It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Teacher Guide for AstroNuts Mission One: The Plant Planet by Jon Scieszka

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

Kellee

**Descending from newly read to older**

• Obviously Trent LOVES Elephant & Piggie, so they often come home from the library.
• We are also reading books from the SSYRA, Jr. list. The Bagel King by Andrew Larsen and Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lange are both from the list, and we really liked both of them. (Though P.S. Jim Panzee in Grumpy Monkey IS NOT a monkey!)
• Trent wants to be a zoologist, so What Do You Do With All That Do? by Jane Kurtz and A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz are both books I bought to help harvest that love.
• Trent says he loved all the books, but his favorite picture books from this batch are: Funny Lunch by David Catrow, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins, Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo (he was so excited to see Mercy Watson!), and Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz.
• All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker: “SoHo, 1981. Twelve-year-old Olympia is an artist—and in her neighborhood, that’s normal. . . [but] then everything falls apart.”
• Not if I Can Help It by Carolyn Mackler: “Willa likes certain things to be certain ways . . . [and] there are some things she can’t deal with, like her father’s big news.”
• Her Own Two Feet by Meredith Davis & Rebeka Uwitonze: “Through her eyes, the moving story of a young Rwandan girl born with clubfeet and the risk she takes for the chance to walk on the bottoms of her feet for the first time. . .But it means leaving her own family behind and going to America on her own.”

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2019 Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

The busiest semester of my life is almost over, and I am so looking forward to reading more for choice. I did manage to squeeze in some new books this week.

Of all of the books we read this week, my kids liked Monster Musical Chairs the most. They are a part of the MathStart series (of which I was unfamiliar with). The monsters in the book keep dropping out when they play musical chairs. My 3yo enjoyed counting how many monsters were left, and my kindergartener loved telling us the math sentence (three minus one equals two) after we read the pages. It was a big win because both kids were involved in the reading. We also read about thirty lego books this week, but I think I’ll save you from the pictures.

I read Susana M. Muñoz’s Identity, Social Activism, and the Pursuit of Higher Education. I loved the journey stories in this book. The activists are incredibly inspiring.

I also read Kia Jane Richmond’s Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature. I loved this book and appreciated Kia Jane’s in-depth analyses of the texts. I am always learning from her!

Kellee

• Listening: How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox
• Reading: The Toll by Neal Shusterman

Ricki

I am off to curl into bed with Ruta Sepetys’ The Fountains of Silence. I love this book, and I love this author!

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 started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Educators’ Guide for The Trouble with Shooting Stars by Meg Cannistra

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

Kellee

It was Wine and Dine Marathon Weekend this last weekend, so we spend a lot of time at Disney hanging out and cheering on Jim and his mom as they race.

Ricki

I am with extended family this week, so I am not able to blog. I hope you all have a great reading week!

Wednesday: Teacher Guide for AstroNuts Mission One: The Plant Planet by Jon Scieszka

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 started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Educators’ Guide for Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

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

Kellee

**Descending: Finished recently to last Monday**

• Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya: “Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters: a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels.”
• Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson: “When Abdi’s family is kidnapped, he’s forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier with the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. In order to save the lives of those he loves, and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the militia’s ranks and to send dispatches on their plans to the Americans. The jihadists trust Abdi immediately because his older brother, Dahir, is already one of them, protégé to General Idris, aka the Butcher. If Abdi’s duplicity is discovered, he will be killed.”
• Trent read this week: Cat the Cat Who is That? is a wonderful series for my emergent reader! Fun repetition and sight words = a successful and engaging read! We’re going to have to get more from this series! (He loved Let’s Say Hi to Friends Who Fly, too, but he wasn’t up to reading it that night.)
• Trent’s favorite from this week: My Dad at the Zoo by Coralie Saudo, My Cousin Momo by Zachariah O’Hora, and Minerva Louise on Halloween by Janet Morgan Stoeke
• We liked all the books we read, but others we LOVED this week: I Am Not a Fish by Peter Raymundo, Emily’s Blue Period by Cathleen Daly, The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier, and The Quiet Boat Ride by Sergio Ruzzier

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2019 Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

My sons can’t get enough of Captain Underpants. We returned 16 library books and took out two of these. That’s all they want in the world—to read these (somewhat hilarious) books about potty humor, naughty boys, inventions, and underwear superheroes. I am joking, of course. The books are quite genius, and I am in awe of Dav Pilkey’s skills. I’ve really loved reading these books, and I am looking forward to reading the other 11+ books. 🙂

I am just about finished with Tara Westover’s Educated, and I suspect I’ll be done with it tomorrow. I was at my sister-in-law’s weekend with friends, and everyone was raving about this book. I only read a few adult books a year, and this one has been well worth it. It reminds me a lot of The Glass Castle. It’s quite brilliantly written. I am looking forward to seeing Tara Westover at the NCTE convention this year.

