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.

Ricki

Ricki is currently away on maternity leave! She has lined up reviews for the time she is away. While spending time with the newest member of her family, she is also working hard on completing her dissertation and is trying to focus her time accordingly. Ricki is looking forward to returning to share books with you all! Happy reading!

Last Week’s Posts

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

 

 

Tuesday: Ten Books We Swooned Over as a Teenager

Wednesday: O is for Orca and 123 Moose by Andrea Helman

Thursday: Three Bears of the Pacific Northwest by Richard Lee Vaughan

Friday: Teaching Guide for Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Everybody has a Story” by Beth Vrabel, Author of A Blind Guide to Normal

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

I’m so glad I finally was able to finish Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet. Her mix of history and story reminded me of Ruta Sepetys’s novels with its clearly researched information with a story that holds the reader (except middle grade). I learned a lot while also loving the characters.

I also read five picture books: Two that aren’t out yet but shouldn’t be missed, and three that are out, so if you haven’t read them you should go get them. Roar! by Tammi Sauer and Mo’s Mustache by Ben Clanton are both quite silly but have themes about friendship that definitely will be perfect for growing up. Dad and the Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko and illustrated by Dan Santat was not what I thought it was going to be; however, I still enjoyed it. I hope readers remind their sons that being scared isn’t something to be ashamed of though.

My two favorites were Life on Mars by Jon Agee and Hug Machine by Scott Campbell. Life on Mars is stunning–both in story and in illustrations. I’m also pretty excited about it because it is really hard to find sci-fi picture books. Hug Machine is such a feel good book that made me smile all the way through.

I

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

After Echo, I had quite a book hangover and wasn’t sure what audiobook I was going to listen to next because I didn’t know if anything could live in the aftermath of Echo; however, I felt it was probably a safe bet to get something off of our Mock Newbery book club list, and I was right! Counting Thyme is a special book about a middle schooler balancing her life and the illness of her younger brother who is in a drug trial in NYC. The audiobook is well produced, and I am loving the story.

Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand is the last book I am reading in preparation for NCTE. I chose the order of my reads randomly so there was no reason why this is last, but I am glad it is because it is beautiful and fascinating, and it is a perfect way to end my reads for NCTE.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

  

Tuesday: Ten Scary Books I Recommend to Jumpy People

Wednesday: Who Wins?: 100 Historical Figures Go Head-to-Head and You Decide the Winner! by Clay Swartz

Thursday: The Water Princess by Susan Verde

Friday: #TrueFriends with Kirby Larson, Augusta Scattergood, Barbara O’Connor, and Susan Hill Long

Sunday: Author Guest Post!

So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

  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.

Ricki

Ricki is currently away on maternity leave! She has lined up reviews for the time she is away. While spending time with the newest member of her family, she is also working hard on completing her dissertation and is trying to focus her time accordingly. Ricki is looking forward to returning to share books with you all! Happy reading!

Last Week’s Posts

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

 

 

Tuesday: Teaching Guide for The Hat Trilogy by Jon Klassen

Wednesday: Never Insult a Killer Zucchini! by Elana Azose and Brandon Amancio

Thursday: A Parade of Puppies by Charles Ghigna

Friday: Celebration of Music: Jukebox by David Merveille & Dan, The Taxi Man by Eric Ode

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “I Am An Unlikable Heroine” by Brianna R. Shrum, Author of How to Make Out

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Well….. to make up for my really productive reading week last week, I did not finish anything this week. My Chicago Cubs are in the post season, and that is really hurting my reading time because I just cannot do both…

I

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I am currently reading two historical fiction books that are totally engrossing though!

 I only have 1 hour left of Echo, and it is killing me that I cannot just finish it! It is so good everyone! If you haven’t read it, fix that and get the audio!

Cloud and Wallfish is about an American living behind the Iron Curtain in East Berlin, and it is so interesting to be learning about Berlin during this time period.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Ten Books We Swooned Over as a Teenager

Wednesday: O is for Orca and 123 Moose by Andrea Helman

Thursday: Three Bears of the Pacific Northwest by Richard Lee Vaughan

Friday: Teaching Guide for Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Sunday: Author Guest Post!

 So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

  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.

Ricki

Ricki is currently away on maternity leave! She has lined up reviews for the time she is away. While spending time with the newest member of her family, she is also working hard on completing her dissertation and is trying to focus her time accordingly. Ricki is looking forward to returning to share books with you all! Happy reading!

CONGRATULATIONS

KATIE
for winning the Pug Meets Pig giveaway package!

&

DEBRA
for winning a copy of Antsy Ansel!

Last Week’s Posts

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

 

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Villains We Love to Hate

Wednesday: Animal Planet’s Wild Animals and Farm Animals

Thursday: Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

Friday: Teaching Guide for Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Alaska Smokejumpers” by Mark Thiessen, Author of Extreme Wildfire: Smoke Jumpers, High-Tech Gear, Survival Tactics and the Extraordinary Science of Fire

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Well, I had an unexpected long weekend because of that crazy Hurricane Matthew (thankful we, and everyone I know, are safe!), and I decided to take it as a reading and relaxing weekend instead of doing any work. I felt like a rebel! That meant that I did finish THREE novels in two days though! And I am feeling a bit better as I was worried I wasn’t going to finish by NCTE/ALAN novels in a timely manner, but now I only have 3 left to read in 3 weeks. Much better of a prognosis!

Jess has recently began hormones and her transition, and she hasn’t talked to her father since he told her what she was doing was a choice and overall didn’t understand. Now that he is getting married, Jess and her best friend, Chunk, are going on a road trip to his wedding to show him who Jess really is. But this story isn’t as it seems. It is definitely a journey for the characters and the reader.

This novel is very different than Tim Federle’s Nate books; however, there is one thing that is very much in common: the brilliance of the protagonist’s voice. Quinn’s story is one of grief and climbing out of the ditch that grief can bury you in. (I don’t like that he is compared to Holden Caulfield. Not because I don’t like Catcher in the Rye, I do, but Quinn is himself. And I didn’t find many comparisons between the two.)

Far From Fair is going to be a novel that a kid is going to need, and it’ll be there for them. Odette’s story deals with so many truths within the pages. Odette’s family is going on a road trip. Not for fun, but because her dad was laid off, and they had to sell their house. They decided to buy an RV and go visit Odette’s sick grandmother then go on an adventure. None of this was discussed with Odette, who really doesn’t want to live in an RV with her brother who could have a fit at any moment and her parents that are having marital difficulties. Much less leave her best friend and school! But sometimes you are not in control of what is happening, so you have to make the best of it.

Trent and I also read One Day, The End by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and illustrated by Fred Koehler. This is a special book because it definitely adds to the discussion of visual story telling and how illustrations add to a story. Koehler’s illustrations are so much fun, and the premise of the book is so fresh. (Dotlich is becoming a new favorite author!!

Although I am not the audience for these books, and I am actually not doodling in the books because I want to save it for my son–I WANT TO BE! The Doodle Adventure books are books that I wish I had when I was a kid. I loved writing and illustrating my own stories, and MAN! elementary-aged Kellee would definitely have loved to go on these Doodle Adventures with Carl.

I

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

Because of a short week at school, I didn’t make it as far as I’d hoped in Echo, so I am actually looking forward to my drive today, so I can get further into the story!

The next novel I am going to dive into is Could and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet about the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Teaching Guide for The Hat Trilogy by Jon Klassen

Wednesday: Never Insult a Killer Zucchini! by Elana Azose and Brandon Amancio

Thursday: A Parade of Puppies by Charles Ghigna

Friday: Celebration of Music: Jukebox by David Merveille & Dan, The Taxi Man by Eric Ode

Sunday: Author Guest Post!

 So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

  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.

Ricki

Ricki is currently away on maternity leave! She has lined up reviews of brand new books for the time she is away. Don’t worry—she isn’t resting. She is working hard on completing her dissertation and is trying to focus her time accordingly. Ricki is looking forward to returning to share books with you all! Happy reading!

Last Week’s Posts

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

   

Tuesday: Books on Ricki’s Fall TBR List

Wednesday: Blog Tour with Author Guest Post, Giveaway, and Reviews!: Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, A Life in Nature by Cindy Jenson-Elliott
Giveaway open until Thursday!

Thursday: Kids of Appetite by David Arnold

Friday: Blog Tour with Giveaway and Review!: Pug Meets Pig by Sue Lowell Gallion
Giveaway open until Thursday!

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Robots are Awesome!” by Brian Castleforte, Author of Papertoy Glowbots: 46 Glowing Robots You Can Make Yourself!

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

I’m writing this a bit early because my sister (who I hardly ever see) is in town for a few days!  We are all so excited to see each other; however, I wanted to share with you what I had read.

I finished Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg, and if you loved Openly Straight as much as I did, you will love revisiting Ben (and Rafe). A must read.

And like I said last week, I apologize for not commenting over the last couple of weeks (Open House, etc. at school) and this/next week because of family visiting! I’ll be back to regular commenting mid-October! 🙂

I

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I am LOVING Echo! The first time I tried to listen, I just couldn’t get into it, but this time I am loving it. I cannot wait to listen to more!

