Ricki

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 7/8/24

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Discussion Guide for Totally Psychic by Brigid Martin

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

Sunday: Author’s Guest Post: “How to Read a Horse” by Amy Novesky, Author of If You Want to Ride a Horse

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

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Kellee

This is my week off from IMWAYR, but I’ll be back next week. You can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am away this week. Will share what I’ve been reading when I return.

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Tuesday: Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla, Illustrated by Tania de Regil

Friday: Student Voices: Book Lists from Sarah S., 7th grade, and Lucy S., Isabela M., & Hala B., 8th grade

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Living a Multicultural Life: A Book List” by Kara H.L. Chen, Author of Asking for a Friend

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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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Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hi, I’m Sofia and today I am bringing to you, You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao. This highly emotional book is about losing somebody extremely close to you. I usually don’t gravitate towards sad books but the cover looked so pretty and the book didn’t disappoint. This heartstring tugging book is about a girl who loses her boyfriend to a car accident which everyone thinks is her fault. That causes her to lock herself into her room and isolate herself. We join her on her journey to find herself again and heal from her loss. The only thing I didn’t love about this book was the main character, I just found her to be a little rude and even a little selfish.

Goodreads Summary

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out – move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes. Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail. And Sam picks up the phone. In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

My Thoughts

I think this is a beautiful book that will definitely make you shed a few tears and is a must read for anybody (but especially anybody coping with loss). I also found that there was quite a bit of grieving advice from all of the characters and I feel like this can apply to people going through a hard time in real life. This is just so beautifully written and teaches you so much about grief. Other than the whole grief part of it, I like the story even though it is a little slow-paced for me but I definitely think it is highly enjoyable. Enjoy!

Amazon says this book is for ages 12-18 and I mostly agree. I personally feel like people over the ages of 18 would still be very much interested in this and you could even read it with a parent or friend to have a deeper conversation about grief. 

**Thanks so much, Sofia! This is such a thoughtful review!**

Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah-Soonling Blackburn

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Exclusion and the Chinese American Story
Author: Sarah-Soonling Blackburn
Published: March 26, 2024 by Crown Books for Young Readers

Summary: Until now, you’ve only heard one side of the story, but Chinese American history extends far beyond the railroads. Here’s the true story of America, from the Chinese American perspective.

If you’ve learned about the history of Chinese people in America, it was probably about their work on the railroads in the 1800s. But more likely, you may not have learned about it at all. This may make it feel like Chinese immigration is a newer part of this country, but some scholars believe the first immigrant arrived from China 499 CE–one thousand years before Columbus did!

When immigration picked up in the mid-1800s, efforts to ban immigrants from China began swiftly. But hope, strength, and community allowed the Chinese population in America to flourish. From the gold rush and railroads to entrepreneurs, animators, and movie stars, this is the true story of the Chinese American experience.

Review: I am so glad that this book exists, and I especially recommend the audiobook. It tells the Chinese American experience from the very beginning—more specifically, from the first moment that a Chinese person came to America and the racism that Chinese Americans have experienced for centuries. The chapters are dense and filled with incredibly important information. I read a chapter each night to help me digest and think about each one of the topics and time periods covered. I especially appreciated the questions at the end of the chapters. This book is important for readers of all ages. 

Tools for Navigation: I wish more books like this one were taught in history classrooms. It’s imperative that young people don’t get a white-washed, sanitized version of US history. The Race to the Truth series (and this book, in particular) allow young people to read from many different perspectives to understand the truth about our country.

Discussion Questions: 

  • Which information did you find most surprising? Most interesting?
  • How has racism evolved across the centuries for Chinese Americans?
  • How can you use what you learned to share truths with others?

Read This If You Love: History books, conversations about equity, nonfiction

Recommended For: 

 classroomlibrarybuttonsmall closereadinganalysisbuttonsmall

RickiSig

**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy of this book for an honest review**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/24/24

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Discussion Guide for The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtado

Thursday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Friday: Student Voices: Favorite Characters from Dhivya R., Hajirah Q., & Omayma H., 7th grade, and Azuri, 8th grade

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Guide Them like Lighthouses to the Shores of Success” by Preston Norton, Author of The House on Yeet Street

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

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Kellee

Today is my day off from IMWAYR, but you can learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Middle Grade

I am so excited to share the Race to the Truth series book Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah-Soonling Blackburn this Thursday!

I adored Wagnificent: The Adventures of Thunder and Sage by Bethanie Murguia and will be reviewing it in a couple of weeks!

