IMWAYR

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

CONGRATULATIONS
Denise M. 
for winning our What If…? Then We… Giveaway!

 

Tuesday: Jennifer Nielsen’s Visit to Kellee’s School

Thursday: The Story of Rock, The Story of Rap, and Frida Catlo

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

Kellee

 

• I can definitely see why so many of my students rave about Red Queen, and I cannot wait to see what happens in book two. So much betrayal and unexpected events in the first book! However, I will admit that it did remind me of many different books’ premises.
• Monday’s Not Coming was such a surprise for me! It was anything but the typical missing person book you normally encounter, and I really didn’t figure out the truth until it was revealed.
• Marie Lu is a sci-fi genius in my mind. The Warcross/Wildcard duology was epic! Though my favorite thing about it was the focus on friendship, teamwork, and truthfulness.
• The Last Panther should be talked about more! It is a middle grade dystopian novel mixed with a Carl Hiaasen novel, and it is as good and interesting as the combination sounds.

• We have finished Dog Man #3: A Tale of Two Kitties, and it is still definitely holding Trent’s attention.
• A librarian from our county library visited Trent’s school and read Mousetronaut and my typical “I don’t remember what I did at school kid” instead talked a mile a minute about a mouse saving the say on a space ship and becoming an astronaut, so we asked for the book (and received!) Mousetronaut for Trent’s birthday.
• After Ricki’s rave review of Fox the Tiger and its ALA award, I had to read it with Trent, and I see why it is receiving the love. It is a fun read with a good plot, but it is also very readable for early readers.

Kellee

• On to number 4! I think Trent would read this for hours every night with us!
• Todd Mitchell is our virtual visit on March 11th, so I am onto my second of his books–VERY different!
• A Grimm Warning audiobook was finally available and it was perfect timing since I finished listening/rereading The Poet X.

 

Tuesday: Do you teach a YAL course or do you integrate YAL in your classroom? If so, Ricki needs your help!

Thursday: Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles

Friday: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Tuesday: Teacher Action Research

Wednesday: Trent’s Favorite Reads as of his Fifth Birthday!

Thursday: Blog Tour with Reviews, Book Trailer, and Giveaway!: It’s Not Hansel and Gretel by Josh Funk

Giveaway open until Thursday!

Friday: Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway!: What If…? Then We…: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Possibilities  by Recebba Kai Dotlich

Giveaway open until Friday!

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

Kellee

Finishing up Trent’s birthday celebration; I’ll be back next week 🙂

Ricki

I finished one of my #mustreadin2019 books, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. It was just as good as everyone said it was. The book beautifully captures humanity. Adam Silvera is easily one of my favorite authors, and this one hit me just as hard as his other books.

 

I received three adorable board books for review. I’ll be providing a combined review of the three books on Thursday, but I enjoyed the consolidated nonfiction of The Story of Rap, The Story of Rock, and the cat-inspired memoir of Frida Catlo.

 

The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald is just as adorable as the first book, The Bad Seed. It teaches kids about behavior and about doing what is right. I also like that it is realistic and tells kids that “good eggs” aren’t always good. This reminds kids that they might make mistakes—and this is okay.

Ricki

I am balancing a few ARCs this week. I’ve been going back and forth between books I missed (They Both Die at the End by Silvera) and new books (Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles). These both were wonderful, and I am hoping to finish the amazing On the Come Up by Angie Thomas this week. 

I am also doing a lot of professional reading. I’ve been thinking a lot about power positioning in classes, and I am working on an article about this, and I am reading Reconceptualizing the Literacies in Adolescents’ Lives (Alvermann and Hinchman).

 

Tuesday: Jennifer Nielsen’s Visit to Kellee’s School

Thursday: The Story of Rock, The Story of Rap, and Frida Catlo

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

Add New

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

CONGRATULATIONS
Crystal for winning The Lost Girl giveaway!
Mary Alison for winning the Pumpsie giveaway!
Cassandra for winning the Duck and Hippo: The Secret Valentine giveaway!
Elisabeth for winning the Lost in the Antarctic giveaway!

