It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Review and Giveaway!: Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten by Laura Purdie Salas, Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
**Giveaway ends tomorrow!**

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Classic Starts Favorites

Sunday: Student Voices: Digital versus Traditional School by Nitya A. and Sarah W., 7th Grade

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

Kellee

Sorry for the length of this update, but I wanted to share everything from July and this first week in August as I haven’t really updated during that time.

July:

• Trent and I really love the Questioneers series–both the picture books and the chapter books. We highly recommend them. They are well done and exactly the type of kids I want Trent to be reading about.
• We love Salina Yoon! If you haven’t read ALL of her Bear or Penguin books, Trent and I both recommend it.
• Lulu, Old Rock, and Kat were all reviewed here on Unleashing Readers–check out the reviews!
• The Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood is on our state list for K-2 and we already owned it, so a win-win. Also, it is a hilarious book. I really love when the fourth wall is broken.
• We read The Infamous Ratsos for Camp Candlewick! What a great program and book–I know we’ll be reading the rest of the series. I love the focus on what makes someone actually tough.
• Itch by Polly Farquhar: “Isaac’s sixth grade year gets off to a rough start. For one thing, a tornado tears the roof off the school cafeteria. His mother leaves on a two month business trip to China. And as always. . . . there’s the itch. It comes out of nowhere. Idiopathic, which means no one knows what causes it. It starts small, but it spreads, and soon–it’s everywhere. It’s everything. It’s why everyone calls him Itch–everyone except his best friend Sydney, the only one in all of Ohio who’s always on his side, ever since he moved here.”
• I love that Hands Up by Breanna McDaniel takes a negative connotation and gives ownership of the phrase to the Black community in a positive way.
• Alma by Juana Martinez-Neal is such an important read for all kids because it talks about the importane of names.
• Ella McKeen Kickball Queen by Beth Mills is another state list book. It is a book that kids are going to relate to because it looks at changes at school and dealing with them.
• Sing a Song by Kelly Starlings Lyon is a book I needed. And Trent needed. So I assume others will as well. I had heard of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” but I did not know much about it nor had I heard it. This book introduced me to it, showed its power, and led to Trent and I listening to it. Beautifully done book as well!
• You Loves Ewe by Cece Bell cracked Trent up and was a fun intro to homophones.
• Donald Crews is brilliant. Read everything by him.
• Trent and Henry read How to Test a Friendship together; Ricki and I plan on reviewing it later in August or in September because it is SO GOOD.
• Pusheen Cat has a new fan in Trent!
• Five Fuzzy Chicks by Diana Murray was our multi-read, read whenever we had a chance book for a while. Trent would read it to whomever would listen. He loved it–I think I am going to buy it for him (it was a library book) as a beginning of the school year surprise.

Last Week: 

• THANK YOU SONA CHARAIPOTRA AND DHONIELLE CLAYTON for breaking my reaidng rut! If you haven’t read Tiny Pretty Things or Shiny Broken Pieces and love YA dramas, get on it now. They are everything you want in drama-filled, back stabbing, redemption book!
• I cannot gush enough about Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o and illustrated by Vashti Harrison. WOW! First, the illustrations blew me away. They are perfection. I’m serious. Second, the lesson taught in the book is one that all kids need to hear–either for themselves or to make them thing about others. Third, the story does a beautiful job of entwining mythology and the contemporary story. Highly recommended.
• This last week Trent and I read books from some favorite series: Poppleton, Mr. Putter & Tabby, and Yasmin. All as good as we expected.
• We also read from two new series: King & Kayla and Bad Kitty. They are both now favorites and we’ll be finishing them both!
• The Littlest Family’s Big Day by Emily Winfield Martin has such soft, beautiful illustrations–it is worth reading just for them. But the fun story of a new neighborhood makes it double worth it.

