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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/10/14

July 27, 2015March 10, 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

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Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, Trent and I continued our #bookaday reading and I am really enjoying it (I need to really set aside some time to write some posts about these great books we are reading). This week we read:

Rainbow Rob by Roger Priddy (What a fun rhyming book about animals, colors, identity, and feels.)
Do Cows Meow? by Salina Yoon (Another fun animal book–this one with flaps! The rhyming really makes books so much more fun to read aloud.)
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (This is a new favorite of mine. Oliver Jeffers’s illustrations are haunting yet beautiful and the story was just perfect. This one is definitely one we’ll reread.)
Daddy Kisses by Anne Gutman (Jim read this one to Trent. It is all about kids and their dads. Very sweet.)
How Do Dinosuars Count to Ten? by Jane Yolen (I had to read a Yolen Dinosaur book after hearing so much about them from Ricki, and they didn’t disappoint. I love how it mixes dinosaurs, math, reading, and humor.)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (This classic is so much fun to sing.)
Never Too Little To Love by Jeanne Willis (I reviewed this book on Valentine’s Day and had to read it to Trent because it is just so sweet. He’ll love the flaps and the story when he gets older.)

Ricki: This week, Henry, Dad, and I read Easy as Pie by Cari Best, which was a cute cooking store. I love cooking, and I love pie, so this was a great one! It teaches some nice lessons to kids (including cleaning the kitchen!). I also read Robert McCloskey’s One Morning in Maine. I didn’t like this one as much as the others I read, but it was a good story to read to a child with a loose tooth. We read There’s a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Seuss. Oh, this one was quite fun! All of the other children’s books we read to Henry were repeats. We need to go back to the library!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: Week three with Trent will consist of more picture book #bookaday with him. It is always fun to look through his books and decide what we are going to read that day–he already has such a wonderful library, but there is always more I want to get! I am going to try and read some of my novel this week (though I am not sure where I am going to fit it in yet). Before I had him I was reading The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider and was really enjoying it–we’ll see!!!

Ricki: I am forging on with Michael Apple’s Ideology and Curriculum. It still makes me sleepy. I have been working on writing a research article about my Young Adult Literature elective with my advisor, Wendy Glenn, so that has taken much of my time. My brother-in-law bought me a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis after reading Tuesday’s post that I have seen the movie but never read the book. It looks like Henry and I will be enjoying that one.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Top Ten Tuesday Topic: Our favorite books in different genres
and on Thursday, please stop by to complete a feedback survey.

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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Period 8 by Chris Crutcher

March 7, 2014 by Kellee

Period 8
Author: Chris Crutcher
Published March 26th, 2013 by Harper Collins

Goodreads Summary: In this full-length novel from Chris Crutcher, his first since the best-selling Deadline, the ultimate bully and the ultimate good guy tangle during Period 8.

Paul “the Bomb” Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday School. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don’t know is that the ultimate bully, the ultimate liar, is in their midst.

Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great thriller with the controversy, ethics, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.

My Review: Now, this is not a “normal” Chris Crutcher book, but like all of his books, it is raw, true, and sports plays a role of some sort. And this one is SO full of suspense for the last 25%. It is a hold your breath, read as quickly as you can kind of book there at the end. (I do wish that this suspense had been spread out to 50% of the book. This would have helped the pacing a bit and I think it would have given Crutcher more time to give information into the crime. Although the quick pacing at the end adds to the suspense, I think spreading it out a bit would have kept the suspense and given more time to delve further into the bad guys and the mystery.)

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: I, personally, really loved how he chose to tell the story in 3rd person. Although it doesn’t give as much insight into one character, it gives you a little bit of insight into each one, and as you are trying to figure out what is going one, it is really fun to hear from all the different characters. (Some readers and reviewers have stated that having the multiple 3rd person point of views made it so the reader didn’t really know anyone, but I think it actually helped me get to know everyone a little bit. It also allows for the reader to get snippets of not just the mystery but of the characters allowing you to build the complete character in your head.)

Another brilliant think Crutcher did was include foreshadowing scenes right at the beginning of the novel that did not make sense until the end and then I had to go back and read it. Well done!

Also, if you ever need a mentor text on complex sentence structure or descriptive language–Crutcher is for you!

Mostly, though, this book will find its home in teens’ hands. It will be as loved as other Crutcher books.

Discussion Questions: How does swimming help Paulie deal with his problems?; At what point did you figure out who the “bad guy” in the group was?

