Kellee – Page 216 – Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 10/12/15

October 12, 2015 by Kellee

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.

CONGRATULATIONS

MARY K.

for winning a copy of Zack Delacruz

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Books I’d Recommend to Students if they Like _____.

Thursday: Blog Tour!: Last-But-Not-Least Lola and the Cupcake Queens by Christine Pakkala

Friday: Blog Tour!: Roar! by Julie Bayless

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “What’s in a Name?” by Royce Leville, author of The Book of Names

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week’s reading quantity is lower than last week, but the quality is not. I finished Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz, and I was so glad I went along on that adventure! This book was my final book for my Bridging the Gender Divide: Humor and The Art of Engaging All Readers NCTE panel. I am so excited!

Ricki: I finished two INCREDIBLE books this week. First, I finished up Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future. It is both literary and engaging, and I was reminded as to why I love A.S. King so much. I was fortunate to receive an ARC of Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. Wow, wow, wow! I was awake until 4am this morning because I couldn’t put it down. I know publishers prefer that we review books no earlier than a month before their publication date, so I will have to tie my hands to my chair to prevent this.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: Now I am on to reading the books for my ALAN panel “Keeping ‘Em on the Edge of Their Seat.” First up is Undertow by Michael Buckley. I just started, but I am intrigued so far. After Undertow, I have the other books from the authors on my panel to read then I plan on rereading Eleanor and Park in preparation for the Walden Award panel at NCTE. I cannot believe how close the conference is!!!

Ricki: Kellee, how smart you were to post your panelists as your Fall TBR list! I am in the same boat as Kellee, but I don’t have a fancy link to my ALAN Workshop panel authors. This week, I am going to start with Meg Medina’s Burn, Baby, Burn. You can see the full workshop program here.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Author Duos We’d LOVE to See Write a Book Together

Wednesday: Review, Author Q&A, and Giveaway!: Frozen Wild by Jim Arnosky

Sunday: Author Guest Post! by Mark Rouman, Author of The Tank Man’s Son

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!

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Author Guest Post!: “What’s in a Name?” by Royce Leville, Author of The Book of Names

October 11, 2015 by Kellee

“What’s in a Name?”

A pseudonym is much more than a writer taking a different name, or even a writer hiding behind a different name. It requires a process of creating a whole new writing style.

Like hitting a tennis ball, making a quilt or playing an instrument, writing is a skill.¹ As a skill, it can be trained, honed and improved. Talent is useful, but most writers agree that talent only takes you so far, especially when it comes to writing fiction.²

There are many ways to work on the skill of writing and to hone the craft.³ A favorite is the “write as someone else” exercise. In fact, writing as someone else was such a boon, it allowed for the creation of me, Royce Leville.

Okay, before we give birth to a pseudonym,⁴ let’s take a few steps back. Why write as someone else? Good question. If you’re working towards writing fiction, especially novel-length, then you need to accept that there’s a lot of preparation and work involved before you even get to chapter one. Part of that is writing character descriptions.⁵And the character really comes to life when he or she is given a voice; that is, when you attempt to write “in character.”⁶

Here’s a good sample exercise for writing as someone else:

Step 1: Write down some details of a character, including age, gender, profession, nationality, brief back story
Step 2: Move on to personal interests (past and present), taste in music, sports, books, etc
Step 3: Give the character some applicable (or even contrary) attributes, based on what’s already been listed in steps 1 and 2
Step 4: Start to populate the character’s world: car, house, furniture, clothing, accessories. Maybe make a list of the items found in the character’s fridge or wallet
Step 5: Now comes the Frankenstein moment. Can you bring the character to life on the page? Write in the first person, trying to use this character’s voice. Start with very simple things, such as making a cup of coffee or getting ready for work. See if you can write “in character”
Step 6: Now place the character in situations with other people. Think about dialogue and how this character speaks, and how this character behaves and reacts

Hopefully, through such a process, the character moves from being a blur of features to a sharply drawn and detailed person, one you might find yourself having conversations with inside your head.⁷

The more work you do in fleshing out the character, the more complex and believable the character becomes. In fact, the character may become so complete, he or she might even become the writer, with a unique style and a specific genre. And you’ve got yourself a pseudonym.⁸

Once there, the trick is how to get in character. Royce Leville has a black hat. With this hat on, Royce is writing.

