Kellee – Page 216 – Unleashing Readers

Author Guest Post!: Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove by Corine Dehghanpisheh

November 22, 2015 by Kellee

Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove

#BabyLove: My Social Life highlights the social phenomena of sharing daily activities using technology and social networks.

The inspiration for my book, #BabyLove: My Social Life came from my experiences of using many devices, apps, and social media with my child. After the birth of my daughter Lily, I became a jubilant mother. I wanted everyone to meet her and get to know her especially my immediate family and friends.

There was just one tiny problem– my husband, and I lived out of state, quite a distance away from most of our closest family and friends. So like many other new parents and families in today’s society, we took to our phones– photographing and creating videos of our baby girl. We shared some of these items through social media, texting, emailing, and anything else that kept us connected with our loved ones.

We wanted our family and friends who were interested in getting to know Lily to be kept updated on her progress. Along with updating our social network feeds, we found family photo sharing options with more privacy and regularly made FaceTime calls.

These modern tools coupled with quite a few family trips home have been a big help in establishing close connections for Lily. As she grew out of infancy into toddlerhood, she began recognizing faces and voices as they popped up on our phones and in person. This advancement and connection made my husband, and me relieved.

I know that these tools fall far from perfect or efficient. So I take advantage of the positive aspects of these devices, apps, and social media sites along with the necessary security measures to enjoy their benefits.

Even though the premise of #BabyLove: My Social Life is cute and humorous the story could be used to introduce more thought provoking discussions or education on the topics of social media, technology, and parenting in today’s modern world.

I have provided some ideas below of topics that could be used in a parenting group, class, or classroom discussions with students.

Parenting Topics

Relevant apps that aid in parenting and education.
Put down the phone– parents as technology role models.
Technology and social media safety.
How to establish on-line privacy and setting parental controls.

Classroom Topics

Provide guidelines for using technology and social media safely.
Discuss the positive and negative aspects of technology and social media.
Relevant educational apps.

About the Book: “Click.” “Tap.” Tag and Post. An adored baby tells a modern tale about life in today’s digital world. #BabyLove: My Social Life highlights the social phenomena of sharing daily activities using technology and social networks.

“A charming modernization of the traditional bedtime tale.”- Reviewed by Kirkus

“#BabyLove: My Social Life, is a clever and entertaining look at raising children in the age of social media… The author’s story flows beautifully, and her illustrations are brightly colored, cheerful and humorous… Dehghanpisheh’s wry and subtle humor is evident throughout this story that will entertain adults as well as the children they share the book with. #BabyLove: My Social Life is highly recommended for tech-savvy parents and their babies.” – Reviewed by Readers’ Favorite

“#BabyLove offers a hipster view of contemporary parenting. Beneath the story of technological trendiness, however, lies a more enduring portrait of nurture and joy.” – Reviewed by Foreword Clarion Reviews

#BabyLove was published in July 2015 and is available for sale on Amazon.

About The Author: Corine Dehghanpisheh is a children’s book author and illustrator. Her inspirations for writing and illustrating come from everyday life.

She was a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient and a Next Generation Indie Author Finalist for her debut children’s book Can We Play Again?, which was published in March 2012. Her inspiration for this book came from her work as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in NYC. Corine published her second children’s book, Buddy’s Dream, in November 2013, and her third children’s book, #BabyLove: My Social Life, in July 2015.

When Corine is not busy being creative, she is most likely having fun taking pictures of her family. Corine lives in Manhattan, NY with her husband and new baby.

Readers can connect with Corine on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to http://www.booksbycorined.com/

Thank you Corine Dehghanpisheh for introducing us to picture books 2.0,

and

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

November 20, 2015 by Kellee

Interstellar Cinderella
Author: Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Meg Hunt
Published May 5th, 2015 by Chronicle Books

Goodreads Summary:

Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.

With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball–but when the prince’s ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue! Readers will thank their lucky stars for this irrepressible fairy tale retelling, its independent heroine, and its stellar happy ending.

My Review: I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, and I am an even bigger fan of fairy tale retellings that take away the “whoa is me” aspect of the female protagonist. Interstellar Cinderella does just that. Deborah Underwood has given us a Cinderella that we all would aspire to be. She can fix rockets, has robots, and even is quite sensible when it comes to the prince. I am also very impressed with the rhyming of the text. It does not seemed forced and is actually quite humorous at times.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Interstellar Cinderella would be a great addition to a fairy tale unit. I can picture a jigsaw/lit circle of sorts where each group reads an original fairy tale and a picture book retelling the fairy tale then the group discusses how the story was changed, the themes of both stories, compare/contrast the characters and other narrative elements, and then share with the class their analysis. Interstellar Cinderella is also a great example of a science fiction picture book for a genre lesson.

Discussion Questions: How is this Cinderella different than other Cinderellas?; Do you think the book ended with a “happily ever after”?; How does Cinderella save herself?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale, Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz, Fairy Tale Comics edited by Chris Duffy, Princeless by Jeremy Whitely

Recommended For:

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman

November 18, 2015 by Kellee

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure
Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator: Kim Smith
Published October 6th, 2015 by Sterling Children’s Books

Summary:

Pack up the pooches and load the van.
We need to leave by eight!
There’s so much to bring.
Do we have everything?
Come on, we can’t be late!

The classic song gets a fresh new twist! The fun begins when Grandma and Grandpa send invitations to their far-flung, modern, and multiracial family: Come to our house for the holidays—and bring your favorite pie!Off everyone goes, driving down snowy roads, riding the train, boarding a plane . . . even sailing along in a hot-air balloon. As each family faces an obstacle that delays their trip, they learn that sometimes the most old-fashioned form of transportation works best . . . NEIGH!

About the Author: Linda Ashman has written more than 20 children’s books, including Creaky Old House; Stella, Unleashed; No Dogs Allowed!, and TheTwelve Days of Christmas in Colorado (all Sterling). She lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Visit Linda online at lindaashman.com.

About the Illustrator: Kim Smith has a fun and vibrant extended family, perfect as inspiration for this book. This is the fourth children’s book she has illustrated, along with A Ticket Around the World (Owlkids Books), The Raven and the Loon (Inhabit Media), and The Twelve Days of Christmas in Canada (Sterling, NYP). Kim lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband, Eric, and their one-eyed goldfish named Goulash.

Kellee’s Review: Holidays are a great time to celebrate spending time with families, and Over the River & Through the Wood highlights the highs and lows of traveling to see family for the holidays. Told in the same rhythm as the original song, the book has been modernized to include families coming from all different places to go visit family. I also loved the different types of families that were represented in the book. It shows real families and how they are all so different.

Ricki’s Review: This text emanates warmth. I pulled my little guy onto my lap, and we cuddled as we read it together. I enjoyed the sense of adventure, and I might read this book before we go on a big family trip. While my son is only two, I had a nice time discussing what the family was doing and how our family holidays are similar and different. As a teacher I might include this with other holiday books to give a rich sense of different customs and practices of holidays.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Since the book is written to match the original song, it’d be fun to have students write their own version of the song that fits their experiences at the holidays. Or, they might take another song (holiday or not) and adjust the words to fit their culture/customs/experiences.

Discussion Questions: How do different families’ experiences differ during the holidays in the book? In real life?; What different types of families are in the book? In real life?; What differences are there between the original song and the book?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Other versions of Over the River and Through the Wood including those by Lydia Maria Francis Child or John Steven Gurney

Recommended For:

and

**Thank you to Sterling for providing copies for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/16/15

November 16, 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 started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Book To Movie Adaptations We’re Looking Forward To

Wednesday: Kellee’s NCTE Session: Humor and the Art of Engaging All Readers with Kim Baker, Caroline Carlson, Jennifer Holm, Kristen Kittscher, and Heidi Schulz

Thursday: A Picture of Grace by Josh Armstrong

Friday: Kellee’s ALAN Panel: Keeping ‘Em on the Edge of Their Seats with Michael Buckley, Roland Smith, and C. Taylor-Butler

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “My Son’s Teacher’s Approach to Reading” by Beth Vrabel, Author of A Blind Guide to Stinkville

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, I finished rereading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I think it may have been even better rereading it this time. I’d already read it a handful of times, but it has been about a year since the last read, so I remembered the story, but had forgotten some of the beautiful language.

Ricki: This week, I finished Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I thought it was highly entertaining. I am not hugely into puzzle/riddle/mystery books, but the narrator’s voice is incredible, so I found it to be deserving of the hype it has received.

But wow, wow, wow. I also finished More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera. If you’ve read this book, I want to talk about it with you! I am so glad I convinced my book club to read it this month. (We meet tonight!) It made me feel so many emotions! I highly recommend it.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening to the third book in The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. I’m still loving Hilary’s story! I also have two new graphic novels I want to read this week: Awkward and Space Dumplins. Finally, I want to catch up on reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books since I am three behind. My students want to talk to me about them, so I told them I would catch up. I cannot believe NCTE/ALAN is this upcoming week, so I am not sure how much reading time I’ll have though!

Ricki: I randomly just started listening to The Martian by Andy Weir. I don’t usually listen to or read this many adult books in a row, but after Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (last week) and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore this week, I am having faith in adult books. Other than The Martian,

I am halfway through The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds. It is excellent, but I keep crying! The mark of a great writer.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Quotes I Loved From Books We’ve Read In The Past Year Or So

Wednesday: Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman

Thursday: Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!: The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Friday: Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove by Corine Dehghanpisheh

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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Kellee’s ALAN Panel: Keeping ‘Em on the Edge of Their Seats with Michael Buckley, Roland Smith, and C. Taylor-Butler

November 15, 2015November 13, 2015 by Kellee

In addition to my NCTE sessions about Bridging the Gender Gap with humor and the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, I am also moderating an action/adventure panel during the 2015 ALAN Workshop! During the panel, we’ll be touching on how to add suspense to novels, writing techniques when writing action/adventure, characterization vs. plot in action/adventure novels, and how to keep an action story fresh through a series.

I am looking forward to presenting with these authors, and I wanted to take a day to share their wonderful (and action-packed!) books with you all.

Undertow
Author: Michael Buckley
Published May 5th, 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric’s small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity’s only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it’s more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of District 9 and The Outsiders.

My Review: What a unique book! I was intrigued with the whole concept from the very beginning, and I had to know what was going to happen to the characters. Mer-people have begun living on the beaches of Coney Island, and Americans, instead of trying to understand, have fought and banished them; however, as Undertow starts, we learn they are trying to integrate the schools. Lyric is our protagonist and has a secret that makes this integration dangerous for her. Her adventure through Undertow definitely held my attention! Although Buckley built an entire new mythology of merpeople within the book, the characters and plot are strong enough to make the mythology seem seamlessly part of the world Buckley has created. Lyric is quite an interesting character, but the more you learn about her, the more it makes sense. I also found the integration aspect of the novel a bit reminiscent of school integration in the 60’s and would love to know if that is what Buckley intended.

Peak: The Edge
Author: Roland Smith
Published October 6th, 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: The International Peace Ascent is the brainchild of billionaire Sebastian Plank: Recruit a global team of young climbers and film an inspiring, world-uniting documentary. The adventure begins when fifteen-year-old Peak Marcello and his mountaineer mother are helicoptered to a remote base camp in the Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. When the camp is attacked and his mother taken, Peak has no choice but to track down the perpetrators to try to save her.

My Review: Though The Edge is the sequel to Peak, it could definitely be read as a stand-alone, though I highly recommend reading Peak as well. The Edge was one of the most intense reads I’ve read in a while. As soon as the attacks happen, I could not put the book down because I needed to know what, why, and how: what happened?!; Why did they do it?!; and How are they going to save them?! Smith’s ability to write characters the reader cares about mixed with his ability to build suspense just makes this a book that definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat!

The Lost Tribes
Author: C. Taylor-Butler
Published March 25th, 2015 by Move Books

Goodreads Summary: Five friends are in a race against time in this action-adventure story involving ancient tribal artifacts that hold the fate of the universe in the balance. None of these trailblazers imagined their ordinary parents as scientists on a secret mission. But when their parents go missing, they are forced into unfathomable circumstances and learn of a history that is best left unknown, for they are catalysts in an ancient score that must be settled. As the chaos unfolds, opportunities arise that involve cracking codes and anticipating their next moves. This book unfolds sturdy, accurate scientific facts and history knowledge where readers will surely become participants.

My Review: This book surprised me! I cannot tell you what surprised me because I want it to surprise you, but the book ended up being very different than what I thought it was going to be. The book introduces us to Ben who is given a computer game to solve from his Uncle Henry. Ben just wants to impress Henry, so he vows to complete the game. Along with his 3 friends and his sister, Ben immerses himself in the game only to find out it is more than he could even imagine. The book has riddles, codes, and information throughout, and I definitely could see fans of Tombquest or 39 Clues enjoying this adventure. But, once again, this book isn’t as it seems!

Recommended For:

Kellee’s NCTE Session: Humor and the Art of Engaging All Readers with Kim Baker, Caroline Carlson, Jennifer Holm, Kristen Kittscher, and Heidi Schulz

December 12, 2015November 11, 2015 by Kellee

In a few shorts weeks, I am going to have the pleasure of chairing a panel with five amazing authors about the importance and ability of humor within middle grade books. Within the session we’ll be touching on many aspects of humor including why the authors chose to write funny books, how humor can be used to help address tough topics, how humor is not just for boys!, different types of humor, and different ways humor can be intertwined in a novel. To see our PowerPoint and handout, check out my Slideshare at www.slideshare.net/kelleemoye.

