IMWAYR

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!

Tuesday: The Princess Protection Program by Alex London

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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

Kellee

Middle Grade

• The Princess Protection Program by Alex London: I loved reviewing this book last week! I am such a fan of twists on fairy tales, especially when they are unique and like none I’ve read before, and The Princess Protection Program fits this! The idea of princesses being able to leave to our world and automatically go to a school with a fairy godmother protecting them from monsters that are trying to eat them to return to their tales is the perfect new twist for fairy tales. I loved getting to know all of the princesses (and Charlie!) and learning about everything with them. The characters are what make the beginning of the book, but then the twist of the story happens and it breaks the plot open and also adds in so much chaos at the end of the book that the end just speeds by as the conclusion nears.

Young Adult

• The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtagdo: This book was time-travel, secret society, boarding school, multi-point of view madness of a book that is hard to put down! It has so many layers and was even more messed up than I assumed it was going to be based on the summary, which made it even more of a whirlwind of a read.
• Rez Ball by Byron Graves: This book has received so much praise. I blew it off as just another basketball book. I was wrong. This book is so much more than basketball. I was so invested in Tre’s story, so much so that I cried TWICE (one happiness, one sadness) in this basketball book. And I loved listening to the book even more as I could hear the Ojibwe language authentically, instead of as assumptions in my brain.
• The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: I questioning Barnes writing more books about the Hawthornes and hesitated reading this book, but I am glad I finally gave in and read it because it was just as good as the original trilogy. So many mind games and puzzles–a fun read overall. I look forward to its sequel.

Picture Book

• Log Life by Amy Hevron: What an adorable book that packs a punch of information! Hevron’s illustrations remind me of Mouse Paint but more–full of cuteness, expression, and fun characters. Additionally, she teaches the reader so much about nurse logs with these cute characters! I loved learning about how a tree becomes a nursing log and how it becomes part of the ecosystem.

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

It is my week off–see you next week!

Kellee

• Reading: The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicolas Day, Illustrated by Brett Helquist
• Listening: The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Tuesday: Jerry Craft’s Visit to Kellee’s School

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Home is Where the Heart Is: Lessons for Writing About Place” by Margaret Finnegan, Author of Sunny Parker is Here to Stay

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!

  and

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!

Tuesday: Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic by Margaux Meganck

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier

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

Kellee

It’s my week off! To learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am spending time this weekend with my family! I will return in two weeks!

Ricki

I am reading two students’ graduate theses! One is on the teachers’ experiences with school-shooting-based trauma in the classroom. The other is a creative writing book  about border crossings.

Tuesday: The Princess Protection Program by Alex London

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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!

  and

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!

 

Tuesday: The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants by Philip Bunting

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Brother and Sister Team Co-Author a Children’s Fiction Series Filled with Adventure, Fun, and SEL Opportunities” by Tara Mesalik MacMahon, Author of Closet of Dreams, with Teacher’s Guide Author Sandra Bennett, M. Ed.

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

Kellee

Picture Books

 

• Mahogany: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale by JaNay Brown-Wood, Illustrated by John Joven: What a fun retelling of Red Riding Hood! Mahogany has such great intuition, confidence, and is creative in her way of saving herself from the wolf. And the illustrations add even more playfulness to the story.
• You Are a Robin! by Laurie Ann Thompson, Illustrated by Jay Fleck: I definitely want to read more from this series because Thompson truly is brilliant in her crafting of this book. The inclusion of questions keeps curiosity up; the play throughout keeps the reader engaged in mind & body; and all of the fun information about robins leads to a deeper understanding of birds, the ecosystem, and vocabulary.

 

• There’s No Such Thing As Vegetables by Kyle Lukoff, Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi: Check out my review from a couple of weeks ago.
• Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They! by Linz Amer, Illustrated by Kip Alizadeh: This picture book is the perfect introduction to pronouns for young readers. Using storytelling as the vehicle, Amer teaches about identities and pronouns in an engaging and informative way. Readers will also love the vibrant illustrations.

• Puff: All About Air by Emily Kate Moon: Reminiscent of Stacy McAnulty’s Our Universe series, Moon uses storytelling and humor to engage the reader in the book and sprinkles in information to teach all about air. The illustrations are perfect for the topic–light yet important to the story. This will be a great science cross-curricular read aloud.
• Zandi’s Song by Zandile Ndhlovu, Illustrated by Katlego Keokgale: I love this book for so many reasons. First, the author is just fantstic. Ndhlovu is the first South African Black free diving instructor, and she hopes the book will inspire “a space where diverse representation in the ocean is possible.” Second, the story is magical. It reads like folklore and teaches such important ecology, especially the need to respect and love our oceans. Third, the illustrations bring it all together. They are beautiful and fit perfectly with the story.