Adult

I have been wanting to read Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano for a long time. When I saw it on the bestseller shelves at Barnes & Noble, I snagged it. This book felt like an epic story in the way that it spanned decades. The sisterhood bond in the book took my breath away. It’s unforgettable.

I don’t ever read the backs of books or the book summaries. If a publisher or friend recommends a book or I like the author, I just start reading. I thought this book was going to be young adult because it was by Nicola Yoon, but it is her debut adult novel. It is sort of like The Stepford Wives meets Get Out. I felt extremely uncomfortable reading this book, and I think it will give readers a lot to talk about. There were portions that felt anti-Black, but when I was reading these sections, I felt like Yoon did this very intentionally to make her point. I think this comes across in a way that feels incredibly painful to read. I am looking forward to unpacking this book with a colleague in the next week to hear her thoughts. I need to think through this one, and I must admit that I am still thinking through this and need more time to process the book’s purpose.

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Ricki

Reading in Print: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Listening on Audio: The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson.

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Tuesday: Alterations by Ray Xu

Thursday: Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah-Soonling Blackburn

Friday: Student Voices: Author Reflections from Susana N., 7th grader, and Meghan K. & Ricardo D., 8th graders

Sunday: Author Interview: Q&A with Rhonda Roumani and Nadia Roumani, Authors of Insha’Allah, No, Maybe So

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hello and welcome to this rollercoaster of emotions, They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera! This is an amazing book about a dystopian version of New York where everybody gets a call on the day they die, from this organization called Death-Cast, basically telling them they will die. You follow Mateo and Rufus on their last day to live and get to experience their regrets in life and what they would have done differently. It also features LGBTQ+ people in it so that could be another reason to read it! This book has won countless awards including being a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year, and many more.

Goodreads Summary

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure – to live a lifetime in a single day. Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.

My Thoughts

There were a lot of factors that made this book so enjoyable and amazing! Firstly, I am a sucker for dystopian worlds, and this book summed up just about everything I love about them and made it 10 times better! The fact that people get calls on the day they die but don’t know how they die is pretty exciting (in a book, of course) and I enjoyed that. I also loved the different perspectives! They were mostly switching between Rufus and Mateo but sometimes there were their friends’ or family members’ perspectives and occasionally even views into the lives of the people that work at Death-Cast! I love the layer of complexity that multiple viewpoints add to the book and just think it is a nice touch. I also liked how there were a lot of inspirational quotes in this story like “Sometimes the truth is a secret you’re keeping from yourself because living a lie is easier,” and “you definitely don’t need the same blood to lose a part of yourself when someone dies.” 

On Amazon, They Both Die in the End is recommended for ages 13-17. The only thing really to warn about while reading this is that there is a lot of talk about death and living your life to the fullest before you die. If this is too sad for you, then this book isn’t for you.

**Thanks so much, Sofia! We love this book, too!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/10/24

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Educators’ Guide for Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by David Roberts

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Peer Tutoring, Musical and Otherwise” by Caroline Palmer, Author of Camp Prodigy

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

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Kellee

It’s my week off! To learn more about any of these books, click on any title/image to go to the book’s Goodreads page or check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

This week, I finished the third book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. I think I’ll take a break before I continue forward, but I’ve enjoyed the series! I don’t typically like high fantasy, but I’ve really enjoyed the way Sarah J. Maas worldbuilds.

My oldest son and I have been racing each other to finish The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. He was extremely hesitant to read a fantasy, but he felt very connected to the main character, Percy, so he gave it a try. He was reading for hours at a time! I hadn’t read this book in over a decade, so I enjoyed rereading it!

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Ricki

I just snagged a bunch of new ARCs from my office, and I plan to get started on those this weekend!

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Tuesday: Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep by Jeanne Walker Harvey, Illustrated by Melodie Stacey

Friday: Student Voices: Favorites During the 2023-24 School Year from Zunaira S., Anja K., Caeden S., and Alena K., 8th graders

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “The Plant Rescuer and Following Dad’s Footsteps” by Matthew Rivera, Author of The Plant Rescuer

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 5/27/24

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: The Incredible Octopus: Meet the Eight-Armed Wonder of the Sea by Erin Spencer

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “The Soil Science in Jackie’s Garden” by Peggy Thomas, Author of The Soil in Jackie’s Garden

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

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Kellee

This is my week off–see you next week! To learn more about any of these books, click on any title/image to go to the book’s Goodreads page or check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I hope you all are having a good Memorial Day. Unfortunately, I am unable to blog this week, so I’ll catch you in two weeks!

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Tuesday: The Dinosaur in the Garden by Deb Pilutti

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Creativity, Collaboration, and Cookies” by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow, Author of The Cookie Crumbles

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig