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.

One Year Anniversary Celebration

We are gearing up for our one year anniversary (June 24th) and have a fun week planned with celebratory posts and giveaways! In honor of our anniversary, we redesigned the look of our blog. Because we are so excited, we couldn’t wait to share it with you all, so we are unveiling it a few weeks early! We hope you love it as much as we do. A big thank you to Philip Stetson for this beautiful design!

In preparation for our one year anniversary celebration, we would love to hear from our fellow bloggers! On June 25th, we are focusing on the power of blogging, and we would love to highlight other incredible reading/teaching blogs. If you would like your blog to be included in our post, please complete our survey:

WHY YOU BLOG SURVEY

Last Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten We’ve Read So Far This Year

Friday: How to Cheer Up Dad Author Interview

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I had a great reading week!!! First, I finished The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman which was a roller coaster of a ride! Highly recommend it. I then read the first book in Jon Sciezska’s newest middle grade series Frank Einstein and the Anti-matter Motor, and it is definitely going to be loved by so many middle graders. Next was All the Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry, and I am glad I knew nothing about this book when I began because the cover and description do not do it justice. A wonderful historical fiction mystery with a strong voice. Last was Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott which was probably my favorite of the week. I read it in one sitting and couldn’t put it down! I fell in love with the characters. SO GOOD!

Trent and I had a good book week as well:

• One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Salina Yoon (I have really liked everything of Salina Yoon’s I’ve read. This is a fun take on the classic nursery rhyme.)
• The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle (Classic! I hadn’t remembered that it taught different animals which ended up being a bit of a theme this week.)
• My Dad Thinks He’s Funny by Katrina Germein (This was our Father’s Day read, and this is an example of a book that is so much better when read out loud.)
• Olivia Counts by Ian Falconer (My friend’s daughter loves Olivia and this was our first encounter with her. A pretty complex counting book.)
• This Little Chick by John Lawrence (Another animal book with quite the curious little chick.)
• Ten Little Fingers, Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox (Another Mem Fox book that did not disappoint. I loved the introduction to different cultures in this one.)
• Are You A Cow?  by Sandra Boynton (Our final animal book. Sandra Boynton books just crack me up. I don’t know what it is about them, but they do.)

Ricki: I am writing this post a bit early because I am heading on a trip with my husband and son! I am hoping this means more reading time, but all bets are off with a baby! I haven’t finished any of my longer books yet, but Henry and I read a few picture books. We enjoyed Nest by Jorey Hurley (beautiful illustrations in this one, but there are few words, so readers will have to use their imaginations!), Early Bird by Toni Yuly (a nice story with bold graphics), Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter (a fun, interactive book that is much like Press Here by Hervé Tullet), Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney (a very loving, warm classic that was wonderful to read as a mama to her son), and The Snatchabook by Helen Dacherty. The Snatchabook would be my pick of the week. It is a clever, beautiful story that was so much fun to read as an adult. I will definitely be buying this one.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I actually am reading two books at the moment (the crowd gasps!). I have Winger by Andrew Smith on my phone to read when I have no light, and I am reading Julie Halpern’s The F It List when I do have light. Both are very good so far. I’m a fan of each of the author’s style of writing. After these books I’m not sure what I’ll pick up. Which of these do you think I should pick up? Golden Boy, Midwinter Blood, Out of the Easy, Wise Young Fool, or Reality Boy?

Ricki: Because I am posting so early in the week, my future books haven’t changed. I am halfway through A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd, which has become one of my favorite books. I am also enjoying Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar. I haven’t read much of my PD text, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools by Gary Howard. I am hoping to convince my husband to listen to The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin on our road trip, but he hates audiobooks, so it is highly unlikely that I will be successful!

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

  

Tuesday: Top Ten Books on our Summer TBR Lists

Friday: Lisa Martens’ Guest Post: Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: Top 5 Books on Brain Matters

 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.

One Year Anniversary Celebration

We are gearing up for our one year anniversary (June 24th) and have a fun week planned with celebratory posts and giveaways! In honor of our anniversary, we redesigned the look of our blog. Because we are so excited, we couldn’t wait to share it with you all, so we are unveiling it a few weeks early! We hope you love it as much as we do. A big thank you to Philip Stetson for this beautiful design!

