Kellee – Page 240 – Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/8/14

July 27, 2015December 8, 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: Ricki’s NCTE/ALAN Reflection

Wednesday: Kellee’s NCTE/ALAN Reflection

Thursday: Ricki’s Top Books from NCTE/ALAN

Friday: Kellee’s Top Books from NCTE/ALAN

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I did not read very much this week, and I have no excuse. Each night I just found myself booked, and then it was bedtime. I read a few pages of The Complete Persepolis and A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz (BRILLIANT), but that’s all. I am having a bit of trouble just keeping up with everything right now, so unfortunately reading is getting pushed aside. I need to fix that because I feel like my mind is missing something.

Trent and I did continue to read though because that is a favorite time of day for me. We read Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boyton for the first time, and it made me laugh out loud when we read it the first time. We also read Boynton’s Barnyard Dance. If you have never heard the songs that go with some of Boynton’s books, you are missing out. Check them out! I love them, and we periodically listen to them as we read along. Trent also sat attentively for the entire Ivan: The Remarkable True Story by Katherine Applegate which is SUCH a compliment.

Ricki: This week, I read and enjoyed Arcady’s Goal by Eugene Yelchin (author of Breaking Stalin’s Nose). This beautifully illustrated novel is about an 12-year old orphan whose parents are “enemies of the people” during WWII Soviet Russia. He has a passion for soccer and wants to play for the Red Army. I liked how it crosses genres and can be considered historical fiction and sports fiction. This is one of those books that teachers love because it is very literary and also engaging. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am going to finish The Complete Persepolis, so I can start in on my pile of books that I should have read already including Counting by 7s, A Snicker of Magic, and One for the Murphys and books I cannot wait to read including Fish in a Tree, All the Bright Places, Paper Cowboy, and Read Between the Lines. If nothing else, break is soon, and I cannot wait to read, read, read!

Ricki: I am halfway through Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places, and I am savoring it. So far–wow, wow, wow. I love it.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten New-to-Us Authors We Read in 2014

Friday: Author Guest Post from Dorothy Heart, Author of Wolf Chronicles series

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 NCTE/ALAN Top Books

July 27, 2015December 5, 2014 by Kellee

Part of what makes NCTE/ALAN so worthwhile and amazing is that I get introduced to new-to-me books and upcoming releases. Today I want to share with you some books I’m excited about and some books I’m excited to share with my students.

9 (+1) Books I Am Excited About Reading

This was a really, really hard list to make. There are so many I want to read! I had to just pick the ones that stuck with me the most; however, almost every book presented at ALAN is one I hope to read.

The Alex Crow (and the other Andrew Smith books I got) by Andrew Smith

I loved Stick and Winger, so I want to read everything by him.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

This was a must-get at ALAN, and I am so glad I got one. It is supposed to be amazing.

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds was one of the most entrancing speakers at ALAN, so I don’t know how you wouldn’t want to read his books. Also, the line from the summary “a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your head—even if you’re totally clean” just sucks me in.

King Dork Approximately (and King Dork) by Frank Portman

I wanted to read King Dork when it first came out and never got to it then when I saw the sequel at ALAN and heard Frank Portman speak (on the hilarious music panel), I knew I finally had to read it.

Like Water on Stone by Dana Walrath

Karen Hesse, one of my favorite authors, says it is a mix of The Book Thief and Between Shades of Gray. Sold.

Some Assembly Required by Arin Andrews

Rethinking Normal by Katie Rain Hill

Arin and Katie’s books are on my list because of their panel and because I want to try to understand, be compassionate, and be empathetic towards every type of person. I cannot wait to read their stories.

Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl

Paige was born HIV positive, and this is her story.

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

I love Marie’s story about her book was inspired by the stock term where winning costs more than it was worth, so I am interested in learning about how she turned this into a high fantasy novel.

Honorary. The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg
(Honorary because I didn’t get it at NCTE, but I want to read it so badly!)

Bill let me read the first page. Then he took the book. That was mean.

11 Books I Am Excited About Reading AND Sharing With My Students

These are all middle school books that I have not read and want to, and I also want to share them with my students because they sound so great!

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Everyone who has read this loved it, and who is surprised? No one! It is Pam Munoz Ryan!

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Twitterverse is atwitter about this book. Tissues are in my future.

The Art of Secrets by James Klise

I met James Klise at ALAN, and he was such a pleasure. Also, the story of how this community rallies around a hate crime victim.

Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth

I truly enjoy Coe Booth’s YA novel Bronxwood, so I am looking forward to reading her middle grade novel.