We Flagged: “He hits the water, involuntarily sucking air as the cold leaks in. The colder the better. He deserves this. Even so, he pees in self-defense, his only means to counter the ice-watery fingers creeping around his ribcage and into his crotch. He swims away from shore for about a hundred yards as his body heat warms the water inside the suit. He turns parallel to the shore and strokes, finding a candence he can hold over the next two hours. He knows how to play games to allay the monotony; fifty stroke hard, fifty strokes easy; a hundred strokes hard, fifty easy; a hundred-fifty hard, fifty easy, and on and on. An hour up and an hour back. He has taught himself to breathe on either side in order to keep the shore in sight and swim a relatively straight line. On this morning, working on zero sleep, he holds an even pace; no intervals. Just his sweet Hannah wedged in his frontal lobe. His gone Hannah.” (p. 3-4)

Read This If You Loved: Any other Chris Crutcher book, Shine by Lauren Myracle, Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings

Recommended For:

Top Ten Tuesday: Popular Authors We’ve Never Read

March 4, 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 Popular Authors We’ve Never Read

Although they are popular, we just have not gotten around to them (or have no interest!).

Ricki

1. Stephen King

The movie It scared me as a child, so I think I fear his books.

2. Nicholas Sparks

I own several of his books, but I have never tried them. I can’t tell you why! (Kellee, I stole this one from you.)

3. J.K. Rowling

Don’t hate me. I read a page of Harry Potter and didn’t continue on. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t have a strong desire to continue. I should probably give the books a better try.

4. Lemony Snicket

To be fair, I read Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler. But I haven’t read any of the books under his Lemony Snicket pen name.

5. C. S. Lewis

I think I saw a movie of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, but I have never read the books. I’d love to read them to Henry, though! Perhaps, I will set this as a goal.

Kellee

1. Tom Clancy

This is bad… I like his books as movies, but have no need to read his books.

2. John Grisham

I am almost tempted to read his Theodore Boone books since I have some students who love them, but I’m just not sure…

3. George R.R. Martin

Eh. Even people who love Game of Thrones haven’t been able to convince me that I will; however, someone could sell me on it one day.

4. Nicholas Sparks

Romance novels are already not one of my favorites and romance that will make me cry… no interest.

5. Jodi Picoult

I actually have some Picoult books that I really want to read, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Which of these authors should we read?
Are there any popular authors you haven’t read?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/3/14

July 27, 2015March 3, 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

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: First, I want to thank you all for the congratulations on the arrival of Trent. I am so in love with my little man! I will say, though, as expected, my reading has dropped in priority really quickly; however, I have vowed to do #bookaday with my little one for as long as I can, and we started on day 3. We have read some really fantastic picture books so far. I am so in awe of how much books already keep Trent’s attention. Here’s what we have read so far:

The Little Mouse, the Red, Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood (This was our first book because it was my husband’s, brother’s, and best friend’s favorite book as a kid.)
Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss (This was our second book because it was the first book I ever “read”.)
Oh the Thinks you can Think by Dr. Seuss (Dr. Seuss is so inspiring!)
On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman (Um… why didn’t anyone warn me that I’d be crying by the end of page 1?!?!)
Cinderella Penguin by Janet Perlman (In honor of Read a Fairy Tale Day; read to him by his G’ma.)
Forever by Emma Dodd (Another tear jerker. Also, a great book for young children because there are shiny pages that really caught Trent’s attention.)
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (He was PASSED OUT for this one, so I will definitely have to reread.)
Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb (The artwork in this one was beautiful and the colors of many pages fascinated Trent.)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Read in honor of our newborn photos where Trent was dressed up as the very hungry caterpillar.)
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman (We’d actually listened to the You Tube video of this book while feeding as well, but we also read the board book.)
Chicago Cubs ABC by Brad Epstein (It is BASEBALL SEASON!!! I have to prepare Trent :D)

Ricki: How can I top that awesome post by Kellee? Henry and I took another trip to the library, where we checked out some new, exciting books. My husband is from Boston, and his favorite children’s author is Robert McCloskey, so we read Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal. Both were excellent. I also read a newer children’s book called Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman. It was a very inspirational read that has great themes for kids about resilience. Lastly, I finished Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit, my professional development read of the week. I didn’t agree with everything in the book, but I found it to be extremely thought-provoking in a very healthy way. I would love to discuss this book in a classroom setting.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am not sure when my reading will happen again, but we will see because the book I was reading (The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider) was getting really good! Trent’s Year One #bookaday will continue if nothing else. I’ll keep you updated 🙂

Ricki: My next professional development read is Michael Apple’s Ideology and Curriculum. So far, it is highly political and makes me a bit sleepy. Has anyone had luck with it? I will read the whole book, but I am curious what others think. I suspect it will teach me some interesting educational aspects, and the author seems to be very bright. I have seen Apple in a lot of educational papers, so I am keeping a very open mind! I am also deep into Threatened by Eliot Schrefer. I LOVE it. It is my middle-of-the-night-feeding, stay-awake read, so I am savoring it. On another note, my younger sister (who is brilliant, in my humble opinion) doesn’t love reading fiction. I gave her Endangered by Eliot Schrefer several months ago, and she just called me to tell me how much she loves it. WIN!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

So, what are you reading?