In preparation for our one year anniversary celebration, we would love to hear from our fellow bloggers! On June 25th, we are focusing on the power of blogging, and we would love to highlight other incredible reading/teaching blogs. If you would like your blog to be included in our post, please complete our survey:

WHY YOU BLOG SURVEY

Last Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Dream Book Vacations

Wednesday and Thursday: Liebster Award (Parts One and Two)

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, I finished Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and WOW is it a tough book, but one I highly recommend. You will not regret reading it.

Trent and I read an fun variety of books this week:

• Finished Fly Guy Reader Collection 6 Easy-To-Read Stories by Tedd Arnold (Like I said last week, I love Fly Guy and was so happy to be introduced to him. This is sure to be a favorite!)
• Good Night Tennessee by Adam Gamble (A great celebration of Tennessee!)
• A is for Awesome by Dallas Clayton (I really like everything of Dallas Clayton’s that I have read. A great positive vibe runs through is books.)
• Penguin in Love by Salina Yoon (Yay penguins! This one is just as cute as the other Penguin books.)
• The Table Sets Itself by Ben Clanton (The puns and nursery rhyme allusions in this one are brilliant. Check it out!)
• Everybody Likes You by Doris Faulhaber (This book was a novelty book given to my mom when she was 11, and it is just so sweet.)

Ricki: This week, I finished I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora. I highly recommend this book be paired with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It teaches young people that they can make a big difference in the world. I also read Boys of Blur by N. D. Wilson. It was intriguing, and I didn’t realize until halfway through the book that it is a contemporary take on the legend of Beowulf. I felt a bit foolish! After I figured this out, I was blown away by the parallels.

Henry and I finished Fairy Tale Comics (edited by Chris Duffy). Each comic is about two to six pages long, so there was great variety in story and artistry. We really enjoyed some of the comics but others fell a bit flat. Overall, I would recommend it, particularly for people who love graphic novels. We also read two classic:s The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. These both were good fun and worthy of their praise as classics. My cousin recommended Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Applet. The verse in this picture book is beautiful. It is a heartwarming tale that parents will love. I felt like hugging Henry after every page.

Our doctors’ office participates in a charity program called Reach Out and Read. At every well visit, Henry receives a book to read. I am extremely excited about this. His first book was Love You, Hug You, Read to You by Tish Rabe. While most of the books he will receive in future office visits are classics, this particular book was written specifically for the charity. It is a fun board book that promotes reading to children. I found the full version online if anyone wants to enjoy it, too!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently reading The Firehorse Girl and am truly enjoying it! Jade Moon is such a strong female protagonist, and I like that it is taking on a historical period that isn’t usually talked about. I also plan on reading Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka which I know is going to be super entertaining. With school out now, I hope to get a lot more reading done during my days. I am also finally going to read And Tango Makes Three which I have been meaning to read for years. As for me and Trent, who knows what we will read though I plan on reading some dad books for Father’s Day and maybe a birthday book since next Sunday is also my birthday 🙂

Ricki: Henry and I took a trip to the library, so we have plenty of picture books to devour. I also started A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd and Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar. In the professional development world, I started We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools. As you can see, I have started a trend that I like to read a book for every age level. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten We’ve Read So Far This Year

Friday: How to Cheer Up Dad Author Interview

 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.

One Year Anniversary Celebration

We are gearing up for our one year anniversary (June 24th) and have a fun week planned with celebratory posts and giveaways! In honor of our anniversary, we redesigned the look of our blog. Because we are so excited, we couldn’t wait to share it with you all, so we are unveiling it a few weeks early! We hope you love it as much as we do. A big thank you to Philip Stetson for this beautiful design!

