It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/16/13

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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

top ten tuesday cats penguins

gorillas 6135987 explorer

salem2 salem1 Baby Shower Books

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

 

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: The busy-ness that started with my mom’s surprise visit and my baby shower kept going this week; however, this weekend I was able to get some reading done. First, I finished The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley and will be sharing it with you this week. I then started reading some of the Nerdy award finalists so I am more knowledgeable for voting (I’ll also review most of these for you). The ones I got through this weekend are: Battle Bunny by Jon Sciezska, I’m a Frog & A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems, Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Ling & Ting Share a Birthday by Grace Lin, Bluebird by Bob Staake, and Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes. I can definitely see why these were nominated!

Ricki:  Henry (my new baby) is in his second week right now. We read a counting book together and Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola. How did I miss this one as a kid? It teaches some great lessons. We are also making our way through The Velveteen Rabbit by Margerie Williams, but Henry tends to cry after a few pages. While he sleeps, I am busy reading The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher and The Living by Matt de la Peña. He is one of my favorite YA authors!

Here is a picture of Henry as I type this blog post on my laptop (don’t mind the messy background of my house…):

Photo on 12-15-13 at 8.22 PM


This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have a couple more Nerdy finalists to read this week. After those, I’ll probably read Gareth Hinds’s Romeo and Juliet. Once winter break starts (FRIDAY!), I hope to get through some of the YA novels I have set aside. 

Ricki: No promises, but I have all intentions of finishing The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher and The Living by Matt de la Peña. Henry and I will also finish a few children’s books (whichever are within my arm’s reach while feeding him—but there are some great ones (new and old!).

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday earth oceans Achieving Flow-page0001

18222546 exclamation battle

 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!

 Signature andRickiSig


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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/9/13

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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

top ten tuesday yeolde fangirl

gorgeous loud girlchild witch

squish will

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Last week, as planned, I finished Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach and I cannot wait to get close to the release date so I can review it for you. If you have not read any Herbach, start now! I also had a VERY long doctor’s appointment this week (for prenatal glucose testing), so I was able to get three graphic novels read while there! First, I read Explorer: The Lost Islands edited by Kazu Kibuishi and I am just so impressed with everything he does and this book is no different. I also read both of the Salem Hyde books by Frank Cammuso. His Knights of the Lunch Table books are a HUGE hit in my classroom, so when I heard he had a new series I made sure to get my hands on them. I will review all of these as they deserve to be shared.

Ricki: Thank you for the congratulations about my new son! I am absolutely in love with him. The week before he was born, I read a professional development book called Celebrating Writers by Ruth Ayres. This is a FANTASTIC book for teachers of writing. It gives great suggestions to help students celebrate their writing. I also read Thrice Told Tales by Catherine Lewis–another amazing book for teachers. It is based on the nursery rhyme of “Three Blind Mice.” Each page is a different literary term within the context of the nursery rhyme. I wish I had this book when I was still in the high school. I actually learned some literary terms as I read it. I also read two great National Geographic books that would be enjoyable for beginning readers to explore nonfiction—Amelia Earhart by Caroline Gilpin and Meerkats by Laura Marsh. Since my son has been born, I read Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott while nursing. This is a great book that explores grief with a very interesting plot. The main character’s mother is being kept on life support only because she is pregnant. I didn’t realize the plot when I started it—it was a depressing book to read while nursing!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley followed by a couple of other graphic novels (and maybe even enough time to start some of my YA  TBR) and, since I got my new phone, I hope to start listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Ricki: This week, I want to read The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher. I am hoping to get through it, but no promises with the new baby. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday cats penguins

gorillas 6135987 explorer

salem2 salem1 Baby Shower 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!

 Signature andRickiSig


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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/2/13

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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

top ten tuesday thanks 15793231

bogart millie

ncte alan

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Over the last two weeks, as predicted, I did not read as much as I normally would—NCTE and ALAN leaves no time for reading. I did, however, get a few books in. Before I left for NCTE, I finished the newest book in Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series Donner Dinner Party and it was fascinating! I love all of the books in this series as they take historical events, add a bit of humor, put them in a graphic novel, and really make them accessible to anyone. At NCTE I was able to squeeze in a quick graphic novel, Squish: Game On! by Jennifer and Matthew Holm, and a picture book, This is the Rope by Jacqueline Woodson.  Since returning, I read Threatened by Eliot Schrefer. I cannot tell you much about it yet as it doesn’t come out for 3 months, but I will say you will want to read this one.

Ricki: Hi, this is Kellee again. I have exciting news: This past week Ricki gave birth to her son Henry!!!! Congratulations Ricki! This may mean that she is a bit MIA from IMWAYR posts for a while, but she hopes to be back in the swing of things soon. 

 This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have already started my next book, Fat Boy vs. The Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach and am already loving the voice. After that I am not sure. I do have some graphic novels I want to read as well as all of the amazing novels I got at NCTE and ALAN. I also hope to start listening to audiobooks again as I have Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the World to listen to.

 Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday yeolde fangirl

gorgeous loud girlchildwitch

squish will

 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!

 Signature andRickiSig


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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/25/13

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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

top ten tuesday lost 18178157

hurt outside dolphin

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

 

Last Week’s Journeys and This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee and Ricki: We are both currently at NCTE and ALAN! We’ll update you next week on what we read. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday thanks 15793231

ncte alan

bogart millie

 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!

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

 Signature andRickiSig


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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/18/13

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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

top ten tuesday jimmy 13477676penguin 

ncte alan john

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

 

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I had a great week! I finished Allegiant (OMG!!!). No spoilers, but if you want to chat, tweet me. I also finished Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney. I will definitely review Will & Whit for you all as it is a great graphic novel. Hard Luck was very much like the rest of the series and will definitely be loved by millions of kids around the world.

Ricki: Ah, Kellee! I want to read Allegiant, and I am secretly hoping it will be in our ALAN box. I finished a reread of Tyrell by Coe Booth this week. It is one of the books being taught in the class I am observing. I loved it just as much as I did the first time. I also read The Arrival by Shaun Tan. This was a beautiful book. I often struggle with graphic novels, and I always try to love them, but I don’t always have success. This is such a beautiful story. It would pair really well with a unit on immigration. I would have loved to have used it when I taught The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I don’t know what I am going to read this week! I am in NCTE/ALAN mode (I cannot believe I fly to Boston Wednesday night!) and need to pack and put final touches on my presentations. I may not be able to read anything—we’ll see!

Ricki: I am with Kellee. I am not sure how much reading I will get done this week as I have a huge paper due on Thursday, and then I have to prepare for NCTE and ALAN. Waaaaa! I can’t wait!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday lost 18178157

hurt outside dolphin

 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!

 Signature andRickiSig


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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/11/13

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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

top ten tuesday faithful page-0jpg-1

0-590-54340-7 gorgeous Baby Library Poll2

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: YAY! Another good reading week! Maybe it is picking back up–during the first half of my pregnancy I had a really hard time concentrating and not falling asleep when reading, so it made it really hard to read; however, it seems recently that I have been able to read more and it feels great! First I finished girlchild by Tupelo Hassman and it is such a unique novel although I believe it is an adult novel that some young adults will enjoy.

I also read a ton of picture books and enjoyed each and every one of them!: Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon, Bogart and Vinnie by Audrey Vernick, Millie and the Big Rescue by Alexander Steffensmeier, a bunch of Seymour Simon books (PenguinsCatsGorillasExtreme OceansExtreme EarthStrange Mysteries, and Out of Sight) and some National Geographic books (Jimmy the JoeyYe Olde Weird but True! and Space.)

Ricki: This week, I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Wow, wow, wow. This was a really good one. Rowell expertly captures the insecurities, relationships, and overall dynamics of college students. I loved it. I also reread Looking for Alaska by John Green for a class I am observing. It is always great to reread incredible books like this one.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I can finally read Allegiant!!! I am so excited! That is my only plan for this week! (Read This Dark Endeavor Ricki–everything he writes is amazing!)

Ricki: For the class I am observing, I am rereading Tyrell by Coe Booth. I absolutely love this book, so I am excited. I can’t decide what I will read next. I have always wanted to get to This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel. It feels like this is the week!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday jimmy 13477676

penguin ncte john

 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!

 Signature andRickiSig


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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/4/13

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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

top ten tuesday encyclopedia halloween

hetty jodie hilda Baby Library Poll

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: almost read all that I planned on reading. I did finish Adele Griffin’s Loud Awake and Lost and I read most of girlchild by Tupelo Hassman and The Season of the Witch by Mariah Fredericks. I hardly ever read more than one book at a time and I actually think trying to do so made me read them both slower than I would have if I’d just focused on one. I actually hope I will finish them very soon!

Ricki: I had a great reading week and read five books! I read two YA books: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch (this one was EXCELLENT, and I highly recommend it) and The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork (this was a reread for a class I am observing, and I loved it just as much this time around).

I also read three children’s picture books: Crow Call by Lois Lowry (beautifully written), Ballet for Martha by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (a great nonfiction book), and Halloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson (a fun, literary Halloween book). 

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: After I finish the two books I’ve started, I have 3 piles of picture books: one of 3 fiction picture books that Candlewick was kind enough to send me, one of National Geographic books that I received and am so excited to leave, and finally a pile of 7 Seymour Simon nonfiction books. PHEW! It’ll be an awesome picture book reading week. 

Ricki: I just started Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I am pretty excited about it, and so far, it is great. I am not sure where I will head after that, but it is a hefty one, so that may be it for this week. The baby is coming in five weeks, and I need to get some of my long-term projects for graduate school completed, so I am ready to devote 100% of my time to him.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday faithful page-0jpg-1

0-590-54340-7 gorgeous Baby Library Poll

 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!

 Signature andRickiSig


(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)