This Jekyll and Hyde act might sound weird, but it can open some very interesting creative doors.

Notes:

This is the best thing to understand about writing, as it will help you with all forms of writing, whether it’s a birthday card for grandma, an important report at work, or a speech of some kind. If you work at writing, you can get better at it.
There are plenty of writers out there low on talent who churn out successful books.
Solitary writing endeavors result in little progress. Attend workshops, take creative writing classes, join a writing group. Book clubs are also good. Take the time to master the tenses and understand things like point-of-view, narrator knowledge and character consistency.
Royce has written before about the benefits of writing under a pseudonym: http://chapterbreak.net/2015/01/12/guest-post-seven-reasons-to-write-under-a-pseudonym-by-royce-leville/
Who hasn’t read a book with characters that seemed more like lazy sketches on napkins rather than intricately detailed and artistically drawn portraits? Or where a character said something that the character was completely unlikely to say?
Have no illusions. This is much more difficult than it sounds.
Not necessarily a bad thing.
And you’ve possibly opened up a little can of crazy, because you’ll be writing as a character you’ve created, who then starts writing as characters he or she creates. Neat, huh?

ABOUT THE BOOK OF NAMES:

There’s a benevolent locksmith with keys to every lock in town, a serial-killing vet who harvests his victims’ organs, a group of men locked inside a container and stranded at a harbor somewhere, and a performance artist who can open a bottle of champagne in an extraordinary way

Strange situations, unsolvable problems, secret lives, redemption and revenge. At times THE BOOK OF NAMES invokes the spirit of The Twilight Zone, yielding tales of morality, sexuality, and power.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Campbell is a prolific author, journalist and advertising writer who has published three books under his own name and two as Royce Leville. He has won four independent publishing awards and received three prestigious writing residencies. Campbell, born in Australia and residing in Germany, took second place in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for his first Leville book, A Little Leg Work. His articles have featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, while his short stories have appeared in Australian Reader, Spotlight Magazine, Italy from a Backpack and the Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA) compilation, Lines in the Sand.

Find more information at: www.rippplemedia.com

Thank you to Royce for this fascinating look at pseudonyms and building characterization within writing!

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Blog Tour!: Roar! by Julie Bayless

October 9, 2015 by Kellee

Roar!
Author and Illustrator: Julie Bayless
Expected Publication October 13th, 2015 by Running Press Kids

Goodreads Summary: A moonlit tale of friendship and play.

It is nighttime in the savanna, which means that it is time to play for one rambunctious lion cub! The cub tries to make new friends with the hippos and the giraffes, but roaring at them only chases them away. The young lion is about to give up, but when a rabbit accidentally mistakes the cub’s tail for a carrot, the lion realizes she might have met her match, in all the right ways.

Kellee’s Review: Roar! is told in mostly onomatopoeias, so it is up to the reader to really read into the colorful and clue-filled illustrations. Bayless does a really great job at using her illustrations to build her characters without ever giving them anything to say next to ROAR and MORE and YAWN and SNORE. Trent loves reading this book because he is obsessed with saying ROAR if you even mention a lion and bunny is one of the newest animals he can identify.

Ricki’s Review: I had so much fun reading this book with my son. He knows a lot of words, but he specializes in sound effects. He takes great pride in his roar, so it was fun for me to point to the word and wait for him to respond with a big “ROAAAR!” This would be a great book to use for kids who are just learning to read because the repetition is very helpful. It will build their reading confidence. As Kellee said, the illustrations add significantly to the character development. I smiled through the entire reading.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Roar! is made to be read with kids. I think it’d be so much fun to make it interactive and have the students read the word bubbles as the teacher turns the pages. Another fun activity that could be done with Roar! is having students write out what is happening on each page and even naming the characters and using the illustrations to figure out their character traits.

Discussion Questions: In nature, would the lion and rabbit have been friends?; What onomatopoeias can you find within Roar!?; How would you describe the lion’s personality? The rabbit’s?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka, Moo by David LaRochelle, Look! by Jeff Mack, Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, Night Animals by Gianna Marino, Cat Says Meow and Other Onomatopoeia by Michael Arndt

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Cassie at Running Press for providing copies for review!!**

Blog Tour!: Last-But-Not-Least Lola and the Cupcake Queens by Christine Pakkala

October 8, 2015 by Kellee

Last-But-Not-Least Lola and the Cupcake Queens
Author: Christine Pakkala
Illustrator: Paul Hoppe
Published October 6th, 2015 by Boyds Mills Press

Goodreads Summary: Lola’s mom is home but not home, because she’s frantically working all the time. Lola’s friends are here but not here as allegiances among the foursome change faster than you can forget your lines for a school play. Lola means well but can’t help acting on her emotions and getting into trouble. She’ll need to dig for bravery as she deals with a possible ghost next door, stage fright, and, hardest of all, making amends with her friends. Lola is braver than she thinks and her friendships are stronger than she realizes in this funny, heartwarming tale.

Kellee’s Review: I love that we are finding more and more girls like Lola in books. Lola is unique and smart and creative and not perfect yet also so very normal. She can be both a really good friend yet also a girl who makes mistakes. Lola is such a great role model for readers because she is all of these things, both good and bad. Readers will see themselves in her because she is very human.

In Lola and the Cupcake Queens, we get to know Lola even better. We learn that she has insecurities, that she loves her friends but doesn’t always know how to act, and that she underestimates herself. Each story about Lola’s puts her in more and more situations that readers will be able to connect with.

Ricki’s Review: I adored this charming series and immediately contacted a few friends who have young daughters who I know will fall in love with these books. Lola is a feisty redhead who seems to get herself into quite a bit of trouble. My favorite scene in the book is when Lola finds herself (yet again) in the principal’s office. She and the principal are great friends, and she casually struts into the office and is a bit taken aback when her friend is nervous. Her confidence and feistiness made me want to meet her! As she talks to the principal, she stops halfway through her sentence to lower her voice because yelling is not allowed. She knows the rules but seems to have a bit of difficulty following them—despite how hard she tries.

Lola reminds me of so many kids that I taught. She wants to do well, so she strives to be a good person. Even though she gets into a lot of trouble, it isn’t malicious. She just makes a lot of mistakes. These kinds of characters are fantastic for young readers because, like Kellee said, they allow children to see that they can learn from their mistakes. This series is a must for classrooms—it is the kind of series that turn kids into avid readers.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Lola is going to be a favorite character of so many readers. She belongs in classroom and school libraries so readers can fall in love with her in the ways that we did. In the book, Lola’s teacher did an activity that would also be great in the classroom. As the students were planning their Halloween costumes, she asked each child describe his/her costume without saying what it was. This activity would be a great way to help students build their imagery and descriptive language skills within creative writing.

As another idea, teachers might ask students to consider what it means to be a good friend. They could trace Lola’s actions to determine how she evolves as a friend in the series and then apply her actions to their own lives. This will help them think about friendship critically and relate it back to their own lives.

Discussion Questions: Do you think Lola intentionally gets into trouble? Why or why not?; What qualities would you use to describe Lola? Which of her actions reflect these qualities?; Is Lola a good friend? Why or why not?

We Flagged: “N-n-n-no,” she cries. “I’ve just never ever gotten in trouble and gone to the principal’s office. I’m not bad like you.”

“I’m not bad!” I yell, but part-way through I turn the volume down because yelling is bad. Especially right in front of the principal” (p. 65).

Read This If You Loved: Franklin School Friends series by Claudia Mills, Marty McGuire series by Kate Messner, Bink and Gollie series by Kate DiCamillo, Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb, Eleanor books by Julie Sternberg, Babymouse series by Jennifer L. Holm, Bramble and Maggie series by Jessie Haas, The Trouble with Ants by Claudia Mills

Recommended For:

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall

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**Thank you to Kayleigh at Boyds Mills Press for providing copies for review!**

Jump Back, Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby

October 24, 2015October 7, 2015 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Jump Back, Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Author: Sally Derby
Illustrator: Sean Qualls
Published September 22nd, 2015 by Candlewick Pres

Goodreads Summary: Discover the breadth and depth of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poetry—and learn how it reflects his singular life as a late-nineteenth-century black man.

Did you know that Paul Laurence Dunbar originated such famous lines as “I know why the caged bird sings” and “We wear the mask that grins and lies”? From his childhood in poverty and his early promise as a poet to his immense fame and his untimely death, Dunbar’s story is one of triumph and tragedy. But his legacy remains in his much-beloved poetry—told in both Standard English and in dialect—which continues to delight and inspire readers today. More than two dozen of Dunbar’s poems are woven throughout this volume, illuminating the phases of his life and serving as examples of dialect, imagery, and tone. Narrating in a voice full of admiration and respect, Sally Derby introduces Paul Laurence Dunbar’s life and poetry to readers young and old, aided by Sean Qualls’s striking black-and-white illustrations.

My Review: I came into this book not knowing much about Paul Laurence Dunbar aside from knowing that the line “I know why the caged bird sings” was written by him which inspired Maya Angelou’s autobiography’s title; however, I didn’t know much else about his life or his poetry. Derby’s book does a fantastic job remedying that. Not only are you exposed to more than 20 of Dunbar’s poems, you are exposed to them in very specific ways as Derby tells Dunbar’s life story. Each poem’s inclusion is purposeful and perfectly timed. When finished, I wanted to read more of Dunbar’s poems and actually hear some of them being performed (his dialect poems are screaming to be read aloud). Qualls also does a brilliant job, as always, illustrating the tone of the text in beautiful black-and-white drawings.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book not only can be used to share information about Paul Laurence Dunbar’s life and his poetry, but it also includes fascinating information about what it was like to live after the Emancipation Proclamation then after Plessy v. Ferguson.

First, in an English classroom, this text truly puts Dunbar’s poems in a perspective which will allow more depth when analyzing. The way Derby set up the narrative of Dunbar’s life around his poems helps the reader understand the underlying meaning of his poetry even better than they would with a cold read.

Also, cross-curricularly while studying Dunbar’s poems, during history, a tie-in to this tumultuous time period would be easy and effective. The time period that Dunbar lived in is not often discussed as it is a time after slavery but before segregation that many students may not know about.

Discussion Questions: Who do you think had the biggest influence on Dunbar becoming a poet?; Do you think Dunbar’s father’s absence affected how he was as a husband to Alice?; How do you think Frederick Douglass influence Dunbar?; How was the voice that told the story chosen by Derby? Do you think the way she structured and told the story was helpful in understanding Dunbar’s life and poetry?

We Flagged: “You never heard of the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar? Child, where’ve you been? I got to have a word with you. Why, back in the day, you’d have whole families sitting around listening while one of them performed “When Malindy Sings” or “Little Brown Baby” or “A Negro Love Song” (which folks most always call “Jump Back, Honey”).”

Read This If You Loved: Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poetry, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Henry Aaron’s Dream by Matt Tavares, The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Candlewick for providing a copy for review!!**

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Recommend to Students If They Like _____.

April 22, 2023October 6, 2015 by Kellee

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Books I’d Recommend to Students if They Like ______.

One of my most important jobs as a reading teacher is helping students find books that they will like. Often students don’t know what to read next, and it is up to me to help them find their next book. My Top Ten Tuesday list this week is ten books/series that my students really enjoy and some books/series I may recommend, depending on the student, for them to read next.

Kellee

1. If a student likes the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi, I recommend the Battling Boy series by Paul Pope or Doug TenNapel graphic novels.

All of these graphic novels are very complex and deep, but often my students get stuck wanting to read only Kibuishi’s work. Paul Pope and Doug TenNapel are perfect books to turn to because they are brilliant graphic novelists.

2. If a student likes the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, I may recommend Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland, the Olympians series by George O’Connor, or Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs.

Often by the end of any of the Riordan series, students are fascinated by and experts in the mythology that was shared. To continue expanding their mythology knowledge, O’Connor’s Olympians series is perfect while the other two novels are YA mythology-based action books that are perfect for Percy Jackson fans.

3. If a student likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, I may recommend the Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger or the Joey Pigza Series by Jack Gantos.

Kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid like it for the humor and illustrations. While Origami Yoda and Joey Pigza may have less illustrations, they both are hilarious.

4. If a student likes the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, I may recommend the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld.

While Hunger Games is probably the most popular dystopian series, when I think of the epitome of dystopian, I think of Scott Westerfeld’s series.

5. If a student likes the Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renée Russell, I may recommend Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner or the Ginny Davis series by Jennifer Holm.

My students who read Dork Diaries are looking for stories that they will connect with. Both Sugar and Ice and Ginny’s books are true representations of middle school, and I know students will find the same connection with them.

6. If a student liked the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, I may recommend the I, Q series by Roland Smith or the Matt Cruse series by Kenneth Oppel.

Alex Rider is definitely my go to for adventure/spy books for my students, but when they finish his series, I always recommend Matt and Q’s story as a next step because they are both as action-packed as Alex’s stories yet different enough to be new and exciting.

7. If a student likes Wonder by RJ Pacalio, I may recommend Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin or Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.

The protagonists in all three novels are so special, and readers reading their stories will build empathy for those around them.

8. If a student likes the Harry Potter series, I may recommend The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson or The Books of Beginning series by John Stephens.

When I read both of these books, my very first thought was that students who were Harry Potter fans will love these as well. They are fantasy-based yet not too far fetched while also being adventurous and well done.

9. If a student likes Smile and Sisters by Raina Telgemeier, I may recommend El Deafo by Cece Bell.

Smile and Sisters are so popular, but students often don’t know what to read when they finish with Raina’s books; however, they don’t have far to look because Newbery Honor El Deafo is sitting on the shelf right next to Raina’s books and is brilliant, thought-provoking, emotional, and funny.

10. If a student likes the Maze Runner series, I may recommend the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness.

The Maze Runner series is suspenseful, has an evil government, and is packed with excitement from beginning to end. My readers who finish The Maze Runner series are looking for another book that will hold there attention, and the Chaos Walking series is the epitome of suspense, evil antagonists, and excitement.

What books do you recommend if your student likes _____?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 10/5/15

October 5, 2015 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

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

ERIC W.

for winning a copy of Sloth Slept On

and

BETH P.

for winning a copy of The Trouble with Ants!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: YA Text Recommendations for Bestselling Adult Texts

Wednesday: Review and Author Interview!: Ebola: Fears and Facts by Patricia Newman

Friday: Review and Giveaway!: Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth by Jeff Anderson

Giveaway open until Friday!

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Thank you all so much for all the kind words last week! We had a wonderful visit with my mother, and I miss her so much!

Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve had quite a variety of reading. I read one middle grade novel, Zack Delacruz, which I reviewed on Friday, one early chapter book, Last-But-Not-Least Lola and the Cupcake Queens, which we’ll review Thursday, one MG/YA nonfiction text, Jump Back, Paul which I’m reviewing on Wednesday, one nonfiction picture book, Frozen Wild by Jim Arnosky which I’ll review next week, and two fiction picture books, Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood and Cock-A-Doodle Oops! by Lori Degman both of which will be reviewed in the near future. They are all very different, but all very much worth reading.

Trent has become quite a voracious reader. I have a post planned later in October to give an update of all of his favorite books, but I thought I’d give a minor update today since I haven’t talked about his reading in a while. This last week we read a few new board books, and they were all a hit:

Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter, a super fun interactive book that Trent finds hilarious
If I Had a Tail! by Jeane Cabral Schlatter, a flap book with a fun guessing game
Llama Llama Nighty Night by Anna Dewdney, another Llama Llama book to add to Trent’s collection
National Geographic Little Kids Look & Learn: Things that Go, Trent’s new favorite things are vehicles which meant this book was right up his alley
Elmo’s World: First Flap-Book Library, Trent loves Sesame Street (especially Elmo), so these are definitely a favorite
My Big Truck Book, My Big Train Book, and My Big Dinosaur Book by Roger Priddy, this series is a full of bright pictures that are labeled, and Trent loves to sit and look through them

Ricki: I also read and enjoyed the early chapter book, Last-But-Not-Least Lola and the Cupcake Queens. I finished Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond (full review to come soon). I find myself paraphrasing sections frequently, which means it is a good book. And then I did the Ricki thing where I started six books that I am excited about (see below).

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz Saturday, and I am truly enjoying it so far! Jocelyn Hook would really love The Terror of the Southlands, and I think any of you that loved The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, you will love Hook’s Revenge as well. I also have the four novels for my ALAN panel that I need to read, so I plan on starting one of them when I finish Hook’s Revenge.

Ricki: I am loving the audio of The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. What a treasure! I am also enjoying Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings by Margarita Engle. This is a memoir in verse, and it is quite lovely. I am too early in the others to say more, but I will report back soon.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Books I’d Recommend to Students if they Like _____.

Thursday: Blog Tour!: Last-But-Not-Least Lola and the Cupcake Queens by Christine Pakkala

Friday: Blog Tour!: Roar! by Julie Bayless

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “What’s in a Name?” by Royce Leville, author of The Book of Names

So, what are you reading?

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