 

• The Thingamajig by Rilla Alexander: Oh man; we all know the feeling of forgetting what something is called, and Alexander has created a whole book celebrating, instead of demonizing, that experience. In this fun and silly book, all the characters search for what they lost. Whatever it is called. And I do love the inclusion of back matter explaining the origins of some of the nonsense words.
• The Great Puptective by Alina Tsyoe: In this early reader chapter book graphic novel, Truffles, the cat, has to put up with a new puppy in his house. And even worse, the new puppy is obsessed with solving mysteries. Like many books with opposite duos, Truffles and Poppy’s relationship drive this book that is full of humor and such colorful, fun illustrations.

Middle Grade

• How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani: This book is told in 2nd person!! How cool is that?!?! I was so impressed with the structure! When I first started, I was worried that the reader wouldn’t get enough insight into the main character’s story/life, but Hiranandi actually used it to her advantage and gave us even deeper insight into Ariel’s feelings since the reader is imagining themself as her. In addition to its unique point of view and wonderful main character, I have also not read any middle grade historical fiction that touch on the one of the topic in this book: inter-racial/religious marriage. I think it is an important time in history that is interesting to explore through fiction.
• Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz: This book was a middle school roller coaster! So much happens within the pages which made it so I just couldn’t stop listening to it. I also love how relatable it is to my middle schoolers. Everyone during middle school years are trying to figure out who they are which, unfortunately, includes bumps along the way. But the book makes one thing very clear: we can never forget our true friends.

• The Mystery of Locked Doors by Lindsay Currie: I will be reviewing this in a couple of weeks.
• Finally Heard by Kelly Yang: In the sequel to Finally Seen Lina is feeling more confident in general, but then social media and phones invade Ms. Carter’s classroom and it makes everyone question everything. Finally Heard is a great cautionary tale about the dangers of social media and the power of influence on kids as they grow up.

• The Gray by Chris Baron: There are not a lot of books that deal with middle school males who are dealing with anxiety, so The Gray is an important addition to any middle school library. The reader journeys with Sasha has he works on strategies to cope with his anxiety and curb his technology addiction. Along the way he survives multiple panic attacks, makes two true friends, helps another boy work through his trauma, and learns to ride a horse. The story unfolds beautifully and was just a fantastic read.
• Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan: I listened to Solimar with Trent, and it ended up being much more of an adventure than I realized it was going to be. Solimar becomes the only hope for her kingdom, so is forced to action which leads to an adventure unlike anything she’s been on. Ryan’s writing is so lyrical and descriptive, I felt like I was with Solimar as she journeyed through jungles, rivers, and mountains to save the day.

Young Adult

• Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley: This story of murder, mystery, and betrayal is one that I had trouble putting down; it is a page turner where every second you are learning new things that make you want to continue to find all of the puzzle pieces. In addition to Perry’s story, Boulley addresses the very real issues of missing indigenous women and stolen ancestral remains and artifacts and teaches the reader about these tragedies that need to not be ignored.
• Seasick by Kristin Cast & Pintip Dunn: So much murder in this book! I was quite shocked because just when I thought nothing else bad could happen on the yacht, something else did. Phew! I was exhausted reading it because it is such a marathon, all taking place in one night. The resolution of the mystery at the end was quite surprising also.

• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir: This is one of the most perfect books I’ve ever read. It made me cry because I was sad. It made me cry because I was happy. I laughed, cringed, and was furious. Any book that can make me feel all of these emotions while also crafting a narrative that I was sucked into immediately: The story of Sal and Noor, now, and the story of Misbah and Toufiq, then. Then tragedy strikes and choices are made, and everyone finds themselves in situations that they didn’t ever want to be in. Please read this book if you haven’t!
• Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis: Thieves’ Gambit was a twisty, turny heist book with a fantastic cast of characters and non-stop action. Oh, and I can’t forget about betrayal and romance! They’re in there, too. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the ending because I now have to wait for book #2 to see what happens next!

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 is my week off; see you next week!

Kellee

 

• Reading: The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtado
• Listening: Rez Ball by Byron Graves
• Listening with Trent: Stuck by Jennifer Swender

Tuesday: Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic by Margaux Meganck

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier

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!

  and

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!

