IMWAYR

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, 

Jill the OWL

for winning a copy of The Disappearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy

CONGRATULATIONS,

Dawn G. 

for winning a copy of My Dog is the Best by Laurie Ann Thompson

Last Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

Friday: Blog Tour with Review, Author Guest Post, and Giveaway!: The Vanishing Island by Barry Wolverton
Giveaway open until Thursday!

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “The Joy of Sharing Literature in A Classroom” by Miriam Spitzer Franklin, Author of Extraordinary

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I had a pretty good reading week. My son was sick for 3 days, so it really hindered a lot of my normal reading time; however, I was still able to finish three novels. First, I finished Revolution. It is brilliant. I will say the length is a bit daunting, but the way that Wiles crafts those 500 pages  is amazing. I also finished a mythology-based, action-packed YA novel called Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland. Very cool novel that is full of adventure! Finally, I finished listening to X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon, and I now can understand all of the love it is getting. Quite a interesting, thought-provoking look at Malcolm X’s younger life.

In addition to these and reading Sandra Boynton with Trent, I did introduce him to Down by the Bay by Raffi. I love that this song that I listened to when I was a kid has a board book! It was so much fun to sing it to him.

Ricki: This week, I finished Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Oh, how I loved this book. The characterization and voice are incredible. This book was one of the (slightly) older publications on my #mustreadin2015 list. I shouldn’t have missed it when it first came out in 2013! I highly recommend it to anyone else who hasn’t read it. 

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I just started reading Diamond Boy by Michael Williams which is novel set in the diamond fields of Southern Africa by the author of Now is the Time of Running (which I loved). After it, I plan on getting to Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley and And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard.

I am going to take a break from audiobooks to listen to the newest episodes of the podcast Undisclosed, but when I start listening to audiobooks again, I plan on picking one of the Audiobook Sync books.

Ricki: I am trapped in dissertation reading. I am reading Ideas by Husserl, and I have fallen asleep each time I’ve picked it up. It was written in 1917 and translated in 1931. I like philosophy, but it is quite dense!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Happy 5th Anniversary to the Top Ten Tuesday Meme!: Our Top Ten Tuesday Topics

Wednesday: Two Year Blogiversary: Ricki and Kellee Check-In

Thursday: Ricki’s Favorite Pairings of YA Books with Classics

Friday: Top Checked Out Books by Kellee’s Middle School Struggling Readers

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

As part of our two year blogiversary celebration, we wanted to expand our resources here on Unleashing Readers! In our Navigating Literary Elements section of our page, we share books we feel can be used as mentor texts/exemplar texts when teaching different literary elements. In addition to updating the original Setting, Characterization, and Language pages, we have now added Voice and Conflict pages! Please check them out, and we hope you find them useful!

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

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 

Emily M. 

for winning a copy of Cast Off by Eve Yohalem

CONGRATULATIONS 

Amanda T. 

for winning a copy of The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson!

Last Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Thursday: Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!: The Disappearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy

Giveaway open until Thursday!

Friday: Blog Tour, Review, Author & Illustrator Interview, and Giveaway!: My Dog is the Best by Laurie Ann Thompson

Giveaway open until Thursday!

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I had a pretty good week! Although I didn’t get to read a book a day as I’d like, I did read every day and finished two novels, a graphic novel, a picture book, and a new board book.

The two novels I read are both must reads! Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King is just another brilliant novel by King. This book is just an explosion of thought-provoking commentary mixed with humor, feminism, romance, depression, and a touch of magic. I also finished The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee by Barry Jonsberg. I do not know how I missed this book! Jonsberg has given us another book that will help readers build empathy for students around them that may be a bit different.

The graphic novel I read was Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes which is the first book in a series that so far is good, but… Holy cliffhanger, Batman! I love the cross-curricular aspects of this graphic novel and that smart kids are the star of the book. I did feel like this book was an introduction to the series and that this series is really going to pick up with book 2. This one is an introduction and the adventure/mystery is just starting.

The picture book I read was Flight of the Honey Bee by Raymond Huber which we’re reviewing for you on Wednesday.

Trent and I read a new, silly board book this week. The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz is full of nonsense rhymes while telling thestory of a hippo whose hiccups are causing problems.