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Kellee

Oh man… well, I am back at work. I have NO idea what I am going to read or what I am going to read with Trent–I’ll update you next week 🙂

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Tuesday:  Build a Castle: 64 Slot-Together Cards for Creative Fun by Pail Farrell

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Fleur Bradley, Author of Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

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?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

 

Tuesday: Shifu Orboot Earth: AR-Powered, Interactive Globe

Sunday: Student Voices: Ten Characters I Would Love to Meet by Brooke A., 7th grade

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

Kellee

First day of preplanning for me today. Learned last week that I am going back face-to-face with students, so I have lots of work to do to make my library accessible for students and safe for all. Happy reading this week, everyone!

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Kellee

Tiny Pretty Things definitely sucked me in! Still feeling a bit rutty when it comes to reading, but it and now its sequel are energizing my reading muscles again!

Tuesday: Review and Giveaway!: Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten by Laura Purdie Salas, Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Classic Starts Favorites

Sunday: Student Voices: Digital versus Traditional School by Nitya A. and Sarah W., 7th Grade

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?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Paint By Sticker Kids: Dinosaurs from Workman

Thursday: Review, Discussion Guide, and Giveaway: Lulu, the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney, Illustrated by Jennie Poh
Giveaway open until Wednesday!

Sunday: Student Voices: Homestruck Webcomic by Morgan M. and Melanie S., 8th Grade

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

Kellee

Educator friends: Are you doing okay? So much of our livelihood is in question right now, and I wanted to check on you. My district still is bargaining and there are still a lot of questions, so I know the stress and questioning and sadness are a lot, so I wanted to just say: I see you, you’re awesome, stay safe, do what is best for you and your family, and you’re not alone.

Also, through all of this, is anyone else struggling to be in the mindset to read?My brain just isn’t able to focus for that long–I read every day, just shorter amounts. You’ll notice that I have way less novels than normal in July because of this. I know this, too, is temporary though, so again, if you are feeling this way know: I see you, you’re awesome, and you’re not alone!

Since I last posted at the end of June, here is what I have read and new books I’ve read with Trent:

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I’ve been writing this week, so I’ll report all of the books next week!

Kellee

• The book I hope is going to pull me out of my slump: Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
• With Trent: Random picture books
• And not listening to anything right now since I’m not driving much.

 

Tuesday: Shifu Orboot Earth: AR-Powered, Interactive Globe

Sunday: Student Voices: Ten Characters I Would Love to Meet by Brooke A., 7th grade

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?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: PlayShifu’s Plugo Letters, Count, and Link

Thursday: The Baby-Sitters Club

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Sunday: Student Voices: Favorite Book Quotes by Duda V. and Angelina D., 8th grade

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

Kellee

While I take my summer break from IMWAYR, you can see what I’m reading by checking out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Hi! I am working hard on getting a book written, so I’m out today. I hope you all are well!

Tuesday: Paint By Sticker Kids: Dinosaurs from Workman

Thursday: Review and Giveaway: Lulu, the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney, Illustrated by Jennie Poh

Sunday: Student Voices: Homestruck Webcomic by Morgan M. and Melanie S., 8th Grade

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?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers

Thursday: Best Learning’s iPoster My WORLD Interactive Map

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Sunday: Student Voices: Seven Books that Will Put a Smile on Your Face by Cooper B., 7th Grade

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

Kellee

Taking a couple of weeks off of IMWAYR before the school year starts — see you after my break 🙂

To see what books I’ve been reading until then, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

To start, I read Django Paris and H. Samy Alim’s co-edited Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World. This book is amazing. I found it to be so inspiring and had to limit the number of times I cite it in the book I am writing!

My kids love the Ana and Andrew series, so it’s no surprise that they loved Dancing at Carnival and Summer and Savannah by Christine Platt. This one is available as a read-along on hoopla, and after we read them, the kids asked to read them again.

I never managed to read Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, so I am glad that I was able to find a library copy of it in e-book form. This book is quite charming, and it was fun for my kids to experience an illusion like this for the first time. They call it an illusion, right?

In Spork by Kyo Maclear, a spork doesn’t feel like he fits in, but he learns that he is juuuust right. This is a really cute story, and it offers great opportunities for conversations with kids like fitting in and individuality.