Kellee

• Reading: Her Own Two Feet: A Rwandan Girl’s Brave Fight to Walk by Meredith Davis and Rebeka Uqitonze
• Starting to Listen: How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Ricki

I am reading and enjoying Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys.

Wednesday: Educators’ Guide for The Trouble with Shooting Stars by Meg Cannistra

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 started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Forgotten Beasts: Amazing Creatures That Once Roamed the Earth by Matt Sewell

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

Kellee

**Descending: Finished recently to last Monday**
I’ve stopped summarizing all of the books that Trent & I read, but if you want to see about them, check out my READ bookshelf on Goodreads.

  

• All the Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton: “After the death of her mother and a three-month hospital stay for obsessive-compulsive disorder, Lennon Davis moves from Maine to Los Angeles to live with her father, his wife Claire, and stepsiblings Andrea and Jacob. Once there, Lennon takes up residence in a stark, gray bedroom where she finds security in the number five. If she taps the doorknob five times or switches the light off five times, over and over again, nothing bad will happen. Her neighbor Kyler Benton takes notice of what seems to be a disco show going on in Lennon’s bedroom across the street. Kyler has his own issues-he hides a facial scar with hair and hoodies-but finds peace playing guitar and writing songs. When the two come together, a musician and his muse, a love story comes to life.”
• Storybots: Tyrannosaurus Rex: Trent is becoming such a good reader! He read this one to me 🙂
• Trent & my favorite books that we read this week:
  • My New Friend is So Fun: I thought I had read all of Elephant & Piggie books, but then I found this one!
  • Charlie & Mouse Even Better: Man, I love Laurel Snyder’s two boys!
  • Can I Be Your Dog?: This book would be awesome to teach letter writing and also talk about rescuing animals.
  • Let’s Do Nothing: Can you actually sit and do nothing?? Frankie and Sal are going to find out!
  • (reread) Jasper & Ollie: Trent really does love this book! We may just have to buy it (we’ve been getting it from the library).

Ricki

I’ll return next week! 😊

Kellee

• Listening: Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson (I am almost done!)
• Read sporadically: Hero Next Door from We Need Diverse Books
• Read & maybe listen too: Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya (I have the ebook and audiobook)

Wednesday: Educators’ Guide for Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

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 started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial by Linda Booth Sweeney

Friday: Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Why We Need International Books in the Classrooms” by J. Kasper Kramer, Author of The Story That Cannot Be Told

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

Kellee

 

 

So much reading with my boy! I love that he has to have books, and I love going to the library with him, and I love to see his excitement when he brings new books home from school–so much book love!

• He loves Fly Guy books! I think he would have me read and read and read them if I would let him.
• Trent was introduced to Charlie & Mouse and love them which made me so happy!
• Trent READ ME two books this week: My Dog, Bob and Fox is Late.
• New to me picture books I really loved (all of which Trent picked out at his school library!): My Dog, Bob by Richard Torrey, Squid and Octopus Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu, Escargot by Dashka Slater, and Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood
• Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra: “Fresh from med school, sixteen-year-old medical prodigy Saira arrives for her first day at her new job: treating children with cancer. She’s always had to balance family and friendships with her celebrity as the Girl Genius―but she’s never had to prove herself to skeptical adult co-workers while adjusting to real life-and-death stakes. And working in the same hospital as her mother certainly isn’t making things any easier. But life gets complicated when Saira finds herself falling in love with a patient: a cute teen boy who’s been diagnosed with cancer. And when she risks her brand new career to try to improve his chances, it could cost her everything.”
• The Weight of our Sky by Hanna Alkaf: “A music-loving teen with OCD does everything she can to find her way back to her mother during the historic race riots in 1969 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in this heart-pounding literary debut. On the evening of May 13th, 1969, racial tensions in her home city of Kuala Lumpur boil over. The Chinese and Malays are at war, and Mel and her mother become separated by a city in flames. With a 24-hour curfew in place and all lines of communication down, it will take the help of a Chinese boy named Vincent and all of the courage and grit in Melati’s arsenal to overcome the violence on the streets, her own prejudices, and her djinn’s surging power to make it back to the one person she can’t risk losing.”

Ricki

I completely agree with Kellee. It is such a joy to have a kid who is reading! I take great pride in the fact that my kindergartner’s favorite special is media (the library) rather than art, music, and PE. I love all of the specials, but I am so glad he loves media!