 

Wednesday: Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro

Friday: Complexity in Someday by David Levithan

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “The Writing Process” by Lauren L. Wohl, Author of Extravaganza at the Plaza

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

Kellee

It is time to celebrate Trent’s birthday (HE IS GOING TO BE FIVE!), so today and next Monday I’ll be spending time with my family. I’ll be back on March 4th 🙂

Ricki

I finished the ARC of Jo Knowles’ latest book, Where the Heart Is. I loved this book. It tackles issues not commonly seen in middle grade literature. The main character is questioning her sexuality in ways that felt very real to me. Her parents are struggling financially and aren’t sure if they are going to be able to pay their mortgage. It’s a powerful book about friendship, family, and identity.

My 5-year-old finished reading Fox the Tiger by Corey R. Tabor all by himself! We tackled three new pages each day, and I am so, so proud of him. Thanks to some of our fellow bloggers (Elisabeth, especially), we have a solid list of other engaging early readers in our future. I don’t generally enjoy early readers, but there are some gems out there that I have loved.

Ricki

My son and I enjoyed Fox the Tiger so much that we are going back a year and reading the first book, Fox is Late.

I am a few weeks delayed, but I am excited to get to On the Come Up by Angie Thomas this week. I just have to read a couple of journal issues that I missed last month first. 🙂

Tuesday: Teacher Action Research

Wednesday: Trent’s Favorite Reads as of his Fifth Birthday!

Thursday: Blog Tour with Reviews, Book Trailer, and Giveaway!: It’s Not Hansel and Gretel by Josh Funk

Friday: Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway!: What If…? Then We…: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Possibilities  by Recebba Kai Dotlich

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? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Tuesday: Parenting in the Age of School Lotteries and School Choice

Thursday: Review and Giveaway!: Duck and Hippo: The Secret Valentine by Jonathan London
Giveaway open until Wednesday!

Friday: Blog Tour with Review, Educators’ Guide, and Giveaway!: The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu
Giveaway open until Thursday!

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

Kellee

A much better reading week!

• Trent is pretty darn obsessed with Dog Man. We bought a box with the first three, and now that we’re on the third book, he has already asked if we could get four.
• I reviewed The Lost Girl on Friday, so check that out to see what I thought. (Spoiler: A special book!)
• Merci Suarez Changes Gears is everything I wanted and more! I’m definitely going to review it for you all! It definitely deserved the Newbery.
• And it must have been an award-winning book reading week because I also read The Poet X which blew me away! I can see why it won like everything.
• Done with the second Land of Stories book! It is pretty darn clever how Chris Colfer tied all of the fairy tales together. Waiting for the third audiobook to be available from my library now…

Ricki

My boys and I read Make This! by National Geographic. This is probably my favorite book that has come out of National Geographic. It’s divided into chapters (Forces, Motion, Optics, Energy, etc.), and each chapter features easy-to-create projects for kids to learn about physics and engineering. Most of the projects can be completed with items in our house. After every project, my boys were shrieking, “Let’s make it! Right now!” We currently have a straw rocket on the counter. (We had to pause for bedtime, but I suspect it will be in the air tomorrow.) My husband, an engineer, was impressed by the ways in which the chapters were divided. I am a big fan of this book and will be gifting it to a few engineer-loving kids that I know.

Kellee

• Going to listen to The Poet X now because I need to hear it performed.
• Red Queen take 3! Let’s see if I can finish it this time 🙂
• And onto Dog Man 3!

Ricki

I am loving Where the Heart is by Jo Knowles. She captures characters and emotion so beautifully. I am rushing to finish this post, so I can get back to it!

I am listening to They Both Die at the End (Adam Silvera). I have an hour and a half left. I suspect most of the readers of this blog have read it, but it is on my #mustreadin2019 list!

I am proud that my son is reading Fox the Tiger entirely by himself. We read a new page or two each day and review all of the previous pages together each day. I really, really enjoy this book and was glad it won the Geisel award. It’s a fantastic early reader that is engaging and fun.

