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: Smithsonian’s Exploration Station World Atlas

Friday: Chilly Da Vinci by J. Rutland

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Heads Up for Projectile Science!” by Matthew Brenden Wood, Author of Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids

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

Kellee

Well, not a lot of reading was done this week. It has been a week.

Negative thing that kept me from reading:
If you were at NCTE with me, you know that I was fighting ear issues, and THEY ARE STILL GOING ON! Since it is still clogged, no infection any more at least, the pressure in my ear is causing some headaches and dizziness. Hopefully this new dose of meds will help! Fingers crossed!

Positive thing that kept me from reading:
JENNIFER NIELSEN CAME TO MY SCHOOL!!!! AND SHE WAS AMAZING!!!
I’ll post all about it after winter break 🙂

Ricki

I really enjoyed Chilly Da Vinci by J. Rutland. It’s a fun book that uses Da Vinci’s inventions to inspire young people to invent the impossible—and stick with their inventions if they aren’t working properly.

My son and I absolutely loved Where’s the Architect?: From Pyramids to Skyscrapers. The book is oversized with giant illustrations. Each spread features a magnificent work of architecture from the past. In most of the drawings, the architecture is in the process of being built or was recently built. I feel like I learned so much from this book, and I loved all of the new-to-me facts about architectural structures that I was familiar with. My son loved looking and talking about the buildings, and he enjoyed doing the search-and-finds on each page.

My younger son loves the pull-flaps and features on this book. He sits with it for quite some time. I love a good, interactive book.

Sadly, I didn’t read any YAL this week. It was our last week of classes, and I feel like my days consist of grading and answering emails. I am looking forward to getting back in the groove! I did read some great articles in the new issue of American Educational Research Journal!

Kellee

I am loving the two Nielsen novels I’m reading!

Ricki

This week, I promise to finish some YAL. 🙂

Wednesday: Where’s the Architect: From Pyramids to Skyscrapers (An Architect Look and Find Book) by Susanne Rebschet & Annabelle von Sperber

Friday: Blog Tour with Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: Children of Jubilee by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Big Questions, Big World, Big Data!” by Carla Mooney, Author of Big Data: Information in the Digital World

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: Ricki & Kellee’s NCTE & ALAN 2018 Reflection

Friday: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence” by Angie Smibert, Author of Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Machines and Smart Robots

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

Kellee

Jennifer Nielsen is at my school tomorrow!!!!!! I may not have read as many of her books as I’d like to have (gosh darn it!), but I am so impressed with the ones I have finished and the ones I am in the middle of. And it is amazing how she much every student and myself have enjoyed both her fantasy and her historical fiction. She is a genius!

We read the first two books in this new series by Drew Daywalt, and we’re skeptical fans right now. Trent and I really liked the first one (think Schrodinger’s Cat) while we didn’t like the second one as much.

Ricki

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

I read and loved Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles. My students are discussing it alongside The Hate U Give and All American Boys tomorrow. I am really looking forward to their thoughts.

I loved All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Zelinsky. The book reads like a historical fiction, but it still felt very relevant to me. I will be gifting this one to family.

Kellee

• Listening though I may switch to reading to get more read before Tuesday: Resistance by Jennifer Nielsen
• Reading and I hope to finish before Tuesday: Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielsen
• Reading with Trent and Jim: The House at Pooh Corner
• Books I need to finish ASAP because they are book club books for my kids and I haven’t read them: Fablehaven by Brandon Mull and Sasquatch by Roland Smith

Ricki

I am looking forward to reading Chilly Da Vinci by J. Rutland. We review it on Thursday, and it just arrived!

I haven’t picked my next YA book, but I kind of like that free feeling. 🙂 I look forward to seeing what folks are reading on their blog pages!

Wednesday: Smithsonian’s Exploration Station World Atlas

Friday: Chilly Da Vinci by J. Rutland

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Heads Up for Projectile Science!” by Matthew Brenden Wood, Author of Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids

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.

Kellee

Before NCTE/ALAN: 

• Dry by Neal Shusterman. Read it. Like now. I’m serious. Because it is so real and scary in that way that doesn’t haunt your dreams but haunts reality.
• Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard is a look at family and responsibility and anger. It is a very special book!
• Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths by Graham Annable is just as good as the first one. It expands Peter & Ernesto’s world even more!
• Junior High Drama by Louise Simonson is a short story collection looking at different situations that middle schoolers, primarily girls, deal with.