Ricki

I am reading a lot of books concurrently right now! One that I’ll mention is Zetta Elliot’s Dragons in a Bag. It’s really great, and the kids LOVE it.

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Tuesday: PlayShifu’s Plugo Letters, Count, and Link

Thursday: The Baby-Sitters Club

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Sunday: Student Voices: Favorite Book Quotes by Duda V. and Angelina D., 8th grade

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?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

 

Tuesday: Book Reader Animal Kingdom from Best Learning

Thursday: Review and Giveaway!: Kat and Juju by Kataneh Vahdani

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Sunday: Student Voices: Four Books I Love That Made Me Cry by Samia R., 8th Grade

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

Kellee

Taking a couple of weeks off of IMWAYR before the school year starts — see you after my break 🙂

To see what books I’ve been reading until then, you can check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

This week, we reread Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers. This is one of my favorite nonfiction picture books. It really captures the greatness and strength of Frederick Douglass. The kids love reading it and ask me to reread it often. It’s one of those books that is genuinely appropriate for all ages.

We finished the first book in the new Magnificent Makers series. Magnificent Makers: How to Test a Friendship by Theanne Griffith is about three kids who get sucked into a microscope and explore an aspect of science (in this case, the ecosystem). I LOVED reading this book with the kids. It was a fun way to talk about science and felt like a much better, more complex version of the Magic School Bus. It’s aimed at early elementary schoolers and all of the kids in the K-3 book club that we participate in loved it.

Ricki

I am participating in several book clubs (connected with action statements) centered on antiracism. I’ll report back in a few weeks, but all of my personal reading has been focused on reading and rereading the nonfiction available.

 

Tuesday: Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers

Thursday: Best Learning’s iPoster My WORLD Interactive Map

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Sunday: Student Voices: Seven Books that Will Put a Smile on Your Face by Cooper B., 7th Grade

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?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Osmo’s Genius Start Kit: Math, Spelling, Problem Solving, Creativity, and More!

Thursday: This Is My America by Kim Johnson

Sunday: Student Voices: Teen Experienes During Quarantine by Monika A., 8th Grade

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

Kellee

• I am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James: This book is every good thing. Perfection! It is an ode to everything that young Black boys truly are. Everyone is going to want this for their classroom, for all levels!
• Light It Up by Kekla Magoon: The companion to How It Went Down is just as intense and truth-telling as the first. Kekla Magoon is brilliant–highly recommended.

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I also read I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes. This is a must-have for classrooms and libraries. It is beautifully done.

Kat and Juju by Kataneh Vahdani is a charming book. I look forward to sharing more this Thursday.

We listened to Animal Kingdom by Best Learning. This is a really great reading comprehension tool that Kellee and I will share tomorrow!

And…I must admit that my kids and I read 28 Clifford the Big Read Dog books this week. I am not exaggerating. My three-year-old is absolutely obsessed with Clifford. We have gotten all of these books from the library’s curbside pickup, and we watched several of the books via YouTube read-alouds. His six-year-old brother paid $4 to get a copy of one of the Clifford books that wasn’t available at the library. These books provide my children extreme joy, but their mom (me) sometimes analyzes (and points out) gender roles, representation concerns, etc. and is admittedly a bit tired.

Kellee

• Reading: It’s My Life by Stacie Ramey
• Reading with Trent for one book club: The Magnificent Makers #1: How to Test a Friendship by Theanne Griffith, illustrated by Reggie Brown
• Reading with Trent for another book club: Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Dave Roberts

Ricki

I am still reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi. I just found out my brother and future sister-in-law are reading them, too! I am glad to be book chatting with them. We are just about finished with The Magnificent Makers! YAY!

Tuesday: Book Reader Animal Kingdom from Best Learning

Thursday: Review and Giveaway!: Kat and Juju by Kataneh Vahdani

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Sunday: Student Voices: Four Books I Love That Made Me Cry by Samia R., 8th Grade

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