It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!
Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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.
Giveaway Winners!
Congratulations to our winners:
Beth Shaum (How to Cheer Up Dad)
Melissa Guerrette (Eleanor series)
Last Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Books on our Summer TBR Lists
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: Another really great reading week in the Moye house. I read some phenomenal books. First was The F-It List by Julie Halpern which was a true yet fun look at living with a friend with cancer. Then was Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys which blew me away! Anyone who wants to argue that YA isn’t literary or thought-provoking should read this novel. It had a fascinating setting in a 1950s New Orleans brothel and an amazing protagonist. Next was Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan about a young albino teenager in Tanzania. It was filled with such deep themes such as identity, family, and prejudice. Last was Winger by Andrew Smith. Wow. What a way to end the week. It was a book that kept me reading and guessing—well written and a wonderful voice. Between these books and Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott I read last week, I think I’ve read some of my top books of the year in the last 2 weeks.
Trent and I continued our journey into literature as well:
- Diddle Diddle Dumpling by Tracey Campbell Pearson (A fun take on a classic nursery rhyme.)
- So Many Bunnies by Rick Walton (Looks at counting, ABCs, and rhyming. Almost too much in one book and some of the rhymes/combos were quite a stretch.)
- If You Were a Penguin by Florence Minor (Loved this one. A lyrical picture book, but with information about penguins within. This was from my summer TBR post, and I am glad we were able to get to it.)
- Sandbox by Rosemary Wells (Not my favorite Rosemary Wells book, but still well done and the textures will fascinate a young reader.)
- In the Garden by Elizabeth Spurr (Loved how simple yet how detailed this book was. Using few words it tells the story of a young boy growing a garden.)
- Sheila Rae’s Peppermint Stick by Kevin Henkes (Kevin Henkes can do no wrong. A cute story about sharing and siblings.)
- Who Are They? by Tana Hoban (A wordless picture book in black and white to catch a baby’s attention. Works on counting and animals.)
I forgot to mention last week that many of these books are from Trent’s first visit to the library!!! Although we have read library books since he was born, this was the first time we went to visit (library books get delivered to my house if I request them). My mom and I took Trent who was mesmerized by all of the books, and I was able to pick up a huge pile of board books–score!
Ricki: This week, I read a great book about a girl who is a Siren. This was my first book within the Siren/Mermaid trend, and I had a lot of fun reading it. It is from a smaller press (WiDo) and is called Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar. Henry and I also read What’s Your Favorite Animal? which is a delightful book that is edited by Eric Carle. Fourteen famous children’s writers/illustrators draw and describe their favorite animal. I loved it. We also read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown, One Little Match by Thomas S. Monson, and The Sleepy Book by Margaret Wise Brown. All three were very good.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I started Reality Boy on Sunday, and I hope to finish it soon. I then will go on to Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. After that I am not sure. Any one read any of these: Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin, Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian, The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman, or Golden by Jessi Kirby? I can’t decide what to read next.
Ricki: I am still reading A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. I am savoring it, and I save it for times I need a pick-me-up. It is simply fabulous. I am also reading a few professional development books, but I will share more about them when I make a more significant dent. 🙂
Upcoming Week’s Posts
We are celebrating our one year anniversary this week!!!
Come by each day to celebrate with us!
Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Posts in the First Year of Unleashing Readers
Wednesday: Why Do We Blog?
Thursday: What We’ve Learned This Year
Friday: New Year’s Resolution
Saturday: Wrap Up
So, what are you reading?
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
Congrats on your 1 year anniversary! And yay for winning a copy of How to Cheer Up Dad! 🙂
Thank you Beth and YAY!
Congrats, friend!
Happy Anniversary! I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog, I think it was sometime this past fall. You’ve had an amazing year! I’ll celebrate it by reading more so I can continue to link up!
We’re glad you did as well as that meant we found yours too!
This year has been so phenomenal, and we are so happy to be able to spend the future with all of you 🙂
Michele, I remember when you joined us. I have really enjoyed getting to know you!
Wow, Kellee, all of the books you’ve mentioned are on my TBR list. I know they must be good as you said. And Ricki, I love What’s Your Favorite Animal-a very special picture book keepsake. Congratulations on your anniversary (blogiversary?) & have fun this week!
You will not be disappointed by any of the Linda! Wow. 🙂
Thank YOU Linda for all of your support!
Thank you, Linda! We have really appreciated your support over the last year. We hope you have a great week!