In preparation for our one year anniversary celebration, we would love to hear from our fellow bloggers! On June 25th, we are focusing on the power of blogging, and we would love to highlight other incredible reading/teaching blogs. If you would like your blog to be included in our post, please complete our survey:

WHY YOU BLOG SURVEY

Last Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Professional Books

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

 

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets was such a well-done book! It really captured what depression and anxiety feel like. You will not regret it if you read it. I also read a couple of wonderful picture books this week. First was The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson. I loved the story, the lesson, the illustrations. Beautiful! The other was The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. It had such great illustrations and is an important book to share with kids. Trent and I had no duds in our reading this week.

• If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Joffe Numeroff (Book #100!!!! And it was perfect for it! Since my mom was visiting, she got to read the book to him, and she loves cats. This Numeroff book is just like her others, but I am a fan of the formula.)
• Two Hands to Love You by Diane Adams (This is such a sweet, lyrical book. Great to read with kids.)
• We’re currently reading the Fly Guy Reader Collection which has 6 Fly Guy stories. We’ve read 5 of them so far: Hi Fly Guy!, Super Fly Guy!, Shoo Fly Guy!, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy, and Fly High Fly Guy! (I’d never read any Fly Guy stories before, and they are so much fun. Fly Guy is a new favorite!)

Ricki: This week, I read Reading for Their Life: (Re)Building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males by Alfred W. Tatum. All of Tatum’s research focuses on African American adolescent males, and I wish I had read this book when I was still in the classroom. He provides a healthy list of “enabling texts” and thoroughly explains how to empower these young men to read. I love how he describes the importance of building students’ “textual lineages” with texts that matter. Many of his approaches would work well with other reluctant readers, as well. I would absolutely recommend this PD text.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently reading Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and I hope to finish it by Tuesday. Then I am not sure what book I am going to grab. Trent and I will finish the Fly Guy Reader Collection, and then I’m not sure either. It is going to be a surprise-filled week. 🙂

Ricki: Kellee, I LOVED Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock! I wish I had read it back-to-back with Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets like you are doing. I can’t wait to hear how they compare. Henry and I are trucking away with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He keeps falling asleep, so I only read 5-10 pages at a time. I am almost finished with I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora, and I also started Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson. I also have a stack of PD texts, but I haven’t quite decided which is next. I’m taking a YAL break from PD books this week.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Dream Book Vacations

 

 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: Top Ten Books About Friendship

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Well, when it came to novel reading this week, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. I did finish Coyote Summer by J.S. Kapchinske, which was a surprisingly good coming-of-age story dealing with grief and identity. I look forward to sharing it. I really struggled with my other novel, though, and I found myself avoiding reading because I didn’t want to read the book. Yesterday, I decided to put it aside, and I picked up a new one. Hopefully it’ll be more successful. I did read two amazing picture books though: The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig and The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock. Both were amazing, and I cannot wait to blog about them for you.

Trent and I had a great picture book week and read some amazing ones!

• Hunwick’s Egg by Mem Fox (This book was recommended to me by Carrie, and though it took me a bit to fall in love with it, in the end I loved it as much as Hunwick loved his egg.)
• Crankenstein by Samantha Berger (SO FUNNY! Some fun stuff to look forward too. I am trying to read as many Dan Santat books that I can :D)
• Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds (Another Dan Santat illustrated book. This one reminded me of Bruce and the other sharks in “Finding Nemo”, and is just as funny.)
• Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard (I really like Jeremy Tankard. This is the second book of his that I’ve read, and it is just as entertaining as the first one we read, Me Hungry! I’m going to have to find more of his books.)
• Baby Animals by Eric Carle (This was Trent’s first book with buttons that make sound, and he really liked the elephant sound.)
• Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (Actually a kind of sad book, but in the end teaches a lesson that is important for children to know.)
• Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (The final “Little” book. I just love the reverse psychology!)

Ricki: I read some great books this week. I just finished Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. This is such an important book. Roskos does an incredible job capturing the feelings of hopelessness that come with depression. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I also enjoyed Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, Nuts by Paula Gerritsen, and 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle. All three were wonderful picture books.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: After hearing Ricki talk about it, I picked up Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets. I do not know much about it, but I trust her judgment. Next to that, I do not know my plans for the week! It is a bit of a stressful one as my husband goes back to work, so this is the first time since Trent was born that we both are working… 🙁

Ricki: Kellee, I am flattered that you trust my opinion! I hope you love it as much as I did. This week, I am continuing to read Reading for their Life: (Re)building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males by Alfred W. Tatum. Henry and I bought several Eric Carle picture books, so I am excited to dive into those. I think my next YA book will be I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Professional Books

 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: Top Ten Books We Almost Put Down

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I read two really good books this week! First, The Living by Matt de la Pena. WOW! This book scared the kajeebees out of me! It actually affected my dreams. You know a book is good when it enters into your subconscious. Ricki already reviewed it here if you want to check it out, and I plan on reviewing it in the future. I also read Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. I first learned about this book when Meg’s blog post “Author Uninvited” went viral on Twitter. I promised myself that I would read the book, and I am glad I did. It is an important book. It can be paired with Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia, Trino’s Choice by Diane Gonzales Bertrand, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Each Kindness by Jaqueline Woodson, and many more to discuss the impact bullying has on a person.

Trent and I read some great books this week:

• Little Oink and Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Some very well done reverse psychology board books with some mighty adorable main characters.)
• Little Monsters by Jan Pienkowski (A fun pop-up book about different monsters.)
• Cat Says Meow: and other animalopoeia by Michael Arndt (Loved the onomatopoeias in this one, and especially how the author intertwined the animals’ noises into his illustrations of the animal.)
• You are my Baby: Ocean by Lorena Siminovich (This will be one of the books that will be a lot more fun when Trent can help match up the babies to the mommies.)
• Hug by Jez Alborough (Beautifully illustrated almost wordless story of a chimpanzee trying to find the right person to hug.)
• It’s Time to Sleep, My Love by Eric Metaxas (A very lyric bedtime board book.)

Ricki: This week, I finished The Here and Now by Ann Brashares. I loved the first half of this time traveling tale and particularly enjoyed the hints of dystopian fiction. I became a bit disengaged in the second half of the story, and I can’t quite put my finger on why that was. Overall, I recommend the book, and if you enjoyed All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, I think you will like this one, as well. It is very different from  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants! I also finished Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. I have learned so much from this great nonfiction work. My brother just flew to Montana, and I blurted out, “John Steinbeck says it is the most beautiful state!” I appreciated learning about the tidbits of America.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I plan on starting The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson today, and it is one that I’ve wanted to read since NCTE 2012 so I am excited. Trent and I plan on read the final Rosenthal book from the Little series, Little Pea, but then who knows. I also still have a pile of picture books I want to read (with or without Trent :D).

Ricki: I am halfway through Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. I am not surprised that it was a finalist for the Morris Award. It reminds me a lot of several other phenomenal YA books (It’s Kind of a Funny Story, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Everybody Sees the Ants, to name a few). Henry and I just got our library reserve copy of Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. We are excited to read that. Lastly, I am starting a PD text: Reading for their Life: (Re)Building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males by Alfred W. Tatum. I will let you know how it is!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Books About Friendship

 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: Top Ten Books We’d Frame As Pieces of Art

Wednesday: Guest Post from Mathangi Subramanian, author of Bullying “Top Ten YA Books About Bullying”

Thursday: Guest post by Michele Weber Hurwitz, Author of The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days “Why Characters Who Lose Their Way Win My Heart”

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Have you all read the Eleanor series by Julie Sternberg (Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, etc.)? I just finished the third one, Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake, and I love the series more and more with each one. I really think the voice is getting stronger and stronger. I look forward to reviewing this one for you. I also read Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg. This book is SO funny yet very deep. Also, a teacher in a  story always helps me love a book.

Trent read:

• Forever by Emma Dodd (One of my favorite “I love you forever” books, so I reread it with Trent on Mother’s day.)
• Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein (This looked like a cute mother’s day book as well though it ended up being more funny than sweet.)
• Dino-Baby by Mark Sperring (Just stuck with the dinosaur theme on Mother’s day.)
• Creature Colors and Creature Numbers by Andrew Zuckerman (Love the focus on numbers and colors in nature.)
• Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton (There has to be an audio of this as a song–is there?! I just love Sandra Boynton!)
• Hug Time by Patrick McDonell (My husband really likes Mutts so I knew he had to read this one to Trent and MAN is it a good one.)
• Bedtime for Chickies by Janee Trasler (Will be a staple at bedtime I’m sure.)
• The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton (See, love Sandra Boynton. These are all from the library though, so I really need to buy some.)