After NCTE/ALAN:

NCTE and ALAN is all about celebrating teaching, author, book, and creativity love, but it is so BUSY that reading time is nonexistent. Luckily, when I returned, I had a solid five days of family and reading time!

• Here We Stay by Sara Farizan is the first ALAN book I picked up, and I am so glad! I hadn’t have known about this book until ALAN which is a travesty because it is a must read and a must share with teens.
• The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen is such a messed up book! It is a look at power and what someone in power would do if they fear losing it. Jennifer is coming to my school NEXT TUESDAY, and I am loving reading all of her books.
• Lu by Jason Reynolds concludes the Track series with Lu which is a perfect finale to the series. Sometimes what you think you need to feel happy isn’t it at all.
• The Sisters 8 is a series by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Greg Logsted, and their daughter, Jackie. This series debuted 10 years ago, and I look forward to celebrating in a couple of weeks.
• Ethan Makes His Mark by Michele Weber-Hurwitz is the sequel to Ethan Marcus Stands Up which is the book that inspired my flexible seating this year. I was worried about book two not standing up to book one, but I shouldn’t have worried. It is just as good at the first not only continuing the story but also building up a new one.

Ricki

• Pride by Ibi Zoboi is incredible. I love retellings of classics, and I would argue that this retelling is far superior to the original. Ibi presented at the NCTE convention, and she is absolutely brilliant. She talked about how she values the inclusion of the pantheon in literature and how she does so in her own texts. She also shared how different poems within Pride are retellings of classic poems. I love her work and will read anything she writes.
• Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin is a powerful, timely story. If only those in power would read more stories like these.
• Mapping Sam by Joyce Hesselberth is an adorable story of a cat’s adventures. It includes many maps of places that will be familiar to kids. Children who love cats and/or maps will enjoy this book, and it has a lot of classroom potential (map making!).
• Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by Jessica Hische is beautiful in its presentation and inspirational to kids. The lettering in this book is lovely.
• If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy Newbold is AMAZING. The author and illustrator team reimagine what it might look like if famous artists in history decided to paint a dinosaur. This sent me on a tailspin through the internet—researching the famous artists. I am excited to review this book next week!

Kellee

 

• The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne: I cannot wait to get back to reading this one with Trent. It was sad to miss a week while I was away.
• Land of Stories Book 1 expired before I could finish listening to it and has holds, so I moved onto A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen which is excellent! I hope to finish it before her author visit next week.
• Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble  by Anna Meriano is one I grabbed after meeting the author at NCTE and hearing about the second book in the series.
• Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielsen is the first in a trilogy. I am very early in it still, but I will no doubt love it!

Ricki

I am currently listening to Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles. So far, it is a great read (and listen!).

I hope to read Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. I’ve heard good things, and it was in my ALAN box!

  

Wednesday: Ricki & Kellee’s NCTE & ALAN 2018 Reflection

Friday: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence” by Angie Smibert, Author of Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Machines and Smart Robots

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.

Tuesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Two Books We’re Going to Make Sure to Read Before the New Year

Wednesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: One Day! Our Favorite Thing about NCTE/ALAN….

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

We are currently attending the NCTE and ALAN conventions followed by family time during the school holiday. We’ll see you on the 26th! 🙂

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.

Tuesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Nine Presentations We Are Giving at #NCTE18

Wednesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Eight Books that Have Made Our Sons Want to Learn to Read

Thursday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Seven Authors Kellee is Excited to See at ALAN Who She’s Never Met Before

Friday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Six authors Ricki’s Excited to See at ALAN Who She’s Never Seen or Met Before

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

Three days until NCTE/ALAN, so we are busy getting prepared!

We cannot wait to see some of you there and for those of you we won’t see, we’ll miss you but we’ll see you back in the blog-iverse soon! 🙂

 

Tuesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Two Books We’re Going to Make Sure to Read Before the New Year

Wednesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: One Day! Our Favorite Thing about NCTE/ALAN….

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.

 

Tuesday: Exclusive Cover Reveal and Giveaway!: Two Truths and a Lie: Forces of Nature by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson
**Giveaway open until Wednesday!**

Wednesday: Bone Soup: A Spooky Tasty Tale by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Thursday: Smithsonian’s Exploration Station: Solar System

Friday: Kellee’s Students’ In-Class Book Club Book Choices

Sunday: Author Guest Post! “Introducing the World’s Rainbow of Cultures to Kids” by Tonja Drecker, Author of Music Boxes

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

Kellee

Brilliant. Just like everyone told me it was.

Ricki

I started the week reading Smithsonian’s Solar System book and activity kit. These kids are quite fun. My son loves them, and they make learning exciting.

I REREAD Refugee by Alan Gratz. My students are reading Land of Permanent Goodbyes, American Street, and Refugee for a week where we talk about immigration and refugees. We had a long talk today about the value of #ownvoices, and I am curious what they think after reading these three books. Authorship is important to them, but we did talk about the power of research. It is a great discussion, and I think these three books are incredibly well-written, so that makes the discussion even more interesting.

I also read three PD books about action research in the classroom. I am deciding which of the three to use as one of my course texts for my Investigating Classroom Literacies course next semester. Each has great strengths, so I will keep you posted. You can expect a Teaching Tuesday ponderings review on this one. 🙂

Kellee

 

With my ears: The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

With my mind: Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard

With my voice: The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

Ricki

I am looking forward to reading Pride by Ibi Zoboi this week in preparation for my NCTE session. WOOT!

  

Tuesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Nine Presentations We Are in at #NCTE18

Wednesday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Eight Books that Have Made Our Sons Want to Learn to Read

Thursday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Seven Authors Kellee is Excited to See at ALAN Who She’s Never Met Before

Friday: Countdown to NCTE/ALAN: Six authors Ricki’s Excited to See at ALAN Who She’s Never Seen or Met Before

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.

CONGRATULATIONS
Vi F.
for winning the Eduardo Guardardo giveaway!

Tuesday: Video about Lexiles with Leigh Hall, Professor at University of Wyoming

Wednesday: Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo that Changed the World by James Gladstone

Thursday: Sun! One in a Billion by Stacey McAnulty

Friday: Death and Douglas by J.W. Ockler

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “And They Lived Happily Ever After” by Alane Adams, Author of The Blue Witch and The Circus Thief

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

Kellee

• Someday by David Levithan was a fascinating finale to the Every Day series. It still has me thinking, and it was also so suspenseful that I had trouble putting it down!
• Please, please, please listen to the audiobook for Born a Crime by Trevor Noah if you haven’t read the book yet. Everything about this book is just wonderful and hearing it in Trevor’s voice makes it even better.
• We finished Winnie The Pooh! We loved it, but I was surprised to find that Tigger isn’t in the first book at all! Now we have to get House at Pooh’s Corner.

   

We are on a space book kick. First, we had read the two books that were reviewed last week, but then we got to Earth! also by Stacy McAnulty, The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk, and A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade. They are all worth having in your picture book collection, especially if you have a space fan!

Ricki

This is my first space book by Stacy McAnulty, and I will be getting the Earth! book, for sure. Sun!: One in a Billion is the best kids’ space book that I have read. It was so much fun to read with my son!

I REREAD Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King. My students are reading this book (and two others) for our “Considerations of Class” week. I am looking forward to hearing what they think!

Kids Cooking by George Ancona is an interestingly formatted book. It follows four different (real) classrooms of kids cooking. Each classroom is cooking a different international dish. It made my son want to sign up for a cooking class.

The ABCs of What I Can Be by Caitlin McDonagh features 3-4 occupations for each letter of the alphabet. It is a great alphabet book, and my son had fun point out all of his future occupations. 😉

Kellee

  

• I am reading Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai right now–whoa! I have trouble putting into words the terror I feel for those who live this reality.
• After I finish, I’ll be starting Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard.
• I am starting the Land of Stories series on audio; I hope I like it as much as my students do!

Ricki

I’ll be rereading Refugee by Alan Gratz. It is one of a few books that students can select for our immigration/refugees week. Beyond this, I have a stack of new picture books that I am excited about!

Tuesday: A SURPRISE Cover Reveal

Wednesday: Bone Soup: A Spooky Tasty Tale by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Thursday: Smithsonian’s Exploration Station: Solar System

Friday: Kellee’s Students’ In-Class Book Club Book Choices

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Tonja Drecker, Author of Music Boxes

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