Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: Ten Things We Love About ARCs

ARCs = Advanced Readers Copies (also known as galleys)

Ricki and Kellee

1. They scream for us to share them widely.

2. Sections occasionally change in the final version. This adds excitement!

3. The cover might even be quite different. We can either savor the old cover or get excited about the new one.

4. ARCs allow us to spread book love because when we purchase the published copy, we can share the ARC with others.

5. They are raw and might have a few editing errors. Correcting these errors in our heads makes us feel smart. 😉

6. They allow us to look like rock stars to our students because we know about books before they come out!

7. They make beautiful displays on the floors of exhibit halls.

8. Sharing an ARC of a favorite author with a friend is the greatest gift of all (and makes for a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings).

9. They allow us to look at the marketing plans. We can then pretend like we are in the know.

10. They make us feel like we are in on a secret—holding a magical book before its birthday. This certainly excites our students, too!

What do you love about ARCs?

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: Ten Books We Wish Had More Pages in Them

Ricki

1. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

I read this book in one sitting and longed for more, more, more!

2. Anything by Kristin Cashore

Every time I end a Kristin Cashore book, I wish I could relive it again. Unlike the other books on my list, these books are already quite long, so including this on the list makes me chuckle. More pages, please! Psst—she has a new book coming out in September!

3. Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

This book is much too short because I have so much love for it. I would love to have more of it! Can we make that happen?

4. Nothing by Janne Teller

Gosh, I love this book. When I got to the end, I felt like it needed—it had—to be longer. I didn’t want it to be over!

5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Ah, I love this little book. I have it memorized because I taught it so many times. I wish there was more to soak in!

Kellee

Man! I try to get to these before Ricki just because we so often have the same opinion. I very much agree about Ghost, Endangered, and Kristin Cashore books! Here are some other books I wish were longer because I loved being in the story so much:

1. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

I want to know how Melody grows up. I want to see who else makes a difference in her life. I want to see what difference she makes in the lives of others.

2. Seeds of America series by Laurie Halse Anderson

I love Isabel and Curzon, and I was just getting to know Ruth. I want more. But I know it is over. 🙁

3. Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart AND The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Both of these books are so good, but they seem like they are just telling us the stories of Mark and Jonathan. When we Skyped with Dan, my book club kept asking questions about what happens after the book, but he was very clear that anything outside of the pages is not his story to tell.

4. The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner

I wasn’t done with Charlie. I want to know more about her. And I want to know more about how her family continues to grow and deal.

5. Booked by Kwame Alexander 

If you’ve read this, you know exactly why I wish there were more pages! If you haven’t read it, read it to find out!

Which books do you wish had more pages in them?

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: Ten Favorite LGBTQ Love Stories

The TTT topic for this week is romance, and we felt that topic was much too broad and as supporters of marriage (and love!) equality, we wanted to highlight our favorite LGBTQ love stories.

Ricki

1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

This is one of the most beautiful books that I’ve ever read.

2. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

This book touched me deeply. A.S. King is such a clever, smart author. I envy her ability!

3. If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

If you haven’t read this book, drop everything and read it! It is incredibly powerful, and I learned a lot!

4. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

After I finished this book, I was thinking, thinking, thinking. It made me examine my beliefs about the morality of altering our personal histories. This is a great book .

5. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

I reread this book every year to my students. I just read it last week, and they absolutely loved it. I love this story!

Kellee

I’ve read 4 of the 5 books Ricki listed, and I LOVED them also! (I need to read If You Could Be Mine!)

1. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

I love Paul’s town and Paul’s story. With prejudice nonexistent, this is just a love story.

2. Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

The book may seem like a road trip book about a transgendered teen standing up to her father, but there is love inside of this adventure.

3. Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg

While Openly Straight focused on Rafe’s identity, Honestly Ben focuses on sexuality and love.

4. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

This book is a concoction of love stories and romance.

5. Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie

The romance in this story is secondary but it is the definition of a perfect love story.

Which are your favorite LGBTQ love stories?

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: Ten Favorite Books that Were Honored in the ALA Awards  

Ricki

1. They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

Caldecott Honor

I absolutely love this book. I just recently shared it with my students, so we cheered when it was honored.

2. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Printz Honor

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award

This is a beautiful book that is meant to be shared.

3. Ghost by Jason Reynolds (Narrated by Guy Lockard)

Odyssey Honor

I read this book on paper, so I was excited to hear that it won the Odyssey Award. I am excited to listen to it!

4. The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Morris Award

YES! I am halfway through this audiobook, and I am so excited that it won!

5. The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Morris Honor

This is one of the books I am reading right now, too! I am only a quarter of the way into it, and I can absolutely see why it was honored. It’s incredibly well-written.

Kellee

Like Ricki, I read Ghost by Jason Reynolds, loved it, and it was my #1 pick for the Newbery, so I was excited to see it honored at the awards.

1. Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

Pura Belpré Author Award

Juana’s story is a perfect, funny, and sweet book about a young girl who has to learn that working hard to learn or be able to do something new is worth the work. This theme will definitely resonate with so many readers!

2. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Newbery Honor

This is a beautiful book that reminded me a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird and definitely earned the honor it received.

3. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

Caldecott Medal

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award

I loved this book so much when I read it that I made sure to share it with my dad in hopes that his art museum would put it in their gift shop. I feel like it beautifully celebrates art and creativity. (And it reminds me that I need to read Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou and illustrated by Basquiat more often.)

4. Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Caldecott Honor

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Honor

I found this book to be touching and beautiful and sad. Books about slavery always make me so ashamed of our past, so they are hard to read yet so important. I think Weatherford’s story really captures the brutal conditions of slavery in the South but also the freedom that was felt on the one free day in Louisiana

5. Giant Squid by Candace Fleming, Illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Sibert Honor

I’m so glad I read Giant Squid when I was cramming for the Sibert right before the awards. I am always impressed by Fleming’s ability to entrance the reader and submerge them in the facts she is sharing.

Honorable Mention. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (narrated by Rebecca Soler)

Odyssey Honor

I loved this graphic novel so much for its humor and epicness, but I am so interested in seeing how it was put together as an audiobook.

Which books did you love that were honored?

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: Our Ten New Year’s Book/Blogging Resolutions 

Ricki

1. To read more books on the Mock lists. I’ve read a few favorites for each category, but I always read the books after they win!

2. To successfully weed some books before I start my new job. This is going to be very, very difficult.

3. To visit the library more regularly now that my littlest babe is big enough. I always enjoy reading while my boys play.

4. To finish all of the books on my nightstand. I won’t say how many are on my nightstand because you will think I am a hoarder.

5. To submit two articles for publication—each related to young adult literature.

Kellee

1. I want to read all of our SSYRA (Sunshine State Young Reader Award) books for this and next school year.

2. Start reading Newbery prediction books earlier, so I am prepared to start our Mock Newbery Club next year.

3. This is more of a classroom resolution, but I need to inventory, organize, and weed my classroom library. I have so many books and they officially do not fit on my shelves.

4. Friends, I promise to get better about commenting on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays! I have good weeks and bad weeks. I read your posts every week, please know that, but a lot of the time it is on my phone which makes it hard to comment.

5. And let’s not forget #mustreadin2017!

What are your book resolutions for this year?

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