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!
Wednesday: Sofia’s YA Book Nook: When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao
Friday: Student Voices: Reading Benefits from Julianna G. and Merida W.
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Kellee
First: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! 🥳🎈🎉🥳 Happy to be sharing my reading on my birthday 🙂
It has been about a month since I’ve shared what I’ve been reading, so I have some greatness to share.
Adult
My reading has mostly been filled with: FREIDA MCFADDEN!
I have read 20 of her books since I started reading her books in late April.
With her books, I find myself enjoying reading, picking up my book instead of my phone, and usually being surprised by the twist. She definitely knows how to write her type of thriller!
Picture Books
- Is This a Plum? by Dan & Finn Ojari: I love that this book was made by a father which his son after they had a realization about plums, and it is not what you think! This book definitely made me laugh out loud; make sure to pick it up!
- Milton Makes a Move by Jonathan Graziano, Illustrated by Dan Tavis: So, I did not know who Noodles and Jonathan were until I received this book, and now that I am all caught up with Jonathan and his pugs, I am smitten. The book is a story of friendship and perosnality and facing fears. I can definitely see why Milton’s story was one that was wanted in a picture book. I mean, check him out!
- Dad by Christian Robinson: I am totally bias on this one because Christian Robinson is one of my favorite picture book illustrators, and I found these simplistic yet beautiful art in this one was perfect. I loved this celebration of dads that started with animal dads and moved to human dads. I loved that the statements about animal dads were accurate to their species but can also be applied to human situations. So much to love in this book. I was also really lucky to be asked to be part of the advertising for dad, and I was honored to share how my dad lead me.
Middle Grade
- The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh: Oh man, I am so glad that Trent was assigned this book to read for his language arts class, and I decided to read it with him. I can see why it is a National Book Award Finalist and all the rave reviews from adults and kids alike. It is emotional, informative, and suspenseful. It is also important–the Holodomor should be taught and talked about more as it is horrific and another example of history we don’t want to repeat. I liked how Marsh had the COVID lockdown within it as well.
- Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep by Mark Leiren-Young: Octopus are so fascinating, and this text was a great overview of everything about them.
- Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet by Geo Rutherford: I really liked learning about all these cool lakes though I think calling it spooky is misguided; however, I will say they were definitely strange or mysterious!
- Seeds of Discovery: How Barbara McClintock Used Corn and Curiousity to Solve a Science Mystery and Win a Nobel Prize by Lori Alexander, Illustrated by Rebecca Santo: Barbara McClintock is brilliant, and I had never heard of her. I am so glad I learned about her now because how innovative she was in her field and truly in love with science is important to teach kids about. Hopefully they learn about all of these awesome women much earlier than I did.
- Trunk No. 3 by Allie Millington: This magical realism book was special. Told in 3 points of view: Earl Grey, a young girl living in a magical library; Cleo, a young boy who is new to town; and Trunk No. 3, a magical trunk that has a secret of its own. It is definitely a character driven story, with the reader wanting to help our young protagonists and learn the secrets hidden within the book, that will suck in readers who love emotional reads.
- Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires by Jessica Stremer, Illustrated by Michael Garland: There is so much more to wildfires than most of us know and this book shares so much interesting information with the reader focused primarily on the survival of floral and fauna. A nonfiction read that I will definitely put in my library.
Young Adult
- Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming: I only knew about Jonestown because of the Kool-Aid idiom that is now in our venacular, but there is so much more to Jonestown than just the end. The “lost dream” part of the subtitle really holds a lot of what the story is about–people who had a dream and were sucked into a system of corruption and manipulation. Candace Fleming, again, writes a fascinating nonfiction book that you cannot put down.
- American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad that Haunted a Nation by Barb Rosenstock: I learned about the Fox sisters by reading Spirit Sleuths by Gail Jarrow, but this book is such a more in-depth look at the sisters specifically, I would almost classify it as a collective biography of the three sisters. It was fascinating learning about the beginning of spiritualism and how the sisters were such influential parts.
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
- Listening: Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager’s Survival in the Amazon by Ellen Cochrane
Wednesday: Alice Piper Speaks Up by Sage Andrew Romero and Loralee Sepsey, Illustrated by Morgan Thompson
Friday: Student Voices: The Importance of Graphic Novels from Isabel T. and Megan G.
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
Lots of good books this week. I vividly remember getting a Newsweek magazine at my middle school library that talked about the Jonestown massacre… that was a tense day! I’ll have to read the student voices about graphic novels; my students check them out a lot, but I suspect that sometimes they do not read the words. Either that, or they are paying no attention in class, because they bring the books back 45 minutes after they check them out. Have a great birthday !