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Top Ten Tuesday: Twenty 2018 Books We Look Forward to Reading

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. This feature allows us to make lists, which may be one of our favorite things to do!

Today’s Topic: Twenty 2018 Books We Look Forward to Reading

So many wonderful books are coming out in 2018! It was hard to even narrow it down to 20!
(We didn’t include any books that were on our #mustreadin2018 list as to not double up and highlight more titles 🙂 )

Young Adult

1. Cruel Prince by Holly Black

January 2nd, 2018

2. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

October 2nd, 2018

3. Furyborn by Claire Legrand

May 22nd, 2018

Middle Grade

4. Bat and the Waiting Game by Elana K. Arnold

March 27th, 2018

5. Breakout by Kate Messner

June 5th, 2018

6. The Lifters by Dave Eggers

April 24th, 2018

7. The Lost Rainforest: Mez’s Magic by Eliot Schrefer

January 2nd, 2018

8. Sunny by Jason Reynolds

April 10th, 2018

9. The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

March 6th, 2018

10. Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz with Renée Watson

January 2nd, 2018

11. Rebound by Kwame Alexander

April 3rd, 2018

12. Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai

January 2nd, 2018

13. The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter H. Brown

March 13th, 2018

14. Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire by John August

February 6th, 2018

15. HiLo Book 4: Waking the Monsters by Judd Winick 

January 16th, 2018

16. Amulet 8: Supernova by Kazu Kibuishi

September 25th, 2018

Picture Books

17. How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk, Illustrated by Sara Palacios

May 15th, 2018

18. Square by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Jon Klass

May 8tn, 2018

19. Islandborn / Lola by Junot Díaz, Illustrated by Leo Espinosa

March 13th, 2018

For Everyone

20. For Everyone by Jason Reynolds

April 10th, 2018

Which books are you looking forward to reading?

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Ricki’s Ten (Ahem…Thirteen) Favorite Reads in 2017

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Every year, I promise myself that I will get my list down to ten books. And every year, I goof up and end up with more than ten books. Forgive me, but here are my favorite 13 books that I read this year. Please note that the age categories below are superficial. These are books for readers of all ages. 🙂

Picture Books

La La La by Kate DiCamillo (Illustrations by Jaime Kim) (2017)

Love by Matt de la Peña (Illustrations by Loren Long (2018)

Red & Lulu by Matt Tavares (2017)

Windows by Julia Denos (Illustrations by E. B. Goodale) (2017)

 

Middle Grade Books

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (2016)

Refugee by Alan Gratz (2017)

 

Young Adult Books

American Street by Ibi Zoboi (2017)

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley (2016)

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2017)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017)

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (2017)

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (2016)

 

Professional Development

Pose Wobble Flow: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literacy Instruction by Antero Garcia and Cindy O’Donnell-Allen (2015)

 

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Review and Giveaway!: Don’t Forget Dexter by Lindsay Ward

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Don’t Forget Dexter
Author and Illustrator: Lindsay Ward
Published January 1, 2018 by Two Lions

Summary: Introducing Dexter T. Rexter, the toughest, coolest dinosaur ever. At least he likes to think so.

When his best friend, Jack, leaves him behind at the doctor’s office, Dexter T. Rexter panics. First he tries to find Jack. Then he sings their special song. Then he sings their special song even louder. But when Jack still doesn’t appear, Dexter starts to wonder. What if he’s being replaced by another toy? It can’t be—after all, he can STOMP, RAWR, and CHOMP! Right? Right?!

This hilariously neurotic dinosaur will do whatever it takes to get his friend back—even asking the reader’s advice—in this first book of a brand-new series.

Praise for  DON’T FORGET DEXTER!:

★ “Ward’s ink, colored-pencil, and cut-paper illustrations give readers a toy’s view of the world and allow children to stomp in Dexter’s feet for a while, his facial expressions giving them lots of clues to his feelings. Lost and found was never so riotously funny or emotionally draining.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Ward (Brobarians) is as funny as ever as she chronicles her orange hero’s nervous, no-filter state of mind, and her cut-paper, pencil, and ink drawings—with their visual asides, annotations, and shifts in scale—are irrepressible. It’s high anxiety made highly adorable.” —Publishers Weekly

Ricki’s Review: I simply adored this charming story about a toy that is mistakenly left behind by his best friend, Jack. It reminded me a bit of The Velveteen Rabbit and Toy Story (but different!), and it is very accessible for kids. This book  teaches some great lessons, and my son and I had a long conversation about how being separated from his things doesn’t always have to be forever. We recently moved across the country, and he doesn’t have all of his favorite toys around, so this book was really helpful to me as a parent, and I imagine that other parents will find it to be a great resource. We received this book a few weeks ago and have read it several times. My son calls it his “dinosaur book.” We have several dinosaur books, so it is a big compliment that this book is the dinosaur book.