Both of my two older sons love the Captain Underpants books. We took a stack of 14 library books back to the library, and they each picked out a new Captain Underpants book to read. I’ve viewed these books from afar for years, and I am suddenly seeing their magic. Both kids (including my 3-year-old son) would sit and listen to the entire chapter book if I kept reading. We take breaks (to their dismay) to squeeze in some books to try to slow the potty humor a bit.

My goodness. How charming is Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks’ Pumpkinheads?! I loved this graphic novel. It made my heart feel so full. Bring on the fall!

Kellee

• Starting: All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton
• Listening: Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson

Ricki

I am still reading several books at once, but I’ve added Ruta Sepetys’ The Fountains of Silence into the mix. So far, it is excellent. It’s very literary, and I am learning about a time and place that is not very familiar to me.

Wednesday: Forgotten Beasts: Amazing Creatures That Once Roamed the Earth by Matt Sewell

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 started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Terrible Times Tables by Michelle Markel

Friday: Educators’ Guide for Prairie Boy: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns the Heartland into a Home by Barb Rosenstock

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

Kellee

 

Trent is devouring books! Not only are we requesting books from our local library, but he also visits his school library a few times a week! We’ve also recently set the goal to finish all of the SSYRA Jr. books, and at first we had trouble because the ones we didn’t own had a very long hold list, but then I figured out that his school library has ebooks of them! So while we wait for the hardcovers, we’re reading the ebooks.

As you can tell, he already has favorites: Fly Guy, Mo Willems, Dav Pilkey, and colorful books. He was also so excited for a new Nibbles book by Emma Yarlett and to read Please Say Please which he won because he went to our local library’s Angel Paws Story time (where he reads to service dogs) 5 times!

Ricki

This week, I read the adult graphic novel Drawing the Line: Indian Women Fight Back! The anthology features 14 Indian women and details their experiences as women. I liked the variety—both in the subject matter and in the styles, and it was a great read.

My 3-year-old loves Tractor Mac: Autumn is Here by Billy Steers. I like autumn a lot, so I enjoyed reading it and appreciating all of the fall colors.

Kellee

• Listening: Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson
• Reading: The Weight of our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
• With Trent: Making our way through the SSYRA Jr. list and the huge pile of library books

Ricki

I am listening to Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. Typically, I read YAL, but much of this book is set during the young adult time period of Tara’s life, so I am really loving it.

I am reading Reckoning: The Epic Battle Against Sexual Abuse and Harassment by Linda Hirshman. We are at the #metoo segment of my social movements course, and my colleague (a history professor) assigned this text. I am learning a lot! This one is an adult nonfiction.

Wednesday: Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial by Linda Booth Sweeney

Friday: Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Why We Need International Books in the Classrooms” by J. Kasper Kramer, Author of The Story That Cannot Be Told

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 started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Growing to Greatness: Just Like Beverly: A Biography of Beverly Cleary by Vicki Conrad

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

Kellee

• The Bad Seed and The Good Egg by Jory John: Funny yet with an awesome theme!
• Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Kraus, Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester, Mr. Wuffles! by David Weisner, In One Ear Out the Other by Michael Dahl, and We Love Our School by Judy Sierra: Trent’s class has started going to the library a couple of times a week, and Trent is loving picking out books to bring home to read. He also has Book Buddies on Friday, so he gets to read with a 3rd grader named Nathaniel. It is amazing how Trent’s teacher is instilling the love of reading in her students! Out of these, Mr. Wuffles is definitely Trent’s favorite!
• Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey: Jim and Trent finished the first Captain Underpants, and they had a great time reading it together!
• Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett: “After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel.”
• Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez: “How did a raw chicken get inside Yasmany’s locker? When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn’t under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal’s office for the third time in three days, and it’s still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany’s locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick.”

Ricki

This week, I read the YA book manuscript of my dear friend, Bryan Gillis. Many of the readers of this blog know how active Bryan is in YAL world, and I felt very honored to be one of his first readers. I can’t say anything about the book, but I know it will be published!

Kellee

• Starting: Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi
• Resuming: Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson
• With Trent: We’re reading a bunch of picture books right now 🙂

Ricki

I saw Bettina Love speak at CU-Boulder a couple of weeks ago, and I knew I had to get her book We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom. So far, I’ve quoted/shown three passages from this book to my students. It’s that good.

Wednesday: Terrible Times Tables by Michelle Markel

Friday: Educators’ Guide for Prairie Boy: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns the Heartland into a Home by Barb Rosenstock

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