 I also started reading Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity and so far I really am enjoying this story of a transgendered teen in transition who is going to face her father that never accepted her.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Villains We Love to Hate

Wednesday: Animal Planet’s Wild Animals and Farm Animals

Thursday: Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

Friday: Teaching Guide for Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier

Sunday: Author Guest Post!

 So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

  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.

Last Week’s Posts

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

    

Tuesday: Ten Audiobooks We Love

Wednesday: Blog Tour with Review!: Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and his Sacrifice for Civil Rights by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace

Thursday: Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee

Friday: Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway!: Olivia Decoded by Vivi Barnes

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “The Complexity of the Teenage Experience” by Robert Wilder, Author of Nickel

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

First, I want to apologize for not being good about visiting your blogs or even commenting here at UR. School has been quite busy, and I have not had much free time outside of keeping up with what I need to do already, and now my family is coming to visit for a couple of different weekends,. I know this is not an excuse, but it is a reason. Please know that I appreciate every single one of you that take part in IMWAYR, and I will get back to commenting better soon!

 

First, I read these five picture books (four nonfiction), and I loved them all so much that I will definitely be reviewing them (and two of them are already scheduled for this week!).

Musnet is a graphic novel about a mouse that is searching for a home only to find one in Monet’s house. I love the premise (mix of history, fantasy, and art!).

I reviewed Blood Brother this week. If you missed it, please go read about this important book!

Oh man, guys! This book ends with as much of a cliffhanger, if not more of one, than the first book! And now I have to wait until 2017 to read the third! This will be a tough wait!

I finished Brendan Kiely’s newest YA book also. Love is a language that is spoken in so many different ways. Kiely’s book is a love poem to forever love, first love, family love, questioning love, love of music, love of words, and the struggle of love. Beautiful and touching and will fill your heart. I cannot wait to talk to Brendan about this one at ALAN.

Ricki

It took me a few weeks, but I just finished Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. It is a short nonfiction text that you could read in one sitting, but I felt it was important to read it slowly to take in the magnitude of the text. I know many folks read this book in high school, and it was standard required reading in the 1970s-ish, so I wanted to be sure to read it. In case you aren’t familiar with the premise, John Howard Griffin was a man who decided to take medicine to turn his skin darker. He wanted to see what life was like as a Black man in the South. The book is his journal, recounting his experiences. I learned so much from the book, and I was disappointed that while much as changed, so much has not changed. Griffin’s comments still connect to incidents today. I loved the book and would recommend it highly.

I devoured Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed. Once I started it, I simply couldn’t put it down. This is a phenomenal book that explores arranged and forced marriages. The topic reminded me a bit of Sold by Patricia McCormick, but the two books are very different in their own ways. I highly recommend this book, as it gave me a glimpse into a world that I know little about.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

After finishing See How They Run, I decided to give Echo another chance. The last time I tried to listen to it, I just couldn’t get into it, but this time I think the prior knowledge of the first 45 minutes or so allowed me to understand it and get more into it. I am now getting quite into it, and I love the production.

I also am going to read Honestly Ben which is the sequel to Openly Straight. Openly Straight was an Walden Honor the year I was chair, so I loved Rafe’s story! It will be quite interesting to go back into his world but have it narrated by Ben.

Ricki 

This is my last IMWAYR for a little while. I am going to be taking eight weeks for maternity leave. While I won’t be resting (I am going to focus my work on my dissertation), I will still continue to read. I plan to return with a lot of great books to share. I will be sure to share the best of the best! I will miss you all and wish you a wonderful eight weeks!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Books on Ricki’s Fall TBR List

Wednesday: Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, A Life in Nature by Cindy Jenson-Elliott

Thursday: Kids of Appetite by David Arnold

Friday: Blog Tour with Giveaway and Review!: Pug Meets Pig by Sue Lowell Gallion

Sunday: Author Guest Post!

 So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

  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.

Last Week’s Posts

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

   

Tuesday: Favorite Sci-Fi Books

Wednesday: Blog Tour with Giveaway, Review, and Author Post!: The Curse of the Were-Hyena by Bruce Hale

Thursday: Shy by Deborah Freedman

Friday: A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “How a Novel Can Save Our World” by Kristina McBride, Author of A Million Times Goodnight

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Well, this week has not bee a great reading week. Work has taken up a lot of my free time because I have been reading my students’ reading autobiographies whenever I had free time (which I haven’t had a lot of). But I am currently reading a few! See below.

Ricki

I received some great forthcoming picture books from Penguin this week! All were excellent. I will post full reviews closer to their publication dates this spring, but I thought it might be nice to feature them early, too!