The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis

Christopher. Paul. Curtis.

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

My students and I love Doug TenNapel. I already read this one, and I already have a student who wants it (and when others find out about it, there will be a waiting list). Doug TenNapel is so unique and fun!

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

I am always looking for more well written sports books! Also, Kwame was such a pleasure to meet and was a favorite panelist.

Gameworld by C.J. Farley

My students love video games, so I am excited to read a book about video games. Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde was pretty popular a few years ago, so maybe I need to pull it and this one out together.

Knock Out Games by G. Neri

I love Ghetto Cowboy and Yummy, so I cannot wait to read/share this one.

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

Trayvon Martin was shot and killed about 40 minutes from my school. It was a very close-to-home event. I love that this book would start a conversation about what happened and why.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

The summary sounds fascinating and leaves so much for me to speculate. I want to know! And Neal Shusterman’s novels are always well received, so I know this one will be too.

If you were at NCTE/ALAN, what books are you looking forward to reading? If you were not able to attend, what books are you looking forward to reading out of these?

P.S. There are so many great books shared that I had already read or shared with my students, so they were not included on this list. These are all books that I hadn’t heard of, owned, or read before NCTE/ALAN.

Kellee’s NCTE/ALAN Reflection

June 27, 2015December 3, 2014 by Kellee

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) annual conference followed by the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) workshop is a must for my teacher soul. It is the time I get to completely immerse myself in education and books. It truly recharges me each year, and I cannot imagine missing it.

This year was a bit different for me though. I usually attend all 4 days of NCTE and both days of ALAN, but this year I wasn’t able to attend all of NCTE (only Saturday). Unfortunately, this meant fewer sessions for me, but I was lucky enough to bring Trent and Jim with me and spend some family time (with my sister, too!) on Sunday.

I was able to attend both days of ALAN though. These two days are just so special. It is pure immersion into book culture. Like Ricki said yesterday, please consider joining this amazing assembly. I love being part of an organization that truly believes in getting good books into the hands of kids.

Teaching Graphic Novels panel
- On Saturday morning I was lucky enough to be part of a wonderful panel with Nathan Hale, Cece Bell, Trevor Pryce, and Frank Cammuso where we discussed the rationale behind graphic novels in the classroom, and I shared activities from my Amulet Books Graphic Novels Teaching Guide and El Deafo Teaching Guide. My presentation can be found on my slideshare if you are interested.
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award presentation
- I was the 2014 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award chair, so that meant I had the honor of presenting the award as well as participating in a panel with ALL FIVE of the recipients. All five honorees had not attended ALAN in years, so I was super excited to have them all there. Although I was a bit nervous, I really think it went well! I loved working with and speaking with the five amazing authors, and I specifically tried to have an intense focus on why their books were honored for the award. If you want to learn more about the Walden award visit here. If you haven’t read these books yet, you definitely should!
Meeting authors
- Each year one of the biggest highlights is being able to meet the best authors in children’s/middle grade/young adult literature. This year was no different! I love chatting with them and sharing my (or my students’) love for their books. Here are photos of some of the authors I saw. I wasn’t able to get photos of everyone including Gareth Hinds, Meg Medina, Marissa Moss, Trudy Ludwig, Steve Sheiken, George O’Connor, Kekla Magoon, Chris Lynch, Brandon Sanderson, G. Neri, Sylvia Whitman, Marie Rutkoski, E. Lockhart, Adele Griffin, and Laurel Snyder (I cannot believe I didn’t get photos with/of all of these great authors! But you get talking, and then it is over. Or the photo is blurry. *sigh*).
- (Top to bottom; left to right): Andrew Smith, Heidi Stemple & Jane Yolen, Patrick Flores-Scott, Sarah Mlynowski, Cory Doctorow, Raina Telgemeier, Matt de la Pena, James Dashner (with letter from my students), Ann M. Martin (yes, I cried!), Cynthia Lord, Melissa Sweet, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Neal Shusterman and his son Brandon, Coe Booth, Christopher Paul Curtis, Rainbow Rowell, Bill Konigsberg, Jon Klassen, Jon Sciezska, David Lubar, and Kwame Alexander!
ALAN
- Keynote by Libba Bray: Libba threw down the gauntlet. Her keynote addressed gender in publishing, in books, and gender stereotypes. It was powerful.
- Panel about music in books: This panel featured Mary Amato, Frank Portman, and Len Vlahos, and they cracked me up while also focusing on the power of music.
- Panel about online fandom, gaming, and social networking: I loved that ALAN decided to have this as a panel because it is so current and something that we really need to be thinking and talking about. The panel included Melissa de la Cruz, C.J. Farley, and Sarah Mlynowski.
- Panel about nonfiction texts about transgendered teens: This panel consisted of 2 transgendered teens (Arin Andrews, author of Some Assembly Required and Katie Hill, author of Rethinking Normal) , their mothers. This panel was touching, impacting, and so special.
- Exchange table: I love talking books, and the exchange table gives me a chance to help teachers find the best books for their classroom. It also allows for me to organize things which I also love.
  - (I know at this point it seems like I am copying Ricki, but the things she highlighted were a wonderful part of my experience as well.)

