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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/12/14

July 27, 2015May 12, 2014 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We’d Frame As Pieces of Art

Wednesday: Guest Post from Mathangi Subramanian, author of Bullying “Top Ten YA Books About Bullying”

Thursday: Guest post by Michele Weber Hurwitz, Author of The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days “Why Characters Who Lose Their Way Win My Heart”

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Have you all read the Eleanor series by Julie Sternberg (Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, etc.)? I just finished the third one, Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake, and I love the series more and more with each one. I really think the voice is getting stronger and stronger. I look forward to reviewing this one for you. I also read Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg. This book is SO funny yet very deep. Also, a teacher in a story always helps me love a book.

Trent read:

Forever by Emma Dodd (One of my favorite “I love you forever” books, so I reread it with Trent on Mother’s day.)
Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein (This looked like a cute mother’s day book as well though it ended up being more funny than sweet.)
Dino-Baby by Mark Sperring (Just stuck with the dinosaur theme on Mother’s day.)
Creature Colors and Creature Numbers by Andrew Zuckerman (Love the focus on numbers and colors in nature.)
Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton (There has to be an audio of this as a song–is there?! I just love Sandra Boynton!)
Hug Time by Patrick McDonell (My husband really likes Mutts so I knew he had to read this one to Trent and MAN is it a good one.)
Bedtime for Chickies by Janee Trasler (Will be a staple at bedtime I’m sure.)
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton (See, love Sandra Boynton. These are all from the library though, so I really need to buy some.)

Ricki: This week, I finished listening to Paperboy by Vince Vawter. It is a beautiful book and will join my list of favorite middle grade titles. I know most people have read it, but if you haven’t, I can’t recommend it highly enough. I learned a lot about stuttering, and I fell in love with the story, which is semi-autobiographical. I also finished reading a sweet book called Annika Riz, Math Whiz by Claudia Mills. After reading Annika’s story, I wanted to get my hand on the first book in the Franklin School Friends series. I’d recommend it for grades 2-4. We will be hosting a giveaway for both books on May 22nd, so stop by if you would like to win the first two books in the series!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I don’t know what this week holds. I still have Dan Santat books, which I want to read with Trent. I also have some nonfiction picture books to read for future Wednesday posts. As for novels, I’m not sure as I just finished Openly Straight and haven’t picked my next book, so we’ll just have to see what I pick tonight to read.

Ricki: I am having a difficult time focusing on one book. Last week, I was reading eight. I think I am reading at least eleven right now. I should stick with one, but I just love the variety. Rather than repeat last week’s post with the several books I am reading, I will say that I am loving Ann Brashares’ The Here and Now. It reminds me a lot of Cristin Terrill’s All Our Yesterdays.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We Almost Put Down

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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The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

May 9, 2014 by Kellee

The Beginning of Everything
Author: Robyn Schneider
Published August 27, 2013 by Katerine Tegen

Goodreads Summary: Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything is a lyrical, witty, and heart-wrenching novel about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

My Review: Another novel filled with smart high schoolers—that makes me so happy!! I hope this is a trend because I love seeing brainy characters in my book and not stereotypical ones. The Beginning of Everything is described as witty, and it is very much so. The sarcasm and wit just bleeds out of this book. I found myself laughing out loud at parts, and usually just because a character had the audacity to say something they shouldn’t have.

In The Beginning of Everything, I actually connected more with the secondary characters than the protagonist. They were so well established and had such unique voices while Ezra sounded like any good-0le boy; however, I will say that by making his voice less distinct allowed for him to grow even in his prose. As he found his new, true identity, his voice became to ring out more true. I am not sure if the author did this on purpose or not, but either way it worked!

Oh, and the final pages. Guys, they were so good! Although it felt a bit rushed to me, the lyrical writing got me in the end. Perfect.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Although this book’s main home is in teens’ hands from a classroom, school, or public library, there are definitely parts that can be pulled out to be used in a classroom.

Since the characters are intelligent, many of the conversations have allusions to literature (Mary Oliver, Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, Frost) or their topics are quite deep (connecting organic chemistry to life, panopticon, Banksy, German insults). Also, there are debate topics that would be so interesting to look into such as imperialism, capitalism, and the economy.

One fun activity that I would definitely pull out of this book is fake debates. When Ezra, Toby, Cassidy, etc. were at their debate tournament, they had fake debates where they had to choose a side of quite silly topics like “Should vampires be allowed to vote?” This would be a great activity to do in classes to work on persuasion and arguments. (However, be careful about actually reading aloud the scene this is in as they also make it a drinking game.)

Discussion Questions: Do you feel like we live in a society similar to the panopticon? [If you don’t know what this is, it is quite fascinating: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon]; Do you think Cassidy made the right choice in the end?; Ezra truly connects with The Great Gatsby because of all the changes his life is going through. What book to you connect with and why?

Flagged: “Her face was inches from mine. I could see the freckles that dusted her nose and the gold flecks in the disquieting blue of her eyes.” (p. 111)

“My admirable opponent argues that vampires do not deserve suffrage, as many great yet misinformed politicians have done before her while calling for the continued marginalization of women, or other minorities.” Cassidy began. “Yet vampires were, at some point human. At what point can a man’s voting rights be revoked, if he is proven to be of rational mind?” (p. 157)

Read This If You Loved: Life in Outer Space by Melissa Kiel, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Paper Towns by John Green

Recommended For:

Author Guest Post!: My Top Ten YA Novels About Bullying by Mathangi Subramanian, author of Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide

July 27, 2015May 7, 2014 by Kellee

“My Top Ten YA Novels About Bullying” by Mathangi Subramanian

Growing up the bespectacled, bookish, brown-skinned daughter of Indian immigrants, I underwent my share of bullying. But while I was writing Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide, memories of witnessing—rather than experiencing—bullying loomed large. Most often, I was reminded of my brief tenure as a public school teacher, when I watched young people I cared about both act like and suffer from bullies.

As a child, my bullies felt like one-dimensional paper-cut outs of people that stopped existing after they terrorized me. As a teacher, the bullies in my classrooms were more than their misguided actions. They were sons and daughters of parents I admired, musicians and artists and athletes that excelled outside of my classroom, and sheepish people-in-progress who asked me if maybe, even though I was a science teacher, I could help them with their love problems.

And, when my colleagues made comments about me being foreign (even though I am American), godless (even though I am Hindu) and young (okay, that was true), these teens were my defenders, telling me that they didn’t care what other people said, they liked me just fine. How, I wondered, could these compassionate, brilliant young people be the same ones who to hurt their peers?

The more I learn about bullying, the more I believe that it is the result of a failure of empathy. I don’t just mean from teens: I also mean from adults who tell victims to buck up and deal with it; from administrators who punish bullies without investigating what trauma may be driving them to violence; and from students and adults who witness bullying and egg it on.

In fact, the most effective anti-bullying policies—like restorative justice, mental health and social services, and social justice based curriculum—are those that are based on building empathy. It’s a shame that they are still not commonly used.

It’s true, most teachers can’t redo district policy or institute training programs. But here’s one thing they can do: assign some compelling fiction. After all, aren’t stories the best ways to walk in each other’s shoes? Below is a list of ten of my favorite YA books with protagonists that face bullying. These books break silences, feature diverse main characters, and are impossible to put down. Most importantly, they helped me empathize with characters whose lives and choices I ordinarily would find unforgiveable. From school shooters to mean girls to backstabbing friends, the characters in these books helped me realize that everyone has a backstory, and that what almost all of us want, more than anything, is a little forgiveness and a little understanding.

1. Hate List by Jennifer Brown – Valerie must piece her life together after her boyfriend, Nick, stages a school shooting and commits suicide. When she returns to finish her senior year, Valerie learns about forgiveness, redemption, community, and love.

2. Wonder by R.J. Palacio – A great book told from multiple perspectives about a boy with a visible genetic abnormality who decides to go to school for the first time.

3. Orchards by Holly Thompson – Told in verse through the voice of a biracial protagonist, this book is about Kana Goldberg’s journey to come to terms with her role in her friend’s suicide.

4. Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia – When Trina the diva gets in the way of the angry basketball player Dominique, Leticia knows what’s going to happen – but she decides not to get involved.

5. Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt – The bullying eighth grader Doug faces at school is nothing compared to the bullying he faces at home at the hands of his father. Brilliant historical fiction tackling the little-addressed issue of adult bullies.

6. Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger – A story about a Sikh teenager coming of age after September 11^th, this book tackles dating violence, hate crimes, and Islamophobia.

7. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – This semi-autobiographical book is about a Native American boy who decides to leave the reservation he lives on to get an education at the White school, and the bullying he faces because of his decision.

8. Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal – Kiran, the main character in this book, is a gender non-conforming Indian American boy who is bullied at school and a puzzle to his parents.

9. I Am J by Cris Beam – The story of J, a transgendered boy trying to grapple with his identity and preserve his most important relationships.

10. Tell Us We’re Home by Marina Budhos – Jaya, Maria, and Lola are the daughters of nannies in a wealthy suburb. When Jaya’s mother’s employer accuses her of stealing, the three friends must fight adult and teen bullies. This book provides a sensitive and nuanced view of classism and xenophobia.

Mathangi Subramanian, EdD, is a writer and educator. She has been a classroom teacher, an assistant vice president at Sesame Workshop, and a senior policy analyst at the New York City Council.

Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide draws on stories from young teens around the country, this volume uncovers the social pressures and individual choices that lead to violence. The author surveys effective state, local, and national anti-bullying policies and provides examples of teens throughout the nation whose leadership and courage have helped stop violence. This volume also contains exercises and strategies for young adults to employ that can pave the way for social action. Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide is a much-needed resource to help stem the tide of this social epidemic. Featuring a diverse collection of teen voices, this book is designed to help teens take immediate action both individually and collectively. The advice and exercises will not only help teens think critically about bullying but will also empower them to change both themselves and the circumstances that foster abuse in their schools and communities.

Bullying is a topic that all teens deal with and should be discussed in our schools and classrooms. This resource helps make these conversations easier.

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**Thank you to Mathangi Subramanian and Alyssa Washington from Rowan & Littlefield for this guest post**

Top Ten Tuesday: Covers We’d Frame As Pieces Of Art

May 6, 2014 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: Top Ten Book Covers We’d Frame As Pieces Of Art

Ricki

I can’t help that I stole some of these from my top ten favorite covers list. I can’t change my favorites!

1. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, Art by Beth White

I love this girl’s inquisitive nature. Check out more of Beth White’s cover art by clicking the link above.

2. Grounded by Kate Klise, Art by ??

I don’t own this book, so I couldn’t look up the cover artist, and I couldn’t find it on the internet because they have since CHANGED the cover! I would never have changed this! Look at the lovely person under the tree. I want to be her.

3. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, Art by Christopher Stengel

Doesn’t this cover make you want to read it?

4. The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman, Art by Scot Bendall

I haven’t read this book yet, but isn’t the cover incredible?!

5. Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Art by Tad Carpenter

This feels very Picasso to me.

Kellee

1. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Art by John Rocco
I actually have a framed print of this hanging in my son’s room!

2. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey, Art by ?? (If you can find it please let me know!)
Creepy, right?! Just so fascinating. Beautiful digital art.

3. Baseball Is… by Louise Borden, Art by Raul Colon
Beautiful! And being a fan of baseball, I’d love this (though I’d change the jersey to a Cubs one :D)

4. Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby, Art by Evan B. Harris
I am a fan of the fun and quirkiness in this cover.

5. The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry, Art by Cliff Nielsen
I just love the four new covers together. They look so beautiful!

What covers do you consider pieces of art?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/5/14

July 27, 2015May 5, 2014 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books If You Like Superheroes/Reality TV

Thursday: Ricki’s Bookish Bucket List

Friday: Kellee’s Bookish Bucket List

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I read two very good, but every different, books this week. First I finished In The Shadow of Blackbirds which is quite a unique book. It takes place in 1918 during World War I and the Spanish Flu epidemic and has a twist of supernatural. And so suspenseful! I also finished Serafina’s Promise which transports you to Haiti during the floods and really bad earthquake. Ann E. Burg’s verse is so descriptive that it makes the setting and characters jump off the page.

Trent continued his picture books reading as well and read some great ones this week:

Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton (I am remembering how much I love Sandra Boynton, and I am enjoying every single one of her books that we read.)
Koala Lou by Mem Fox (Every time I said “Koala Lou, I DO love you.” Trent smiled. It melted my heart!)
Peek-A-Zoo by Nina Laden
All In A Day by Cynthia Rylant (I really loved the lyrical aspect of this one and the message. One of my favorites we’ve read this far.)
Sleepy Bears by Mem Fox (I love how each bear had a different dream. Another great message in a wonderful picture book.)
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney (A classic! Just as good as when I read it when I used to babysit.)
If I Was a Penguin… by Anne Wilkinson (On Jim’s birthday he chose what to read Trent, and they reread this cute book.)