I really need to read any Andrew Smith books. I’ve only heard praises! And, the first trip to the library is always exciting!
I love Eric Carle. And seeing the different illustrations by others in the latest book was fun. Glad you’re still enjoying A Snicker of Magic.
Congrats you two!
Andrew Smith books are brilliant. I’ve only read Winger and Stick, but both just blew me away. I need to read more as well.
Thanks Earl 🙂
Thanks for joining us, Earl. I also love Eric Carle. I liked how each page was so different from the last. Have a great week!
I’m jealous your library delivers! Glad you had fun on your first visit to the library. We don’t get to the library much during the school year, but I love hanging out there in the summer.
Isn’t it great that the library delivers!! We have so many branches, it’d be hard to get what you want, so they have a courier bring it to you. However, you do have to go to the library to return, but they have a drive thru! That’s service. I’m glad I finally took him to the library! I hope to start taking him to story time soon as well.
And you are right, it is a great way place to hang out in in the summer 🙂
This is absolutely nutty. I can’t get over this.
The delivery and drive thru window?
YES! I couldn’t wait for the husband to wake up from his nap to tell him.
LOL It is quite awesome! 🙂
Hi Kellee and Ricki, congratulations on your year together. I couldn’t get the google form to work, but I’ll try again tomorrow. Thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you Gigi! It has been a wonderful year.
Try copying and pasting the link and it should work. Let us know 🙂
Gigi, let me know if you have problems tomorrow. I can’t seem to recreate any problems, and it works for me and has worked for others. I wonder if Google had issues for a short time period.
I couldn’t get to the form either :0)
Aileen, try copying and pasting the link and it should work 🙂
Thank you for stopping by!
Aileen, let us know if you still have problems. I checked and tried it on a few computers, and I didn’t have trouble. Maybe it was a temporary glitch.
Congrats on the one year anniversary. It doesn’t seem like a whole year has gone by already. Wow! Kellee, you just read through some amazing books this week. They are books that stay with you. Ricki, I have never heard of What’s Your Favorite Animal. I’ll be watching for that one. Thanks both of you for all you do here!
Hasn’t the year just flown by?!
Yes, that is a perfect way to describe these books. They will never leave me.
Thank you for always supporting us Crystal!
Crystal, it is quite a clever book. I absolutely recommend it. Thank you for all that YOU do on your blog! 🙂
Congratulations on one year! I remember helping you promote it! 🙂 I love your blog because of all the books and ideas you feature. Here’s to many more years blogging!
And we thank you always for helping us get this thing off its feet. Couldn’t have done it without the support of our PLN!
Thank you, Holly! We appreciate your warm wishes. 🙂
Congratulations on your 1-year anniversary! That’s great!
I also loved Out of the Easy. We used to live in New Orleans so that made it even better, but I just love her writing. Did you read Between Shades of Gray? Blew me away!
Hope you both enjoy your books this week –
Sue
2014
Big Book Summer Challenge
Thank you Sue!
I have never been to New Orleans, but now I am super fascinated.
YES! Between Shades of Gray is one of the best historical fiction novels I’ve ever read. It actually was an honor book my first year on the Walden Award committee.
Have a wonderful reading week as well!
Hi, Sue! Thank you! I love both of her books. She is such a phenomenal writer, isn’t she?
Fun! Congrats! I didn’t even realize you had a blog! How fun this is!! 🙂
Congratulations on your one year anniversary! And wow! You both are have great reading weeks.
Kellee you certainly read some fantastic novels – I loved both Out of the Easy and Golden Boy. Just incredible. Winger is on my list. I did read Golden – lighter YA but enjoyable. Ricki, glad to hear you are savouring Snicker. I plan to read it in July once I get through a bunch of library books.
Happy Happy Blogiversary Ricki and Kellee. Time flies so quickly in the blogosphere, doesn’t it? This Monday meme happens to be one of GatheringBooks favourites. I envy your reading pace – looks like your summer is off to a great start. I really hope I find more time to read as many books in the coming weeks. 🙂 Again happy happy blogiversary! Will enter your contest now. And yes, Snicker is one of my favourites this year. 🙂
WOO HOO!! Happy 1 Year Blog celebration, don’t the days just fly by!? Ricki, Enjoy milking a Snicker of Magic… 🙂 Kellee enjoy Reality Boy. Loved both, for very different reasons! 🙂 Must go find the F-It List… hopefully I can reserve at library while I’m visiting the US. Happy reading week to you both…