Reconnecting with Friends
- This is the one time of the year where I get to see many of my education/book/blog friends face to face. It is like a family reunion! This year was a bit difficult to really hang out since I didn’t arrive until late Friday and I had Trent with me, but I am so glad that I got to see many of my friends. I tried really, really hard to get more photos this year than I have in the past, and I succeeded, but still did not get photos with everyone. I missed getting photos with Lee Ann Spillane, Beth Scanlon, Lee Corey, Beth Shaum, Cindy Minnich, Karin Perry, Teri Lesesne, Lois Buckman, David Gill, Sarah Gross, Alyson Beecher, Cynthia Alaniz, Susan Dee, Paul Hankins, Terri Suico, Gary Anderson, Chris Lehman, Katherine Sokolowski, Tony Keefer, Teresa Bunner, Jen Vincent, and many more! Here are just some of the friends I did get photos with:
  
  (Top to bottom, left to right): Jen Vincent, Jennifer Shettel, Kim McCollum-Clark, Donalyn Miller, Cathy Blackler, Jennifer Fountain, Mark Lechter, Sarah Anderson, Brian Wyzlic, Gigi McAllister, Jillian Heise, and Jen Ansbach (Sorry for some of the bad quality! Selfies and bad lighting don’t always equal a good photo.)
Books!
- What more do I have to say?! Books galore! I cannot wait to dive into the new books I learned about!
Last, but so not least: RICKI AND HENRY!
- I got to see Ricki and Henry!!! *happy dance*

I am so sad that NCTE/ALAN 2014 is over, but I’m already looking ahead to next year where I cannot wait to see my book family, meet more authors, and continue learning to be the best teacher I can be!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/1/14

July 27, 2015December 1, 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.

CONGRATULATIONS
EMILY H.
for winning a copy of A Snowman’s Story

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books On Our Winter TBR

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

Trent and Henry met at NCTE!

20141123_125853 — Henry (left) & Trent (right)

10476133_10204152764271619_3051117388227526952_n — They are already sharing books!

Last (2) Weeks’ Journeys

Kellee: Wow! What a whirlwind! We left for DC on the 21st, and it has been nonstop since then. Ironically, because I was at NCTE/ALAN (a conference focused around reading), I was not able to read as much as I usually do. I was able to finish a few titles. First I finished Mira’s Diary: Bombs over London by Marissa Moss (and was able to talk to her about it at NCTE). I love these books! A great mix of sci-fi and historical fiction. I also finished a couple of graphic novels: The Silver Six by AJ Lieberman which is a great dystopian middle grade GN that somehow flew under my radar & Nnewts by Doug TenNapel which is his new GN coming out in January, 2015 (and my students will be so excited I got it!). Lastly, I read two picture books: Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman which actually made me laugh outloud in the middle of a store & Outlaw Pete by Bruce Springsteen which was a beautiful adaptation of Bruce’s song (not for little kids!).

With Trent, we brought along some of our favorite board books and revisited them while on our trip. Mostly we reread Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton, If I Were a Penguin by Anne Wilkinson, and The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! by Mo Willems. Trent also received a gift from the kind Kim McCollum-Clark of My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall which we have read a couple times already. Love the clever illustrations and kind message.

Ricki: The past two weeks have been nonstop for me, too. I was at NCTE/ALAN for five days, then I was at my in-laws’ house for two days for Turkey Day, and then I spent three days preparing my son’s first birthday party. I will share the Goodnight Moon-themed party pictures in an upcoming post! Henry and I have read a lot of new picture books like, My Yellow Balloon by Tiffany Papageorge and several great Sandra Boynton board books. This week is my last week of classes (both as a teacher and as a student), and then I am able to do a lot more free-reading.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi over the weekend, and I am about half way done. I then have a couple piles of books: one YA and one PBs from the library. I hope to make a dent in the PB one (including The Very Inappropriate Word, Sophie Scott Goes South, A Boy and Jaguar, The Girl Who Hears Colors, & The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma). Also maybe I’ll start The Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine or Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick. OH! And I have 2 graphic novels to read: The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew & Fairy Tale Comics edited by Chris Duffy. Hopefully with life back to normal, I’ll be able to get some reading down 🙂

Ricki: I sent home many, many new YA books and ARCs from NCTE/ALAN, so it is time to get started! The first book I started reading was All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven because it is getting rave reviews. So far, I absolutely love it.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Ricki’s NCTE/ALAN Reflection

Wednesday: Kellee’s NCTE/ALAN Reflection

Thursday: Ricki’s Top Books from NCTE/ALAN

Friday: Kellee’s Top Books from NCTE/ALAN

So, what are you reading?

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My Yellow Balloon by Tiffany Papageorge

November 28, 2014 by Kellee

My Yellow Balloon
Author: Tiffany Papageorge
Illustrator: Erwin Madrid
Published October 1st, 2014 by Minoan Moon Publishing

Publisher’s Summary: It all started at the carnival…That’s where Joey makes a new friend: a bright yellow balloon. Joey and his beloved balloon do everything together, until the balloon accidentally slips off Joey’s wrist and flies far, far away. What will Joey do without his special friend?

Tiffany Papageorge has crafted a poignant tale of love, loss, and letting go that will serve as a comforting guide to children who are navigating the complicated emotions of grief. Learn more about Tiffany at her Facebook page or Linkedin.

Kellee’s Review: This book’s illustrations blew my mind. They are beautiful! Before I can talk about anything else, I definitely have to address how impressed I was by them. Luckily, the story is just as good as the illustrations. My Yellow Balloon is about Joey and his yellow balloon and the loss of the balloon he became attached to. This is the second book I’ve read recently about loss and grief. I think it is so important that there are picture books out there for kids dealing with tough situations. I like the way that this book symbolizes the loss by showing that Joey’s world lost color and using a fold out to show perspective as the balloon is lost. It was very well done.

Ricki’s Review: I agree with Kellee that the text features of this book are remarkable. When the color of the illustrations shift, my stomach felt like they were tied in knots, and I felt Joey’s sorrow. The language used to depict the ways Joey comes to terms with his grief are realistic and will be very helpful for children. This book should be a staple in classrooms. Even if students are not experiencing grief at the time of the story, it will help them cope with, unfortunately, the inevitability of this topic.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book could be used to talk about the concept of theme. The theme is quite evident and would inspire great discussions. Loss and grief are something that all children can connect to, and My Yellow Balloon would be a great jumping off point for this discussion.

Discussion Questions: Have you lost anything special to you? How did you feel?; Why did the author take away the colors after Joey lost his balloon?; How is the sun symbolic for Joey? Can the balloon be considered a symbol?

We Flagged:

“The balloon man wrapped the string around Joey’s wrist and said, ‘Here, let me tie you two together.’ From that moment on, they were never apart.”

Read This If You Loved: Knock, Knock by Daniel Beaty, I’ll Always Love You by Hans Wilhem, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Christine at New Shelves Distribution for providing copies for review!**

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27, 2014 by Kellee

We hope you are enjoying the holiday. This year, we look forward to gathering around our tables and sharing how grateful we are to have such loving families. Ricki’s son was born two days before Thanksgiving last year, and she will always think of Henry (her little turkey) on this day. For Kellee, this is her first Thanksgiving with Trent. Our hearts are full with love for these little boys, and we hope to instill in them our love of reading.

For us, Thanksgiving is a great time for reflection—to talk about everything that went right. This day shouldn’t be about headdresses and feather costumes (actually these stereotypes should be avoided!), and instead, Thanksgiving is an appreciation of supportive family and good friends. This includes you, our blog friends. We are very fortunate to have you in our lives. Each week, we look forward to hearing from you. You invigorate us, and we want to give our thanks to you.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/24/14

July 27, 2015November 24, 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 Topics We’d Like to See More in Picture Books

Thursday: Henry and Ricki’s favorite PB 6-12 months

Friday: Trent and Kellee’s favorite PBs 6-9 months

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

Kellee & Ricki: We are currently absorbing the awesomeness of the ALAN workshop in Washington, D.C. We will update you on our reading last week and this upcoming week next Monday. Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Books On Our Winter TBR

So, what are you reading?

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