Ricki: This week, I finished listening to Paperboy by Vince Vawter. It is a beautiful book and will join my list of favorite middle grade titles. I know most people have read it, but if you haven’t, I can’t recommend it highly enough. I learned a lot about stuttering, and I fell in love with the story, which is semi-autobiographical. I also finished reading a sweet book called Annika Riz, Math Whiz by Claudia Mills. After reading Annika’s story, I wanted to get my hand on the first book in the Franklin School Friends series. I’d recommend it for grades 2-4. We will be hosting a giveaway for both books on May 22nd, so stop by if you would like to win the first two books in the series!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I don’t know what this week holds. I still have Dan Santat books, which I want to read with Trent. I also have some nonfiction picture books to read for future Wednesday posts. As for novels, I’m not sure as I just finished Openly Straight and haven’t picked my next book, so we’ll just have to see what I pick tonight to read.

Ricki: I am having a difficult time focusing on one book. Last week, I was reading eight. I think I am reading at least eleven right now. I should stick with one, but I just love the variety. Rather than repeat last week’s post with the several books I am reading, I will say that I am loving Ann Brashares’ The Here and Now. It reminds me a lot of Cristin Terrill’s All Our Yesterdays. 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We Almost Put Down

 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: Top Ten Books If You Like Superheroes/Reality TV

Thursday: Ricki’s Bookish Bucket List

Friday: Kellee’s Bookish Bucket List

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I read two very good, but every different, books this week. First I finished In The Shadow of Blackbirds which is quite a unique book. It takes place in 1918 during World War I and the Spanish Flu epidemic and has a twist of supernatural. And so suspenseful! I also finished Serafina’s Promise which transports you to Haiti during the floods and really bad earthquake. Ann E. Burg’s verse is so descriptive that it makes the setting and characters jump off the page.

Trent continued his picture books reading as well and read some great ones this week:

• Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton (I am remembering how much I love Sandra Boynton, and I am enjoying every single one of her books that we read.)
• Koala Lou by Mem Fox (Every time I said “Koala Lou, I DO love you.” Trent smiled. It melted my heart!)
• Peek-A-Zoo by Nina Laden
• All In A Day by Cynthia Rylant (I really loved the lyrical aspect of this one and the message. One of my favorites we’ve read this far.)
• Sleepy Bears by Mem Fox (I love how each bear had a different dream. Another great message in a wonderful picture book.)
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney (A classic! Just as good as when I read it when I used to babysit.)
• If I Was a Penguin… by Anne Wilkinson (On Jim’s birthday he chose what to read Trent, and they reread this cute book.)

Ricki: I received a wonderful box of ARCs from Penguin this week. I was sucked in by the cover of The Merciless by Danielle Vega. “Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned,” and “For mature audiences only.” I dug right into that one. My son fell asleep in the car seat in the back of my car, so I started reading it in the front seat of the car (in my garage). I was done by the next morning. (Don’t worry, we left the garage.) It was a great horror book that sucked me in!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started Openly Straight last night and am already liking the voice. I’m sure I’m going to love it. Trent plans on making a dent on his library pile that includes more Sandra Boynton, Dan Santat, Mem Fox, and other picture books we can’t wait to read.

Ricki: I am currently reading eight books right now. I just can’t get enough variety, I suppose. I just started Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. It came highly recommended. I am also listening to Paperboy on CD, and I am reading a fantastic book for early elementary schoolers called Annika Riz, Math Whiz by Claudia Mills. It is a very fun, short chapter book. I am also still reading some of the others I posted in my last Monday post.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We’d Frame As Pieces of Art

Wednesday: Guest Post from Mathangi Subramanian, author of Bullying

Thursday: Guest post by Michele Weber Hurwitz, Author of The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days

 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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