Ricki: Happy Birthday, Kellee! I love you more than you know, my friend. 

Well, my poor father fell down the stairs and broke his leg, so I have been helping him get around. This means a lot of lifting and not a lot of reading. I am thankful he is okay, so I am not sorry my priorities had to shift a bit this week. I did finish listening to Dodger by Terry Pratchett. To be honest, I wasn’t blown away. I enjoyed listening to it, but I didn’t find it to be incredibly unique or interesting.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: The reason why I was not able to finish more novels (I finished Glory O’Brien on Monday and Candice Phee on Tuesday) is because Revolution by Deborah Wiles has stalled me a bit. This is a me problem, not a book problem. It is just so big which makes it not a travel or bed book. That really eliminates a good chunk of my reading time, so I have found myself on social media instead of reading a bit more while reading this book. I hope to have finished it by the time this posts (I’m writing this on Saturday because I am going out Sunday to celebrate my birthday which is Monday/today! Yay!), but I don’t know if that is realistic.

I am also listening to X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. I am about 70% of the way through, and I listen to it whenever I can. It is fascinating! I look forward to Ricki’s review on Thursday.

After Revolution, I’m going to stick with reading about civil rights by reading Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley. Then I’ll switch it up to mythology with Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland then blood diamonds with Diamond Boy by Michael Williams. Hopefully I get more novels read this week. I do have a training on Tuesday, but next to that, I should be able to focus on reading and blogging this week.

Ricki: I can’t decide which AudioBookSync free summer read to listen to next. There are so many great choices! Which is your favorite? While I have you here, I want to pick your brains because you are incredible teachers: Does anyone have any suggestions for creative discussion formats to use in the middle/high school classroom? I am looking to try something new in my Methods class next week. They are future secondary teachers (of all subject areas). We’ve done Jigsaws, Fishbowls, Give One Get One, Four Corners (Agree/Disagree), and Post-It Notes (on Discussion Questions posted on the Walls). Please feel free to share in the comments. (And if you’d like, I can gather your ideas and create a blog post describing each of these in more detail.)

Upcoming Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

Friday: Blog Tour, Review, Book Trailer, and Giveaway!: The Vanishing Island by Barry Wolverton

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “The Joy of Sharing Literature in A Classroom” by Miriam Spitzer Franklin, Author of Extraordinary

 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

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 

LINDA B. 
AMANDA S.
JANA E. 

for winning a copy of Eden West by Pete Hautman!!!

Last Week’s Post

 

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’d Love To See As A Movie or TV Show

Thursday: Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post!: Cast Off by Eve Yohalem

Giveaway open until Wednesday!!

Friday: Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, Giveaway, Book Trailer, and Review!: The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson

Giveaway open until Friday!!

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Melissa Hurst, Author of The Edge of Forever

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I wasn’t able to read very much during the week because my last week of school was CRAZY, but I tried to make up for it this weekend. I did finish listening to The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #2: The Terror of the Southlands by Caroline Carlson during my commutes, and it was just as wonderful as the first one! Highly recommended! This weekend I was able to finish the novels The Disappearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy (check out my review on Thursday) and The Vanishing Island by Barry Wolverton (check out my review next week). Very different books, but both kept me on the edge of my seat. I also finished Llama Llama Sand and Sun by Anna Dewdney with Trent (he is all about touch and feel books right now as well as books that are small so he can carry them around with him), My Dog is the Best by Laurie Ann Thompson (see our review on Friday), Faraway Friends by Russ Cox (see my review on Wednesday), and Little Robot by Ben Hatke. Hatke does such an amazing job with such little words. He is able to really impact the reader without saying more than a word. I love that the protagonist is such a unique, strong, little girl and that she is so innovative. Great theme of friendship and determination.

Ricki: I was bad this week. I started too many books and finished none. I don’t know why I do this to myself. It makes me look like a bad reader! My favorite is Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. You all weren’t kidding. It is wonderful! I keep laughing out loud because Willow is quite the character! 

One of my dissertation committee members send me three books that I must read this summer before I write my proposal. They all concern phenomenological research. In very vague terms, I plan to research the ways secondary English teachers use multicultural young adult literature in the classroom. Therefore, I have to read a lot of books about how to conduct phenomenological research! It sounds boring, but the books are quite interesting thus far.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: SUMMER IS HERE!!! That means I will get to read more than I did when school was in! Yay! I am still doing a good amount professional development over the summer (a week long online class on assessment, a three week long online class on building a rigorous unit of instruction using the Marzano Instructional Model, a one day coaching foundations course, a one day common formative assessments course, two days end-of-course assessment writing, and possibly another two week long online course that is the extension of the first Marzano course) and I have two secret projects I have to finish by the beginning of July, so we will see if I am able to keep up with #bookaday (or equivalent number of books to equal a book a day). I’m going to try, but not going to make myself feel bad if I can’t.

In my “to read this week” pile, I plan on getting to at least Glory O’Brien by A.S. King, Revolution by Deborah Wiles, and Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland. I also have a lot of picture books I want to read sitting by the couch. I planned to start listening to X this week, but I have instead gotten sucked into Undisclosed a podcast about Adnan Syed, the topic of the podcast Serial. Oops.

Ricki: Please see the above books. I should probably finish those before I make big plans for others. No promises I won’t start another, though. 😉

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Thursday: Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!: The Disappearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy

Friday: Blog Tour, Review, Author & Illustrator Interview, and Giveaway!: My Dog is the Best by Laurie Ann Thompson

 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

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 Books That Remind Us of Summer

Friday: Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Doing it Over…and Over…and Over Again” by Pete Hautman, Author of Eden West

Don’t forget to enter into the giveaway! It is open until 6/7, and we have THREE copies to give away!

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Falling into Place by Amy Zhang was a tough book to read. The main character is a young girl who seems to have everything, but underneath her years of being a mean girl has caused so much pain and she has decided to end her life. Hard to feel sorry for her because she really does some terrible things, but at the same time, you do because she is also stuck and regretting and depressed. It was emotionally draining.

Ricki: Many of the readers of this blog devour books. We read 50, 100, (and some of us) 200 books a year. Out of all of these books, a few stand out and stick to our bones. If you haven’t read it already, I high recommend X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. It kept me awake late at night, and I was floored by the captivating writing. This is a very special book and well worth the hype it has received. I would love to use it in the classroom because there is so much to talk about! I also read the first of five chapters of Teaching Toward Freedom by William Ayers. I found a copy of the chapter online, and now I need to hunt down a full copy of the book! Henry and I read the very creatively crafted picture book, Grandpa Green by Lane Smith. The complexity of this book makes it very worthy of its 2011 Caldecott honor.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am almost done (should finish tonight!) with Call me by my Name by John Ed Bradley. First, please please please do not judge this book by its cover. I don’t read summaries, and this book’s cover just doesn’t fit the text. With that said, the book is really good! I am sucked into Tater and Rodney’s story in prejudice-filled Louisiana in the late 1960s. I am also still listening to #2 of The Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. Still truly enjoying that as well!

Ricki: I fell a bit behind on my #mustreadin2015 list. I also received a few great books in the mail this week. I am being pulled in two directions…#mustreads or new books? I am going to start with Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan and see if I get pulled in the direction of a newer book.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’d Love To See As A Movie or TV Show

Thursday: Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post!: Cast Off by Eve Yohalem

Friday: Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, Giveaway, Book Trailer, and Review!: The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Melissa Hurst, Author of The Edge of Forever

 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

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

ERIC WANDZEL 

for winning a copy of Daredevil Duck!

Last Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Blog Posts Written By Each Other

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: First, thank you so much for all of the kind words about my sister’s wedding last week! It was such a wonderful celebration of love, and I was so glad that we were able to be with her.

  

As for my reading, I have to be honest: traveling, seeing family, and a wedding really hurts your reading! Since I last updated, I have read three novels and a picture book. First, I finished The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson. This book was so charming and funny and GIRL POWER and one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to. I then finished Atlantia by Ally Condie which was a fascinating fantasy dystopian novel. I loved the setting and the mythology within the story. Then yesterday I finished I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. It was such a beautiful, heart-wrenching puzzle of a novel filled with love and loss of all kinds.

With Trent, we brought all of our favorites on our trip, but when we returned we grabbed Farmer Dale’s Red Pickup Truck by Lisa Wheeler after a recommendation form a friend, and I can see why they like it–it was such a fun animal story with a great rhythm.

Ricki: How am I supposed to compete with pictures of a wedding? 🙂 This week, I was most grateful to have read Wish by Matthew Cordell. My baby boy begin with a wish. Reading this story was a gift to me, and I am grateful to the bloggers who introduced me to it. It made me cry.

Nonfiction picture books!: I also was delighted with the nonfiction Flight of the Honey Bee by Ramond Huber. I don’t like bees very much, and this book helped me realize I should be a bit more grateful for them. The narrative quality of the book drew me in. If you like photography or bugs, you will enjoy The Alphabet of Bugs: An ABC Book by Valerie Gates. The closeups of the insects made my stomach churn, but I enjoyed the alliteration and use of color. Lastly, I learned about rivers in River Story by Meredith Hooper. While rivers aren’t a particularly strong interest for me, this nonfiction is certain to have its place in elementary school classrooms. It would align well with many units on science or geography. Flight of the Honey Bee by Ramond Huber

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have already started listening to the second book in The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series, and I was so happy to see that the audiobook is narrated by the same narrator. I also started reading Falling into Place by Amy Zhang, and it has already grabbed me within the first 10%.

Ricki: I am still reading X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. I’m almost finished, and usually I am not this slow, but really, I just love it and am savoring it. I’ve been planning a new college class I am teaching, so that is keeping me up late. I started the audiobook Dodger by Terry Pratchett. I’d be curious to hear what you all thought about that one. I may be the last to read it, so I am wondering if it is good.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Ten Books That Remind Us of Summer

Friday: Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Doing it Over…and Over…and Over Again” by Pete Hautman, Author of Eden West

Summer is about to begin! 

But just because it’s summer doesn’t mean we should stop reading and writing. The YA Chicks—Vivi Barnes, Christina Farley, and Amy Christine Parker—along with guest co-creators Lucienne Diver, Peggy Jackson, and Tara Gallina, are excited to share with you a global campaign that we are launching on May 22, 2015, to encourage readers, writers, students, and teachers to share pictures all of the places—both ordinary and extraordinary—where they are reading and writing. This is open to all readers/writers of both middle grade and young adult books!

You can also take part in…
A MONSTER GIVEAWAY! 

We have THREE separate prize packs in the works:

• The Reader’s Pack: Includes one book from every participating author (just wait until you hear who we’ve got lined up!) (US and Canada only)

• The Writer’s Pack: Includes query critiques, writing swag from authors, and more! (International)

• The Classroom Pack: Includes free Skype visits w/YA Chicks and other participating authors, a signed YA Chicks poster, and other swag! (International)

Check out the YA Chicks site to see what authors and books are available in the giveaways!!! 

So, how can you participate? It’s easy! Simply choose which prize pack you’d like to win and find the directions for it below under the headings: READERS, WRITERS, or STUDENTS & TEACHERS (you can participate in multiple giveaways). Then visit the YA Chicks site from May 22nd to May 31st and enter your chosen giveaway(s).

We can’t wait to see where you’re reading and writing!

READERS:

At 9 a.m. EST on May 22, 2015, we will be posting pictures of middle grade and young adult authors writing or reading in mysterious locations. It will be your job to figure out exactly where they are. We will link each picture to that author’s website where you will find 5 clues to help you figure it out. Once you’ve got all the authors locations, come back to the YA Chicks site and:

• Officially enter the giveaway by telling us the authors’ names and your guesses about their locations. Every author location you guess correctly increases your chances to win.
• For even more chances, post a picture of yourself reading or writing on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere (must have the hashtag).

WRITERS:

Starting at 9 a.m. EST on May 22, 2015, we’d like you to:

• Post pictures of yourself writing in a fun location on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere. Then let us know you did it when you enter the giveaway.
• For even more chances, gather your writer friends together and post a group shot with the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere (must have the hashtag). And hey, since you’re already together, why not host a write-a-thon?
• Choose one author from each group and enter their location
• OR for the grand prize, name all the authors in Group A

TEACHERS & STUDENTS:

Starting at 9 a.m. EST on May 22, 2015, we’d like you to:

• Post pictures of your class reading or writing on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere (must have the hashtag).
• Then let us know you did it when you enter the giveaway. If you don’t have a Twitter or Instagram, you can email your picture directly to us with the picture pasted directly into the email (no attachments–we won’t open them) AND the subject, “Read or Write Anywhere.”
• Choose one author from each group and enter their location
• You can also check out our YA Chicks Read or Write Anywhere lesson plan, available on our site.

That’s it! We hope you’re as excited as we are about this campaign and trio of giveaways. Now, what are you waiting for? Get out there and READ OR WRITE ANYWHERE! #ReadOrWriteAnywhere

We cannot wait to see all of the entries! Good luck!

 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

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 Authors We’d Love to Meet

Wednesday: Who Was? Adventure

Friday: Follow the #ButterflyTrail Blog Tour and Review: Butterfly Park by Elly MacKay

Sunday: Author Guest Post and Book Giveaway! “Be Brave!” by Charlie Alder, Author of Daredevil Duck

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I am currently celebrating my little sister’s wedding!!!!! I will update you on my reading next week 🙂

I also apologize for not commenting on anyone’s IMWAYR post this week. I will catch up with you all next week.

Ricki: Uh oh. It looks like we might be boring this week!  I finished East of Eden on audio (23 DISCS!). Each year, I try to read or listen to at least one classic text, and I added this book to my #mustreadin2015 list to be sure I got through it. I loved it—but I love everything by Steinbeck. Poor Henry was sick all week, and he wanted to snuggle and read the same ol’ favorites. Luckily, he is better as of yesterday. I just recently agreed to teach a general methods course to mixed-subject pre-service secondary teachers. I’ve spent much of my week perusing texts to use in the course, but I didn’t read any in its entirety, so I won’t list them here.

This Week’s Expeditions

Ricki: I’ve been savoring X as I read professional development texts. Many of you (Beth, especially!) have posted that you love it, and I can’t agree more. This book will definitely be making my Best of 2015 list. 

Don’t forget to enter to win Daredevil Duck!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Blog Posts Written By Each Other

 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

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 Books We Will Probably Never Read

Friday: Author Interview and Review!: I’ll Hold You Forever: An Adoption Story by Dawn Marie Hooks

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week was a bit slower for me. I’ve been finding myself more tired at the end of the day, so reading has been minimal. I did finish a high fantasy YA novel called A Creature of Moonlight by debut author Rebecca Hahn. She did a wonderful job world building and has a way with beautiful imagery.

Ricki: This week, I read the nonfiction book, Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow. I learned all about Typhoid Mary and the typhoid fever epidemic in the early 1900s. I also read a middle grade book, Cast Off: The Strange Adventures of Petra de Winter and Bram Broen by Eva Yohalem. This high-seas adventure is set in 1663 Amsterdam. I’ll be reviewing these both in the next two weeks!

Henry and I had a lovely trip to the bookstore. (This is becoming a tradition.) We really enjoyed (and bought) What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada. I’d heard of this book but had never read it. As many of you have written in previous blog posts, this book is a must-read. We also bought a few car board books because Henry is obsessed with cars. I really liked That’s Not My Train by Fiona Watt. It has a lot of textures that make the story fun. My son also loved Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton. I didn’t find it to be extraordinarily creative, but he enjoys reminding me about the “CAR!” on each page.  

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening to The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson, and I am LOVING it. That narrator is phenomenal which makes the funny, adventure-filled prose even better. I plan on starting If You’re Reading This by Trent Reedy tonight.

Ricki: I started X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. It is great so far, and I am looking forward to finishing it. I also hope to read Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

 

Tuesday: Ten Authors We’d Love to Meet

Wednesday: Who Was! Adventure App

Friday: Follow the #ButterflyTrail Blog Tour and Review: Butterfly Park by Elly MacKay

Sunday: Author Guest Post and Book Giveaway! “Be Brave!” by Charlie Alder, Author of Daredevil Duck

 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!

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