Kellee’s Review: I love the voice of Dexter in this book! And the breaking of the fourth wall really adds such humor to the story line. And although the story sounds a bit like Toy Story and other toy books, it is so different than what you’d expect because Dexter is all alone, doesn’t know why he’s still at the doctor’s office, and is having a bit of an identity crisis. However, the way that Dexter feels will be easily a feeling that readers will relate to because anyone who has ever felt left out from something will feel like Dexter does. 

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Teachers might ask kids to write about a time that they were separated from something that they value. They might consider how this separation may or may not have been permanent. Alternatively, teachers might ask kids to write a story in which one of of their toys comes to life.

Check out some fun activities here!

Discussion Questions: How do you learn about the feelings of the characters? What do the author and illustrator do to make these come to life?; When is a time that you were separated from something that you love? Was it permanent?; How do the author and illustrator make the text interactive? How do they engage readers?

Flagged Passage: 

Read This If You Love: Nibbles: The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett, Caring for Your Lion by Tammi Sauer, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

About the Author: Lindsay Ward was inspired to write this book after her husband texted her a photo of a toy dinosaur abandoned at a doctor’s office. The caption read: “Well, they left me here.” Lindsay thought it was so funny that she sat down to write Dexter’s story immediately. She is also the author and illustrator of Brobarians, Henry Finds His Word, and When Blue Met Egg. Her book Please Bring Balloons was also made into a play.

Most days you can find Lindsay writing and sketching at her home in Peninsula, Ohio, where she lives with her family. Learn more about her online at www.LindsayMWard.com  or on Twitter: @lindsaymward.

Recommended For:

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Giveaway!

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**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing copies for review!!**

Ricki and Kellee’s #MustReadIn2018

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#MustReadIn2018 is hosted by Carrie Gelson at There Is A Book For That:

“For anyone out there with a To Be Read list that seems like it will never end, this challenge is for you! This is all about making your own personal list of books (5? 10? 20? 30? more?) that you commit to reading in 2016. Books can be published in any year, be from any genre, and be from any category (adult, YA, MG, Graphics, NF, etc.).  As your TBR list grows, you promise you will get to the books on this list.”

You will find our hopeful 2018 must read lists below. Some are books that we keep telling ourselves that we will read (but never got around to reading), some are new books that we are really excited about, and some are books that we simply need to read because we promised someone that we would read them. We focused on MG and YA literature for our lists, but do not worry–we’ll still be reading picture books, too!

Now without further adieu:

Kellee’s #mustreadin2018

Okay, so I am being super ambitious this year. First, I have a few authors that I am going to try to read multiple books from because I either love their work, haven’t read anything by them, or am Skyping with them with my book club, so I just listed the author. Then, I made a list of books I really want to read either because my students love them or I just have wanted to read it for a while. Finally, I added a few copies of books that my students asked me to add to the list. All of this equaled a crazy list that I may not get through, but I love it!

1. Laurie Halse Anderson
Vet Volunteers #1: Fight for Life 6/14/2018
Vet Volunteers #2: Homeless 6/19/18
Vet Volunteers #3: Trickster 6/19/18
Twisted 6/20/18
Vet Volunteers #4: Manatee Blues 7/7/18
Vet Volunteers #5: Say Goodbye 7/19/18
Vet Volunteers #6: Storm Rescue 7/27/18
Vet Volunteers #7: Teacher’s Pet 7/27/18
Vet Volunteers #8: Trapped 8/5/18

2. Joseph Bruchac
Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker’s Story 7/21/18
“Choke” from Guys Read: Sports Pages 7/21/18

3. Eric Gansworth
“Don’t Pass Me By” from Fresh Ink 2/26/2018

4. Dan Gemeinhart
Some Kind of Courage 4/21/2018 
Good Dog 4/28/2018

5. Alan Gratz
Prisoner B-3087 2/8/2018

6. Mitali Perkins
Open Mic edited by Mitali Perkins including her story “Three-Pointer” 3/17/2018
Tiger Boy 5/15/2018
Rickshaw Girl 5/13/2018

7. Gae Polisner
The Memory of Things 1/22/2018

8. Rick Riordan
Reread The Lost Hero 7/13/18
Son of Neptune 7/29/18
Mark of Athena 8/16/18
House of Hades 9/1/18

9. Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
“Confessions of a Black Geek” from Open Mic 3/17/2018
Two Naomis 3/27/2018

10. Eliot Schrefer
The Deadly Sister  2/11/2018
Mez’s Magic 2/25/2018
Orphaned 7/6/18

11. Laurel Snyder
Swan 1/6/2018
The Longest Night 1/6/2018
Forever Garden 1/11/2018
Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to be Kosher 1/13/2018
Any Which Wall 1/13/2018
Seven Stories Up 1/14/2018
Bigger Than a Breadbox (reread) 1/15/2018
Good night, laila tov 1/16/2018
Orphan Island 1/17/2018

12. Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed 7/19/18

13. Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan 7/15/18

14. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy 8/12/18

15. The False Prince trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The False Prince 3/4/2018
The Runaway King 3/13/2018
The Shadow Throne 4/3/2018

16. First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

17. Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter

18. Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

19. The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer
Started, but then my library loan expired. Will continue listening as soon as it is available.

20. Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King

21. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

22. Prisoner of Ice and Snow by Ruth Lauren

23. Rebels by Accident by Patricia Dunn
1/27/2018

24. A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
The Bad Beginning 2/14/2018

25. Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta
Decided to wait until more of the series is out.

26. Solo by Kwame Alexander
8/18/2018

27. The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

28. Stung series by Bethany Wiggins
Stung 4/1/2018
Cured 4/4/2018

29. The Testing trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau

30. Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
1/5/2018

31. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

32. What Girls are Made of by Elana K. Arnold
7/25/18

33. Young Elites trilogy by Marie Lu
Young Elites 9/27/18

Completed: 22 out of 33

Ricki’s #mustreadin2018

1. The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

2. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

3. Blankets by Craig Thompson

4. Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough December 2018

5. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi August 2018

6. Dear Martin by Nic Stone

7. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes December 2018

8. Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender

9. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

10. A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi

11. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

12. Piecing Me Together by Reneé Watson July 2018

13. Sometimes We Tell the Truth by Kim Zarins

14. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

15. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

16. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Completed: 4 out of 16

Have you read any of these titles? What’s on your #mustreadin2018 list?

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#mustreadin2018 Spring Update

#mustreadin2018 Fall Update

Windows by Julia Denos

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Windows
Author: Julia Denos; Illustrator: E. B. Goodale
Published: October 17, 2017 by Candlewick

Goodreads Summary: Walking his dog at dusk, one boy catches glimpses of the lives around him in this lovely ode to autumn evenings, exploring your neighborhood, and coming home.

Before your city goes to sleep, you might head out for a walk, your dog at your side as you go out the door and into the almost-night. Anything can happen on such a walk: you might pass a cat, or a friend, or even an early raccoon. And as you go down your street and around the corner, the windows around you light up one by one until you are walking through a maze of paper lanterns, each one granting you a brief, glowing snapshot of your neighbors as families come together and folks settle in for the night. With a setting that feels both specific and universal and a story full of homages to The Snowy Day, Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale have created a singular book — at once about the idea of home and the magic of curiosity, but also about how a sense of safety and belonging is something to which every child is entitled.

My Review: This quiet book captured my heart. My husband used to live in Somerville, and this text beautifully captures the beauty of the city—and the beauty of many cities. I love the way that the author and illustrator reveal that peaking into windows allows us to view a slice of someone else’s world. We don’t see their entire world, but we see the sliver that they allow us to see. This book reminds us to pause and look around us. I am saving this book to give to my son for his birthday because I know he will love it. It’s a book that any person of any age will appreciate.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Teachers might start by asking students to draw a window and the people inside of it. Then, students could move to writing about that family. Perhaps, the window reflects the beauty of those individuals’ world, or perhaps, it doesn’t show the truth. I love the possibilities that this book allows for teachers.

Discussion Questions: What would a window to your house look like? How might each room appear a bit different?; What do we see through the windows of others? What might we miss?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña; Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham, Harlem by Walter Dean Myers

Recommended For:

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

Inky’s Great Escape by Casey Lyall

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Inky’s Great Escape: The Incredible (and Mostly True) Story of an Octopus Escape
Author: Casey Lyall
Illustrator: Sebastia Serra
Published: November 7, 2017 by Sterling Children’s Books

Goodreads Summary: Inky’s Incredible Idea for an Ingenious Escape .
Based on a true story, this tale follows a daring, Houdini-esque octopus as he performs his greatest escape act yet.

In April 2016, The New York Times published an article about an octopus named Inky who escaped from the National Aquarium of New Zealand through a drainpipe and into the sea. In this charming fictionalized account, Inky, worn out from his exciting life in the ocean, has retired to the aquarium. There he quietly plays cards, makes faces at the visitors, and regales his tankmate Blotchy with tales of his past adventures. Then Blotchy dares Inky to make one more great escape: out of their tank. Will Inky succeed?

Ricki’s Review: Inky! This is a fun, thrilling text that will surely entertain a classroom of kids. I can imagine all of the questions that would accompany a read-aloud of this book. When my son and I read it, the first thing we did was research Inky’s story on the internet (see Kellee’s review for more info about this). We talked about all of the exciting ways that an octopus might escape from an aquarium. I love how the author creatively interpreted Inky’s story and made it a sort of challenge from Inky’s friend Blotchy. This made me chuckle. This text is versatile and could be used in many ways in the classroom, and it has high appeal. Kids will love it.

Kellee’s Review: Although Inky’s Great Escape is a fictionalized version of the events that happened at the National Aquarium of New Zealand in 2016, if you go and research about the escape, you’ll learn that the Inky truly is one incredible octopus! Although Lyall used creative freedom to build up Inky’s backstory (he’d retired to the aquarium after many daring escapes, and only escaped from the aquarium because Blotchy challenged him), much of the escape sequence was what truly transpired when Inky made his escape. Kids will fall in love with Inky’s bravery, personality, and with his contrasting friend, Blotchy, who stayed behind. With colorful full page illustrations and two octopuses with character traits and personalities that will start conversations, Inky’s Great Escape is going to be a favorite read aloud and classroom library book in elementary classrooms (and would be a great companion to a cephalapoda discussion!).

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Teachers might take some time to point out New Zealand on a map and to research the habitat in New Zealand. They might specifically look into Inky’s story and how the author took a bit of creative license to interpret the truth a bit. Teachers might also ask students to create their own escape stories with another animal. They could illustrate these and bind them into books!

Discussion Questions: Why does Inky decide to escape? What does he do?; What is Blotchy’s role in the story? How might we compare this to situations in our lives?; What is the true story? How did the author creatively interpret that story?

Flagged Spread: 

Read This If You Loved: Prince and Pirate by Charlotte Gunnufson; Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk; Whose Story is This, Anyway? by Mike Flaherty; Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Recommended For: 

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Prince and Pirate by Charlotte Gunnufson

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Prince and Pirate
Author: Charlotte Gunnufson
Illustrator: Mike Lowery
Anticipated Publication: May 9, 2017 by Putnam

Goodreads Summary: When two little fish with big personalities have to share the same tank, there are rough seas ahead!

Prince and Pirate are proud masters of their very own fishbowls, and life goes along swimmingly–until they’re scooped up and plopped into shared waters.
Prince is horrified to find this cheeky cod trespassing in his kingdom.
Pirate is sure this scurvy sea slug has come to plunder his treasure.
Thus, a battle of regal sneers, seaworthy stink-eyes, and off-the-hook insults begins.
Prince and Pirate’s hilarious duel for territory will elicit gales of giggles, hearty guffaws, and heartfelt smiles. Just when it seems their struggle might end in a silly stalemate, a little surprise convinces them to find a way to get along–swimmingly.

Ricki’s Review: My son has Charlotte Gunnufson’s Halloween Hustle, and we read it quite often. He loves the kooky characters and fun within the text. Prince and Pirate is no different. I loved reading this book aloud, and my son was giggling as turned each page. The book is cleverly crafted, and the words and illustrations pop off of the pages. I can’t help but think about how the author conceptualized the novel. I imagine her looking at a fishbowl and thinking about the characters amongst her fish. This book would make a wonderful text to spur creative writing amongst students. I think their imaginations would soar after reading it. 

Kellee’s Review: I think Mike Lowery’s illustrations are so much fun and add such a special personality to any story, and with this book, his illustrations met a story that definitely lived up to his standards. (I also want to compliment the book’s designer who also made the font as fun as the illustrations.) Prince and Pirate were loners who all of a sudden are forced to live together and do. not. like. it. However, when they both have the same goal to try to reach, they are able to cooperate and learn to work (and live) together. Through humor and ridiculous name calling, Gunnufson tells a story that shows how differences don’t have to be the end of a possible friendship.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Teachers might ask students to create their own fish characters. They could use the prince and pirate as a model and design a similar text. This book serves as a wonderful mentor text for learning about how to build character and/or teaching dialogue. Don’t forget to check out the Educator’s Guide along with other fun, free activities on the author’s website, https://www.booksbycharlotte.com/activities.

Discussion Questions: How do you think the author conceptualized this book?; How do the words and illustrations work together to form an effective story?; How does the author build character? What other fish characters might emerge in the story? How would the story be different if the author introduce a ____ type of fish?

Flagged Spread: 

Read This If You Loved: Halloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson; Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk; Whose Story is This, Anyway? by Mike Flaherty; Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, Doodle Adventures by Mike Lowery

Recommended For: 

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