Ricki: I received a wonderful box of ARCs from Penguin this week. I was sucked in by the cover of The Merciless by Danielle Vega. “Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned,” and “For mature audiences only.” I dug right into that one. My son fell asleep in the car seat in the back of my car, so I started reading it in the front seat of the car (in my garage). I was done by the next morning. (Don’t worry, we left the garage.) It was a great horror book that sucked me in!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started Openly Straight last night and am already liking the voice. I’m sure I’m going to love it. Trent plans on making a dent on his library pile that includes more Sandra Boynton, Dan Santat, Mem Fox, and other picture books we can’t wait to read.

Ricki: I am currently reading eight books right now. I just can’t get enough variety, I suppose. I just started Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. It came highly recommended. I am also listening to Paperboy on CD, and I am reading a fantastic book for early elementary schoolers called Annika Riz, Math Whiz by Claudia Mills. It is a very fun, short chapter book. I am also still reading some of the others I posted in my last Monday post.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We’d Frame As Pieces of Art

Wednesday: Guest Post from Mathangi Subramanian, author of Bullying

Thursday: Guest post by Michele Weber Hurwitz, Author of The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days

So, what are you reading?

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Kellee’s Bookish Bucket List

July 20, 2018May 2, 2014 by Kellee

After writing our Bookish Bucket List as one of our Top Ten Tuesday, we learned about Love At First Book’s 50 Bookish Things You Must Do Before You Die . We immediately knew we had to participate. Yesterday, Ricki posted her list of 25 items on her bookish bucket list, and below you can find my (Kellee’s) list. You can also see other lists by checking out Love At First Book.

1. Read a bunch of classics I’ve never read
2. Continue to read at least 200 books a year
3. Get back to 100 novels a year
4. Finish the series I’ve started
5. Continue to read to my son (hopefully) daily
6. Continue keeping up with what my students like and what they may like to read
7. Continue going to NCTE

8. Continue going to ALAN

9. Throw my son a book themed birthday party that I plan myself
10.Visit Wizarding World of Harry Potter

11. Visit Hemingway’s house in the Keys

12. Participate in World Book Night

13. Bring Little Free Library to around my home

14. Read Roald Dahl books aloud to Trent
15. Go to BEA

16. Go to ALA Midwinter to see awards

17. Go to National Book Festival

18. Move my reviews onto Amazon
19. Have a library in my future home
20. Visit Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

21. Host a blog tour
22. Host an in-person book club
23. Get blog business cards
24. Get a book published
25. Finish by TBR (haha!)

Here’s to trying to finish my list! *fingers crossed*

What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You? by Steve Jenkins

April 30, 2014 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!

What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You?
Author and Illustrator: Steve Jenkins
Published October 27th, 1997 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: What would you do if something wanted to eat you? Walk on water? Stick out your tongue? Play dead? Animals in the wild use all kinds of methods to protect themselves from their enemies. Using dynamic and intricate cut-paper collages, Steve Jenkins explores the many fascinating and unique defense mechanisms creatures use to escape from danger.

My Review: Steve Jenkins just has a way of making nonfiction more interesting than other authors, and this book is no different than his others. This book takes different animals and shows the different ways they protect themselves: from squirting ink to camouflage. The illustrations are done in Steve Jenkins’s paper-cut style and are done as well as his other books. The text, though simple, is full of information and definitely makes the reader want to learn more.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book can definitely be used in reading and science class. It is a good introduction to animal defenses and animal adaptations. It can lead to inquiry and research of each of these animals. It would be a great first research project for students to choose one of the animals and learn more about them. It is also a good introduction to cause and effect. What causes _____ to need to defend themselves? What is the effect of ____ being attacked?

Discussion Questions: What type of defenses do animals use to keep themselves from being harmed?; How does camouflage work?; What causes animals to need to defend themselves? What are the effects of them being attacked?

We Flagged: “A flying fish escapes danger by leaping from the water, spreading its winglike fins, and gliding as far as a thousand feet.”

Read This If You Loved: Any Steve Jenkins book, Any Seymour Simon animal book, Lifetime by Lola M. Schaefer, Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson

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