated my recent romance obsession out from the other adult books to set them apart. I’ve been enjoying reading about love.
Hellen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient is about an autistic woman who hires an escort to teach her about romance. It’s really sweet and very spicy.
Beth O’Leary’s The Flat Share is about a woman who shares a flat with a man, but they work opposite hours, so they won’t meet.
Sarah Adams’ The Off Limits Rule is about a man who is interested in his best friend’s sister. My kids bought me this one for the holidays!
I fell into Ali Hazelwood’s books. I love her nerdy academic romances! The Love Hypothesis and Love Theoretically are both fantastic.
Ricki
Currently Reading: A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff
Tuesday: The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen
Thursday: Sofia’s YA Book Nook: How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Back Matter Can Be the Beginning” by Charlotte Gunnufson, Author of Dream Submarine
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!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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.
Hi, Unleashing Readers readers!! Just wanted to let you know of an announcement I’d like to share because it is going to change the books you may see me review and us feature throughout 2025: I am so lucky to be assisting with the 2026 Caldecott Award Committee, so we will be unable to feature any guest post, and I will not be able to review any, picture books, highly illustrated novels, and graphic novels published in 2025. and
Here’s what I’ve read since December 9th:
All Ages/Multi-Ages Manga
Cat + Gamer Volumes 3, 4, 5, & 6by Wataru Nadatani: I love this series! It does a perfect job of being a cute cat manga while also having enough plot that the story moves forward. It does both really well!
Dinosaur Sanctuary Volumes 1, 2, & 3by Itaru Kinoshita: I also love this series! I love the premise that dinosaurs were re-discovered and now there are sanctuaries of them, I love the paleontology throughout, and the plot of this one really keeps you reading, too.
WonderCat Kyuu-chan Volumes 2, 3, 4, & 5by Sasami Nitori: A cute cat slice of life manga where each page is a different mini story.
Middle Grade
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter: I can definitely see why this is one of the favorite graphic novels in my library. It is hard not to feel bad for Maggie and feel invested in her journey to find the perfect situation for her.
New Dragon City by Mari Mancusi: So, I am not a big dragon lore, high fantasy dragon book reader. But this dragon book was the perfect mix of post-apocalyptic suspense, unknown fantasy of the dragons, and family & situational drama. I very much enjoyed this read!
The Aquanaut by Dan Santat: What a beautiful and odd graphic novel! I had no idea what this book was going to be going in, but it is so unique and so pretty to look at. It is hard to explain, but it is essentially about a young girl who lost her father to the sea and a group of adorable sea creatures pretending to be a man in an aquanaut’s suit and how their paths collide.
Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo: Sue does NOT want to be the fluffy, girly girl that her mom wants her to be, but her secretly planned quinceañera is about more than just her mom’s expectations; it takes a visit to Honduras to visit relatives for Sue (and her mom) to learn to understand how to mix her personality and her culture’s traditions.
Is It Real? The Loch Ness Monster by Candace Fleming: I am excited about this series! The series is set up to allow the reader to take information and decide the verdict about something mysterious, in this case the Loch Ness monster. You have to read it then let me know, DO YOU THINK IT IS REAL???
As You Wish by Nashae Jones: This middle school rom com takes a well known romance trope (granting wishes/alternate world) and throws it into 8th grade making for a funny yet heartfelt read where you can’t help but root for Birdie and Deve’s happiness.
Young Adult
Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield: Grumpy x Sunshine and forced proximity romance tropes come together in this romance young adult book set in Paris. Filled with great tidbits about Paris, Josephine Baker, and baking as well as a romance story that all readers will want to see happen.
The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag: This graphic novel was a perfect modern selkie retelling that mixes the selkie mythology with a story of finding identity and first love.
The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley: This book. Y’all. This book. This twisted historical fiction thriller is all about revenge. Sally is Queen Victoria’s “African goddaughter” but in reality she is an Egdabo Clan princess kidnapped from Africa. In The Queen’s Spade, Sally focuses her completely self on seeking revenge on those who kidnapped her, including Queen Victoria. And Sally weaves such a twisted web of deceit. I could not put this down, except when I was searching for the true history of events and people included in the book. Phew! Loved it!
The Meadowbrook Murdersby Jessica Goodman: I am a big fan of boarding school murder mysteries, and this was a pretty darn good one. The clues kept me guessing until the end, and it truly ends with such suspense!
The Agathas (#1) and The Night in Question (#2) by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson: Alice and Iris think the police are incompetent and know they can do a better job. (And guess what?!?! They do.) Both books focus on a crime that seem open and shut but are more complex than they seem at first; it is fun to follow along Alice and Iris as they find clues.
How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine: This twisted thriller (with a terribly misleading title) was quite fun to read. The title should be “How to Save Your Sister from her Murder,” but I guess it isn’t as catchy, but that is really what it is about. Oh, and wait for the end!!!
And you can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
I’ll be back next Monday to share all I’ve read during this break!
Sunday: “Friendship in Schools” by Arleen McCarthy, Author of My Friend John
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!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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!
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Using Storytelling to Flip the Script on our Fears” by Adam Rosenbaum, Author of The Ghost Rules
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!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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!
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!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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!
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Why Nature is the Best Classroom” by Jill Neimark, Author of Forest Joy & Nature Explorers
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
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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