It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.
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!
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
Here is what I have finished since my last update on 5/5:
Middle Grade
- What If You Fall For Me First by G.F. Miller: In this “She’s All That” reminiscent story, good girl Sofia works with bad boy Holden to reshape her image in hopes of getting the attention of her CRUSH Mark. The story looks at growing up and learning to embrace who you are but also learning to take risks; how people can change over time; and that not everyone lives up to our expectations.
- Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis: Like Vitalis’s Coyote Queen, we I am thankful for the focus on untraditional families and social class that too often are in reality but aren’t found in books. In this book, Vitalis tells Cayenne’s story in verse that was crafted so well that you automatically fall in love with Cayenne and feel all of her dreams and hopes. It was also fun to be transported to the 1980s–the details were so much fun! I was not a fan of the ending, but I know that it is realistic, so it is a me problem. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next because both of her books have been wonderful!
- Meet Me at Sunset and Written in the Stars (Spotlight Sprinkles #1 & #2) by Lee Heart: This series is going to be such a hit in my middle school! Developmentally appropriate crush-focused, first like books that rom-com fans are going to love! The first of the series is a beach romance where Julie, with the help of her friend Sophia, work to make a boyfriend a reality. The second in the series is a camp story with Quinn who is working on dealing with losing her dad and wants to have some normal at camp, but the new normal includes a very crush worthy boy!
Young Adult
- Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington: This book is like The Hunger Games and Inheritance Games mixed together! I told my students that all my murder mystery AND puzzle mystery AND romance AND thriller books fans would love this book because it has it all. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of it! And it is taken to a whole other level with the look at injustice within private schools. Truly a “can’t put it down” read!
- Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart: You can only be perfect for as long as your plan is working out and in this book Jessa’s plan definitely goes south and she must figure out how to think on her feet to save herself and her friends.
- Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore: This epic of a fantasy novel has everything, and I am so glad I finally read it. Bitterblue and Lovisa are both so strong but so different and it is fascinating to see how they develop as they both figure out how to navigate. Cashore is a brilliant world and character builder. I am rereading this series with my friend Jewel, and we both are just blown away with her ability to fully flesh out characters that are wonderful yet flawed making them seem so real.
- The Thrashers by Julie Soto: I am not sure what to think about this one. I was not a fan of how suicide was a plot point in the book in a way that I felt it wasn’t respected nor talked about in a way that would be helpful to teens. I do think that discussing the effects of bullying and exclusion is interesting, but then you add in so many other aspects like potential ghosts and sister involvement and and and… I just hope the characters get therapy. But at the same time it was hard to stop reading it because I needed to know what happened. I’m happy there was accountability and growth of all the characters. And the paranormal aspect is pretty unique—if you like this pick up You’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker.
- Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: Rereading the original trilogy to get to the two newest books that I haven’t read yet, and MAN they are good as I remember. One thing I have pointed out to my friends is that although we all know the movies well, the book takes it to such a different level because Katniss is telling us the story–you get true intimacy with her thoughts and feelings. (P.S. I am not team anyone anymore. I loved Gale originally but now I can’t get behind that either, and I just do not like the lack of communication and manipulation of Peeta, so I am currently just team Katniss.)
hat And you can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.
Ricki
This is my week off; see you next week!
Kellee
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Not If But When” by Madeleine Roux, Author of A Girl Walks Into a Forest
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!
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I too am team Katniss rather than either of the guys. You summed that up well. I was originally Gale as I was reading and that grudgingly accepted Peeta, but I actually don’t think that any romance would have been necessary for the story to work. She’s enough.
It’s been great to see more romance in MG since I know a lot of MG readers are craving it, and there are definitely a lot of options out there I wouldn’t want to hand to kids in this age group!