 

Wednesday: Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro

Friday: Complexity in Someday by David Levithan

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “The Writing Process” by Lauren L. Wohl, Author of Extravaganza at the Plaza

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? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Wednesday: Review and Giveaway! Lost in the Antarctic: The Doomed Voyage of the Endurance by Tod Olson
Giveaway open until Friday!

Thursday: The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

Friday: Review and Giveaway!: Waiting for Pumpsie by Barry Wittenstein
Giveaway open until Friday!

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

Kellee

Not a big reading week in my world. Not sure why, I read every day, but just didn’t get anything finished.
Almost done with The Lost Girl which I’m reviewing on Friday, but I need one more night!

Ricki

I read The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo last semester and loved it, but after it won the awards, I wanted to read it again. I didn’t think this was possible, but I liked it even more on the second reading. This book is simply phenomenal.

I also read the young adult book, Tales from the Inner City, by Shaun Tan. This cerebral text is a collection of fantastical stories and poems about animals. Each story and poem is followed by a beautiful, two-page spread illustration. The stories vary greatly in their emotional impact. Some move you to tears and others make you laugh. I have always admired Shaun Tan, but now I have even more respect for his genius brain. I’d love to use these for writing activity starters. I’ll be posting a full review for this one soon.

My boys loved J. R. Krause’s Dragon Night. They asked me to read it again the second we finished. It’s a clever tale of a boy who is afraid of the night and meets a dragon who is afraid of the knight. It takes some time for them to realize that they are afraid of different things.

Dress Like a Girl was good, and I wonder if I am the wrong audience for it. I love books that push gender norms, and I didn’t feel like it got there. I loved all of the careers featured, but quite frankly, I don’t care about dress or attire, so I think the premise of the book was tricky for me. That said, I’ll be giving my book to a little girl I know who will love it.

Meet Miss Fancy by Irene Latham is wonderfully conceived. The illustrations are absolutely stunning. The book is set prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Frank really wants to meet and touch Miss Fancy, the elephant, but he isn’t allowed into the park because he is black. I have many conversations with my 5-year-old about Civil Rights, and this book offered good opportunities to talk further about the topic.

I love books about artists, and Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonara Carrington by Michelle Markel was no exception. I loved learning about this new-to-me artist, and I especially liked how she resisted becoming a “proper English lady.” Not surprisingly, the book has beautiful illustrations.

Kellee

So many titles that I’m reading right now. Hopefully this week is more successful!

Ricki

I am a bit behind the boat, but I am just starting Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. I know many of you have loved it, and I am excited to get started.

Tuesday: Parenting in the Age of School Lotteries and School Choice

Thursday: Duck and Hippo: The Secret Valentine by Jonathan London

Friday: The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu

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? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Allison H. and Jeana S.
for winning our Beep and Bob giveaway!!!!

 

Tuesday: Call for Middle and High School Teachers of Young Adult Literature

Friday: Searching for Lottie by Susan L. Ross

Sunday: Guest Post: The Most Banned and Challenged Books of the Past Five Years

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

Kellee

• With Trent: Dog Man by Dav Pilkey. And he is obsessed! He wants to read chapter after chapter and gets so excited when he sees Dog Man out in the world.
• War Cross by Marie Lu is ridiculously good! Wow! I can’t wait to read Wild Card–hopefully the library will have the ebook for me soon!
• I also finished Lost in the Antarctic and am reviewing it this week!

Ricki

I finished my first book on my #mustreadin2019 list! I read 3/4 of A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi last year and then had to stop to finish a few other books for school. I started from the beginning and listened to it this time. It’s absolutely beautiful. This book will stick with me for a long time. My students love it, too. I will read anything by Atia Abawi.

My son and I loved Waiting for Pumpsie by Barry Wittenstein—even if he was a Red Sox player. It was wonderful learning about this historic man. The book is quite interesting and engaging.

Whew. The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander is very powerful. I read it to my 2- and 5-year-old, and I am fairly certain most of it went over their heads (even with some explanation), but I am going to keep it for them for when they are a tiny bit older. This is a great book to add to the #blacklivesmatter list…and every list. I’ll be buying this one in hard copy.

¡Vamos!: Let’s Go to the Market by Raúl the Third is a fantastic new bilingual book that will be coming out with the first batch from Versify press. Each page contains a wealth of information and pictures. My two kids were captivated when we read it. Look out for this one. It will be getting a lot of press.

Rainbow: A First Book of Pride by Michael Genhart shows a plethora of different families. It details the meaning of each color in the rainbow. I love books that feature different types of families as the norm. Imagine if we lived in a world where picture books were more like this one? I have high hopes that future books will model this one.

Hooray for Josh Funk and his new masterpiece, It’s Not Hansel and Gretel! We read the first page, and my son immediately said, “YAY! It’s like the Jack and the Beanstalk book!” This fairy tale retelling doesn’t disappoint. It was quite fun to read aloud, and it offers real flexibility for classroom use. It’s a great pick for teachers!

Duck and Hippo: The Secret Valentine by Jonathan London is the latest book in the adorable Duck and Hippo series. These two have found a place in my heart alongside other favorites like Frog and Toad. The characters each receive a valentine with the same message to meet in the park. But who could have sent it?

Kellee

• With Trent: Dog Man: Unleashed by Dav Pilkey
• With my eyes: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
• With my ears: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer

Ricki

I am savoring the end of Blood Water Paint (a reread).

I am reading two teacher action research books for my class. I can’t decide if I want to start an adult book All the Light We Cannot See, which I’ve heard is great, or stick with my love, YAL. There are so many great books on my nightstand that it will likely be a whim.

Wednesday: Lost in the Antarctic: The Doomed Voyage of the Endurance by Tod Olson

Thursday: The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

Friday: Waiting for Pumpsie by Barry Wittenstein

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? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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.

Teaching Tuesday: A Virtual Book Signing with Alice Faye Duncan

Wednesday: Crown Not Crow by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

Thursday: Hush Up and Hibernate by Sandra Markle

Friday: Review and Giveaway!: Beep and Bob Series by Jonathan Roth

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “The Student Body: Fostering Positive Body Images Among Students”  by Leanne Baugh, Author of Story of My Face

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

Kellee

• Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes: Are there parents actually like this?! And if there are, I hope there are kids just like this also! Wow–the injustice behind the censorship in this book just takes my breath away and makes my blood boil. I hope this book helps show kids the importance of book importance and availability.
• Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer: I definitely see why my students love this series. What fun fairy tale retellings! I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
• Positively Izzy by Terri Libenson: I love the endings of both of Libenson’s books! And the structure of her books are unique and fun also. What great middle grade novels!
• The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan by Gia Cribbs: WHOA! Twists and surprises and romance and more twists–definitely a must read for your mystery YAL readers!
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney: Newest Greg Heffley story. Not my favorite, but just as much fun as the others.
• Inkling by Kenneth Oppel: Kenneth Oppel never lets me down! He is one of the most underrated authors, and this book supports that as well. Inkling is creative, fun, special, and unique! A must read!

 

• Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin and Click, Clack, Quack to School by Doreen Cronin: We’re on a Coreen Cronin kick! I didn’t know she had so many books; thanks to Trent’s book exchange at school and my friend Erin, we’re expanding our repertoire!
• Bob Books: Trent can read these, and I love it so much, and it makes me so happy!

Ricki

Unfortunately, I have to bow out for today. I’m sorry. Pregnancy is not kind this week!

Kellee

• Dog Man by Dav Pilkey: I am rereading Dog Man but this time with Trent. He saw this series at the bookstore and BEGGED me for it; how could I say no! And he finds it hilarious and loves being read it. So much fun!
• Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer: Looking forward to seeing what happens next!
• War Cross by Marie Lu: My students are going to be so excited that I am starting this!
• Lost in the Antarctic: The Doomed Voyage of the Endurance by Tod Olson: How did I not know about this series!??! I am really loving this so far, and I’ll definitely be reviewing this for you!

Tuesday: Call for Middle and High School Teachers of Young Adult Literature

Friday: Searching for Lottie by Susan L. Ross

Sunday: Guest Post: The Most Banned and Challenged Books of the Past Five Years

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