Tuesday: There’s No Such Thing As Vegetables by Kyle Lukoff, Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “An Extreme Measure for Extreme Research” by JoAnna Lapati, Author of Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman

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

Kellee

This is my week off! You can always see what books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am writing from a plane on the way home from visiting family for spring break! I will share more about my current reads in two weeks! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

 

Tuesday: The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants by Philip Bunting

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Brother and Sister Team Co-Author a Children’s Fiction Series Filled with Adventure, Fun, and SEL Opportunities” by Tara Mesalik MacMahon, Author of Closet of Dreams, with Teacher’s Guide Author Sandra Bennett, M. Ed.

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!

  and

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!

Tuesday: Educators’ Guide for The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Play is Good Trouble” by Brittney Morris, Author of The Jump

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

Kellee

This week is my Future Problem Solvers State Competition which keeps me quite busy, so I won’t be able to post today; however, you can always see what books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

It is my week off–see you next week!

Tuesday: There’s No Such Thing As Vegetables by Kyle Lukoff, Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “An Extreme Measure for Extreme Research” by JoAnna Lapati, Author of Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman

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!

  and

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!

Tuesday: Trent’s Favorite Books He Read When He Was 9

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Be Kind to the Language” by Chris Lynch, Author of Walkin’ the Dog

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

Kellee

It’s my week off! I will 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

If you haven’t read Solito by Javier Zamora, I can’t recommend it enough. I saw that this memoir received a lot of awards last year, and I hadn’t read it, so I suggested it for my book club. It is incredibly well-written. I cried a lot.

Ricki

Reading for class SSR: Gone Wolf by Amber McBride

Reading for book club: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Reading with my 7yo: Tyrannosaurus Wrecks by Stuart Gibbs

Reading with my 10yo: Holes by Louis Sachar

Tuesday: Educators’ Guide for The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Play is Good Trouble” by Brittney Morris, Author of The Jump

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!

  and

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!

Tuesday: Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “The Importance of Muslim Characters in Children’s Books: Fostering Inclusivity and Combating Misconceptions” by Rahma Rodaah, Author of Dear Muslim Child

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

Kellee

Middle Grade

• Finally Seen by Kelly Yang: Lina’s story of joining her family in the United States is reflective of the journey of so many who come to America, enter our schools, and work to balance the differences in life. Lina’s voice and story was a pleasure to read, and I loved following her journey to find her voice and show that she is worth being listened to and seen!

Young Adult

• The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson: I could not put this book down once I started reading it. I read it in one day and talked to so many people about it. I am blown away by Jackson’s ability to make sure all parts of the story are tied together because this is a wild story–so suspenseful and full of family secrets, lies, and crime!
• Found Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards: This was a scary book, which is so interesting because you know right away who the killer is, but that doesn’t matter when you don’t know who is going to die or who is going to survive and how they’re going to get out, and the setting of an abandoned mall was a perfect backdrop to the thrills.

Picture Books

• No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons: Trent goes to Angel Paws at our local library which gives him the opportunity to read to therapy dogs, so this picture book pulled at our heart strings because the experience of reading to animals is truly wonderful. I’m so glad that the librarian in Emmons’s book changes their mind and allows the cat to make a difference with the kids who need it. And through this story about reading aloud, Emmons created a fun read aloud with such cute illustrations.
• This Little Kitty in the Garden by Karen Obuhanych: This rhyming picture book begs to be read aloud and will definitely be the inspiration for starting gardens for many a young reader because the cats are adorable and the lessons about gardening are intriguing.
• Don’t Trust Cats (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog) by Dev Petty, Illustrated by Mike Boldt: I haven’t yet found a Petty book that I didn’t enjoy. Chip the Dog may not be the smartest, but he is a fun story teller and always makes me laugh out loud. I am a huge fan of the formatting of this book, and the silly illustrations are the perfect bow on the package.
• I Cannot Draw a Bicycle by Charise Mericle Harper: This series of books (companion to I Cannot Draw a Horse) are just so silly yet clever and readers will love all of the character’s drawings and even doing their own drawings!

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 is my week off–I’ll see you next week!

Kellee

• Reading: Seasick by Kristin Cast & Pintip Dunn
• Listening: Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Tuesday: Trent’s Favorite Books He Read When He Was 9

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Be Kind to the Language” by Chris Lynch, Author of Walkin’ the Dog

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!

  and