I was very touched by Dad and the Dinosaur by Newbery Honor Winner Gennifer Choldenko. I love Caldecott Award Winner Dan Santat’s illustrations, so the book really worked for me. It is about a boy who hides his fears and only feels brave because of his toy dinosaur. I particularly liked the bond with his father, and I had my husband read the book to my son one night this week. They really enjoyed reading it together.

I adored Life on Mars by Jon Agee. It is a very funny story about an astronaut on mars who is searching for life. Little does he know, there is an alien/monster behind him most of the time. This would make a fantastic read aloud. I know my toddler was giggling the entire time we read it.

I had fun reading the poems of Feel the Beat: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing by Marilyn Singer. This book is a must-have for any kids who enjoy or are interested in dances. As an adult, it took me back to my dancing lessons with my husband before we got married. The book features numerous dances from the Argentine Tango to the Two Step. I imagine this is going to be a favorite among many children.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

AH! See How They Run got so good so quickly! I once again don’t want to get out of my car because I just want to keep on listening. I have about 2 hours left, so I will definitely finish it this week. Then I’ll have to wait for the series to continue….

I’m almost done with Blood Brother which I’m reading for my Wednesday review. I look forward to sharing this text with you all!

I’m very excited to be moderating a panel with Brendan Kiely at ALAN about modern love stories, so I am currently reading his newest The Last True Love Story. It is on pause, so I can finish Blood Brother, but as soon as I finish it, I’ll be back!

Trent and I also have two piles of picture books to read! First, we visited the public library and Trent went wild with picking books! I also received some picture books I have been wanting to read so badly, so I cannot wait!

Ricki 

I am still making headway on a few of the books I posted last week, but I thought I’d also add this book (Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow) that I am listening to on audio. It’s a very dark novel, and I am really invested in the story. I look forward to finishing it!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Ten Audiobooks We Love

Wednesday: Blog Tour with Review!: Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and his Sacrifice for Civil Rights by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace

Thursday: Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee

Friday: Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway!: Olivia Decoded by Vivi Barnes

Sunday: Author Guest Post!

 So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

  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.

Last Week’s Posts

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

   

Tuesday: Top Ten Board Books According to our Toddlers

Wednesday: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

Thursday: Blog Tour and Review: Race Car Dreams by Sharon Chriscoe

Friday: Emma G. Loves Boyz: A True Love Journal Volume One by Taro Meyer

Sunday: Author Guest Post!!: “Stepping Back Into History: From 9/11 to the Cuban Crisis in the Second World War” by Sandy Brehl, Author of Bjorn’s Gift

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Thank you so much Netgalley for letting me have the opportunity to read these four upcoming graphic novels! They are all must reads though they are all SO different. Pheobe and Heavenly Nostrils never disappoint; The Stone Heart is a perfect, action-packed sequel to The Nameless City; Secrets & Sequences continues the secret coders story; and The Amazing Crafty Cat is a perfect book for artistic students.

This book is so much fun!  Funny yet important! The theme in this one is quite evident, but don’t forget to continue the conversation with the elephant also to talk about how everyone makes mistakes and that’s no reason to not like someone! And don’t miss out on Heidi’s Nerdy Book Club post about her inspiration.

Rita Williams-Garcia’s Gaither Sister series is one of those series that everyone should read. It deals with so many different topics and themes, and Gone Crazy in Alabama is a wonderful finale. There is a very shocking twist about 3/4 of the way through, but the ending is perfect.

Ricki

I sobbed through 60% of Jo Knowles’ See You at Harry’s. This is a powerful book, and as an emotional pregnant woman, it really hit me hard. I am looking forward to recommending it to my students!

Henry and I enjoyed They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel. It is a clever book that would be fantastic to teach  point of view. Each animal sees the cat in a different way, and the perspectives are fascinating. This is a great book that would be a great addition to classrooms.

I really enjoyed Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet. I’ve been trying to teach my son about colors, so this book was a great way to get him interested in the topic! And I avoided a lot of mess!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I’m still listening to See How They Run by Ally Carter. It continues right where All Fall Down ends, but I am still having trouble getting into it; however, I had the same trouble with the first. I am sure Ally Carter has something up her sleeve.

I am not sure what I am going to pick up next! I will let you know 🙂

Ricki 

I am slowly making my way through John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me, and as I said last week, it is most certainly NOT because it isn’t an excellent text. I am hoping to finish it this week.

I am excited to start Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed. I’ve been working hard on keeping up with books that feature Islamic/Muslim content for a new research project, and I have heard this book is excellent!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Favorite Sci-Fi Books

Wednesday: The Curse of the Were-Hyena by Bruce Hale

Thursday: Shy by Deborah Freedman

Friday: A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

Sunday: Author Guest Post!

 So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

  and