I am looking forward to presenting with these wonderful ladies, and I wanted to take a day to share their wonderful (and funny!) books with you all.

Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
Author: Kim Baker
Illustrator: Tim Probert
Published September 4th, 2012 by Roaring Brook Press

Goodreads Summary: This is the story of THE LEAGUE OF PICKLE MAKERS.

Ben: who began it all by sneaking in one night and filling homeroom with ball-pit balls.
Frank: who figured out that an official club, say a pickle making club, could receive funding from the PTA.
Oliver: who once convinced half of the class that his real parents had found him and he was going to live in a submarine.
Bean: who wasn’t exactly invited, but her parents own a costume shop, which comes in handy if you want to dress up like a giant squirrel and try to scare people at the zoo.

TOGETHER, they are an unstoppable prank-pulling force, and Fountain Point Middle School will never be the same.

My Review: Kim Baker has obviously spent some time with middle schoolers because her characters, dialogue, and story are spot on. Pickle is a hilarious, though sometimes serious, story about pranks and friendship and more pranks. What I love most about the book, though, is the characters. They are diverse, imperfect, and fully-developed–just like an actual middle schooler. Though some of the pranks and adults are over the top, the middle schoolers are reflections of what really kids are like.

The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates
Author: Caroline Carlson
Illustrator: Dave Phillips
Magic Marks the Spot Published September 10th, 2013 by HarperCollins
The Terror of the Southlands Published September 9th, 2014 by HarperCollins
The Buccaneers’ Code Published September 8th, 2015 by HarperCollins

Magic Marks the Spot Goodreads Summary: Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson’s hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society.

Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.

There’s only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.

But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn’t exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.

Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson’s quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other.

My Review: If you have been following the blog, you know that I thoroughly enjoyed these books. I listened to all of them, and the narrator, Katherine Kellgren, is brilliant. Her ability to do the different voices and accents is just superb! Now, it does make it even easier to love because the books are so well done and so much fun! Hilary Westfield has become one of my favorite strong female protagonists because she just does not care what anyone else thinks or expects of her, she is going to be a fearsome pirate no matter who steps in her way. Additionally, the gargoyle is one of my favorite sidekicks in any book.

Sunny Side Up
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
Illustrator: Matthew Holm
Published August 25th, 2015 by GRAPHIX

Goodreads Summary: Sunny Lewin has been packed off to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first she thought Florida might be fun — it is the home of Disney World, after all. But the place where Gramps lives is no amusement park. It’s full of . . . old people. Really old people.

Luckily, Sunny isn’t the only kid around. She meets Buzz, a boy who is completely obsessed with comic books, and soon they’re having adventures of their own: facing off against golfball-eating alligators, runaway cats, and mysteriously disappearing neighbors. But the question remains — why is Sunny down in Florida in the first place? The answer lies in a family secret that won’t be secret to Sunny much longer. . .

My Review: Jennifer L. Holm does such a wonderful job in Sunny Side Up mixing a really tough situation with a very humorous story. It is the perfect balance. It isn’t over the top, because that would demean the serious topic, but it isn’t too serious either. And you can tell this is a story from Jennifer’s heart because the story is crafted so thoughtful with well-timed humor and well-timed conflict.

Young and Yang
Author: Kristen Kittscher
Wig in the Window Published June 18th, 2013 by HarperCollins
The Tiara on the Terrace Expected Publication January 5th, 2016 by HarperCollins

Wig in the Window Goodreads Summary: Best friends and seventh graders Sophie Young and Grace Yang have made a game out of spying on their neighbors. On one of their midnight stakeouts, they witness a terrifying, bloody scene at the home of their bizarre middle-school counselor, Dr. Charlotte Agford (aka Dr. Awkward).

At least, they think they do. The truth is that Dr. Agford was only making her famous pickled beets! But when Dr. Agford begins acting even weirder than usual, Sophie and Grace become convinced that she’s hiding something—and they’re determined to find out what it is.

Soon the girls are breaking secret codes, being followed by a strange blue car, and tailing strangers with unibrows and Texas accents. But as their investigation heats up, Sophie and Grace start to crack under the pressure. They might solve their case, but will their friendship survive?

Perfect for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Wig in the Window is a smart, funny middle-grade mystery with a REAR WINDOW twist.

My Review: I am in awe of Kristen Kittscher’s ability to craft such a complicated mystery! There are so many twists and turns throughout that I am sure the plotting of the book was so intensive! I really appreciate Young & Yang mysteries for three reasons. First, Young & Yang (& Bottoms) themselves. They are such unique yet normal characters. Normal in that they seem like regular middle school girls, but unique in literature because they aren’t anything that is stereotypical. Second, I love that Wig in the Window and Tiara on the Terrace are both a little risque yet safe. Too often mystery books are too easy or boring OR they are so violent or sexual, and my middle schoolers just don’t gravitate towards them. Kittscher’s books are a perfect mix! Finally, as you can probably guess from the topic of the panel, they are quite funny! A mix of all kinds of humor, but throughout there are some ridiculous moments as well as some subtle puns.

Hook’s Revenge
Author: Heidi Schulz
Illustrator: John Hendrix
Hook’s Revenge Published September 16th, 2014 by Disney-Hyperion
The Pirate Code Published September 15th, 2015 by Disney-Hyperion

Hook’s Revenge Goodsreads Summary: Captain Hook’s feisty daughter hits the high seas to avenge her father’s death at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile in Heidi Schulz’s spirited middle-grade debut.

Twelve-year-old Jocelyn dreams of becoming every bit as daring as her infamous father, Captain James Hook. Her grandfather, on the other hand, intends to see her starched and pressed into a fine society lady. When she’s sent to Miss Eliza Crumb-Biddlecomb’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, Jocelyn’s hopes of following in her father’s fearsome footsteps are lost in a heap of dance lessons, white gloves, and way too much pink.

So when Jocelyn receives a letter from her father challenging her to avenge his untimely demise at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile, she doesn’t hesitate-here at last is the adventure she has been waiting for. But Jocelyn finds that being a pirate is a bit more difficult than she’d bargained for. As if attempting to defeat the Neverland’s most fearsome beast isn’t enough to deal with, she’s tasked with captaining a crew of woefully untrained pirates, outwitting cannibals wild for English cuisine, and rescuing her best friend from a certain pack of lost children, not to mention that pesky Peter Pan who keeps barging in uninvited.

The crocodile’s clock is always ticking in Heidi Schulz’s debut novel, a story told by an irascible narrator who is both dazzlingly witty and sharp as a sword. Will Jocelyn find the courage to beat the incessant monster before time runs out?

My Review: Heidi Schulz must have read my mind because I’ve always felt that Hook was the most interesting character in the Peter Pan stories (Peter himself is actually a bit obnoxious), and I wanted to know what ever happened to him. These books tell me not only that, but also the story of his feisty daughter. Jocelyn overcomes so much to finally become a pirate then, once in Neverland, she goes on quite an epic journey to avenge her father’s honor. Jocelyn is a spit fire and is ready to lead her crew on an adventure of her lifetime.

Recommended For:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/9/15

November 9, 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 prize package of MONSTER picture books from Sterling Kids!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Movies We Would Like to See Adapted into Books

Wednesday: Women Who Broke the Rules by Kathleen Krull

Thursday: Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond

Friday: Elwood Bigfoot: Wanted: Birdie Friends! by Jill Esbaum

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Choosing Your Stepping Stones” by Margaret R. Chiavetta, Author of The Alchemist’s Theorem: Sir Duffy’s Promise

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, I read The Princess Games by Danai Kadzere which is a funny, fractured fairy tale mixed with Princess Academy. Trent and I also read a new board, A Carnival of Cats by Charles Ghigna, which Trent loves because he adores kitties. Other than that, because of a stomach virus and a Disney race on Saturday, not much reading was going on in the Moye household other than rereads of our favorite board books.

Ricki: I finished with Surviving Santiago by Lyn Miller-Lachmann (author of Gringolandia). I really enjoyed learning about the Chilean setting. Lately, I’ve gotten into international literature (but texts published outside of the United States and texts with settings outside of the United States). It offers me similar things that historical fiction offers. I learn about a new settting/time period and I enjoy learning about the different cultures.

I also finished Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This is a powerful book, and I am glad it is receiving so much praise.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently rereading Eleanor and Park, and I’m finding the story as easy to read and the language as beautiful as the first time. I’m also listening to the third book in the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. If you love audiobooks and humorous, fun middle grade books, you should definitely pick this series up.

Ricki: I am still listening to (and loving) Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, and I am starting More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Book To Movie Adaptations I’m Looking Forward To

Wednesday: Kellee’s NCTE Session: Humor and the Art of Engaging All Readers with Kim Baker, Caroline Carlson, Jennifer Holm, Kristen Kittscher, and Heidi Schulz

Thursday: A Picture of Grace by Josh Armstrong

Friday: Kellee’s ALAN Panel: Keeping ‘Em on the Edge of Their Seats with Michael Buckley, Roland Smith, and C. Taylor-Butler

Sunday: Author Guest Post! by Beth Vrabel, Author of A Blind Guide to Stinkville

So, what are you reading?

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