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Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes

December 13, 2015February 28, 2014 by Kellee

Penny and her Marble
Author and Illustrator: Kevin Henkes
Published February 19th, 2013 by GreenwillowBooks

Goodreads Summary: In the third easy-to-read book about Penny the mouse, written by Caldecott Medalist and bestselling author Kevin Henkes, Penny finds a beautiful marble on her neighbor’s lawn and must decide whether or not to keep it. With age-appropriate vocabulary, compelling characters, and a memorable storyline, this is just right for newly independent readers.

Kevin Henkes is known for his mouse characters, including Lilly, Owen, Chrysanthemum, Wemberly, and now Penny! In Penny and her Marble, the third book in the Penny series, Penny finds a marble on Mrs. Goodwin’s yard and takes it home. But does the marble really belong to Penny? Kevin Henkes is a master at creating beautifully illustrated books that resonate with young children. The Penny books are new classics for beginning readers and will appeal to fans of Frog and Toad, Little Bear, and Henry and Mudge.

Review and Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: I am a huge fan of Kevin Henkes. I really enjoy everything he writes—he is so talented! His work ranges from picture books to early readers to chapter books to middle grade novels and all that I’ve read, I’ve enjoyed, and Penny and Her Marble was no different. Like the Goodreads summary says, Penny’s story is perfect for our early readers. Her story is one that children will connect with; however, Henkes never talks down to his readers. What struck me was the beautiful language that he used throughout–to describe Penny’s feelings, the marble, the day, etc.

Discussion Questions: If you were Penny, would you have kept the marble?; Is there anything you’ve taken without asking? What did you do?; Like Kevin Henkes does, look at different marbles and use similes to describe them.

We Flagged: “The marble was so blue it looked like a piece of the sky. Penny went to the window and held up the marble. She was right. The marble was like a piece of the sky.” (p. 16-17)

Read This If You Loved: Other Kevin Henkes books, Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel, Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

Recommended For:

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone

February 26, 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!

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?
Author: Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrator: Marjorie Priceman
Published February 19th, 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.

Goodreads Summary: In the 1830s, when a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, women were supposed to be wives and mothers. Some women could be teachers or seamstresses, but career options were few. Certainly no women were doctors.

But Elizabeth refused to accept the common beliefs that women weren’t smart enough to be doctors, or that they were too weak for such hard work. And she would not take no for an answer. Although she faced much opposition, she worked hard and finally—when she graduated from medical school and went on to have a brilliant career—proved her detractors wrong. This inspiring story of the first female doctor shows how one strong-willed woman opened the doors for all the female doctors to come.

My Review: I love that Tanya Lee Stone chose to write about a women in history that changed our world in a big way, but has not get the credit for it. It is amazing to think that one young lady was brave enough to be the first to try to get into medical school to help pave the way for millions of woman doctors today. Although I realize there has to be a first for everything when overcoming prejudice and inequality, it is not often that you hear about who this one person was and how s/he had to do it alone, but that is how it was for Elizabeth Blackwell. No one had tried to jump over the barrier, but she did. This is such an inspirational story and such a big part of history–it should be shared with everyone. And what tops off the book is the vibrant, colorful, playful illustrations that will draw the reader in even more.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: A couple of interesting themes that can definitely pulled out of this story is resilience (she never gave up after all of the rejections), the power of friendship (she has never considered being a doctor until a friend suggested it), and selflessness (just read the author’s note about the rest of Elizabeth’s life at the end). All three of these would lead to phenomenal discussions and can be connected to other historical figures and fiction texts.

Discussion Questions: Why do you think it took the townspeople longer to accept Elizabeth?; We learn that Elizabeth’s sister also became a doctor and the two of them eventually start a hospital. What type of people would Elizabeth and her sister have to be to be able to go from not being allowed to be a doctor to owning a hospital? What traits would they need?; How would life be different now if Elizabeth had never tried to become a doctor?

We Flagged: “I’ll bet you’ve met plenty of doctors in your life. And I’ll bet lots of them were women. Well, you might find this hard to believe, but there was once a time when girls weren’t allowed to become doctors.” (p. 3)

Read This If You Loved: Brave Girl by Michelle Markel, Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell, Daredevil by Meghan McCarthy, Here Come the Girl Scouts by Shana Corey

Recommended For: