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.

Last Week’s Posts

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

 

Tuesday: Kellee’s Favorite Reads in 2016

Wednesday: Dining with Dinosaurs by Hannah Bonner

Thursday: Kellee and Ricki’s #mustreadin2017

Friday: Review and Giveaway!: Your Alien Returns by Tammi Sauer

Author Guest Post: “When an Academic Writes Fiction” by Tricia Clasen, Author of The Haunted House Project

 So, what are you reading?

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Wednesday: My husband, Jim, is running the Dopey Challenge (48.6 miles in 4 days!) at Walt Disney World’s Marathon Weekend, so I just know that I will not have a chance to write out my IMWAYR post on Sunday (we have dinner plans with his family), so I will catch you all up next week. Thank you for understanding 🙂

Happy reading this week!

 Ricki

I finished Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia. Whew! I really enjoyed it! Reshma Kapoor knows she needs a hook to get her into Stanford, and her valedictorian status won’t be enough. She decides to write a book (this book). This book really nails the pressure that overachievers experience. Reshma is willing to do anything to maintain her valedictorian status. She is such an unlikeable character that I found her to be quite likable. I very much appreciated this book.

Henry and I read Eric Carle’s Opposites. I liked how this was a puffy board book because it felt nice. I also enjoyed how the flaps lifted the entire page upwards. Most opposite books have the two opposites juxtaposed on each page. This required Henry to guess what the opposite was before he could see it. Explaining the concept of opposites to a three-year-old is very difficult! We’ve read this book for two nights in a row, and I don’t know whether Henry is understanding the concept yet or whether he has the book memorized. I’ve been quizzing him about opposites during the day to try to figure it out!

This Week’s Expeditions

Ricki

I am halfway through Christopher Emdin’s For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too. This is my area of research, but I am still learning a lot. Emdin’s perspective is quite insightful, and he has me thinking and thinking. I highly recommend this book to teachers who teach in the hood–but also teachers who teach students of color. So…that is pretty much all teachers. 😉

I am listening to The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner and really enjoying it. I met Jeff at the ALAN Workshop and was really impressed by him, so I am happy to be diving into the book!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Ten Books We Are Looking Forward to in the First Half of 2017

Wednesday: Tales from the Arabian Nights by Donna Jo Napoli

Thursday: Teaching Guide for Barkus by Patricia MacLachlan

Friday: Teaching Guide for Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder

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: Ricki’s Favorite Reads of 2016

Wednesday: Natumi Takes the Lead by Gerry Ellis

Friday: Kellee and Ricki’s #MustReadin2016 Final Update!

Sunday: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I love breaks for three main reasons: 1) Family, 2) Sleep, & 3) READING TIME! This last week, I read some truly amazing books! I am working on reading a good number of titles for our Mock Newbery Club, so I have been reading some of the best 2016 middle grade books out there! This week I got to The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner, All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor, and The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz. All three are very much worth the read and definitely a discussion in our Mock Newbery Club, but Perry T. Cook  is special, and I am so glad that I read it.

I also read a Caldecott favorite this week, and I can see why everyone is raving about it! They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel is an interesting look at perspective and imagination.

Oh! And I finally read a best book of last year, and it has become an instant favorite for me. Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt is a perfect book; I loved every second.

Lastly, I read a few titles for review, Your Alien Returns by Tammi Sauer, The Book of Heroines & The Book of Heroes from National Geographic, and Ellie Ultra by Gina Bellisario, and I look forward to sharing them all with you in the near future.

P.S. I AM SO EXCITED to share my favorite reads of 2016 tomorrow! I hope you check it out 🙂 

Ricki

I am back in the groove! It took me a little while, post-baby, to get back on track with reading. I may falter a bit as I finish my dissertation, but I am reading several solid books that are keeping me up at night!

I loved The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon and will be presenting it at a roundtable at NCTE (if the proposal is accepted). What a powerful book! It took me a little time to finish it because I was listening to it, but I am so glad I’ve read it and experienced this beautiful story.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I hope to finish a couple of more books tomorrow and Tuesday before the kids come back on Wednesday. The first book I’m going to read is another Mock Newbery Club book:

I also have two graphic novels I want to read and one novel for an upcoming blog tour:

After that, I hope to have a few ebooks that are on hold at the library for me become available, so I will let you know what I get to.

Ricki

I’ve been raving about Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia. I have about 100 pages left, and then I will share more, but (spoiler alert) GET IT!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Kellee’s Favorite Reads in 2016

Wednesday: Dining with Dinosaurs by Hannah Bonner

Thursday: Kellee and Ricki’s #mustreadin2017

Friday: Your Alien Returns by Tammi Sauer

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 Books We Wouldn’t Mind Santa Bringing Our Boys

Wednesday: How the World Was: A California Childhood by Emmanuel Guibert

Friday: Wishapick by M.M. Allen

Sunday: MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of our friends and followers who celebrate!

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

I’m writing this quite early because MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT! I don’t see my parents anywhere as much as I wish I did because they live in Baton Rouge, but I get to have them here with me for 5 days, so I wanted to blog before they got here.

I finished reading the Mock Sibert books that I requested from the library, and they were all brilliant. I am definitely buying Jazz Day and I Dissent for my classroom, and Giant Squid and Radiant Child for my household.

I want to read everything by Matt de la Peña. He has a way of writing that just brings voice to whomever he chooses. This is my last #mustread2016 book I’m reading because I left the other one at school 🙁

I now can definitely see why Ghost was a National Book Award Finalist and is on so many Mock Newbery Lists including my club’s. I couldn’t put this book down. If you haven’t read Ghost’s story: PICK IT UP!

We are so lucky to get some amazing books for review, and I read two of them this week that I’ll be reviewing in January: Zack Delacruz Just My Luck by Jeff Anderson and Frightlopedia by Julie Winterbottom.

Ricki

Whoops. I started five new books this week and finished none. This is a common theme for me, lately!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I am currently reading The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner (I just started), and I plan on reading more choices from my Mock Newbery Club after I finish it.

Ricki

I am still enjoying For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…And the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin.

I just started Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia, and I am loving the strong voice. The narrator is very entertaining, and I find myself smiling often.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Ricki’s Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2016

Wednesday: Natumi Takes the Lead by Gerry Ellis

Friday: Kellee and Ricki’s #MustReadin2016 Final Update!

Sunday: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 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 Books We Want to Read That We Heard About at NCTE/ALAN

Wednesday: On the Construction Site by Carron Brown

Thursday: The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu

Friday: Noodles’ and Albie’s Birthday Surprise by Eric Bennett

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Tricky Gods” by Dorothy A. Winsor, Author of Deep as a Tomb

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

I read some phenomenal nonfiction this week! First I read two titles from National Geographic that I highly recommend! First, Dining with Dinosaurs is a must buy for any dinosaur fan. It is a fascinating look at the different categories of -vores and how dinosaurs fit into them. I also read Arabian Nights by Donna Jo Napoli. This short story anthology of Arabian mythology was fascinating, captivating, and beautifully written and illustrated. The layers of themes and stories built upon each other to create a collection that is a wonderful introduction to true traditional literature.

In addition to these two NF texts, I began trying to catch up on the 2016 nonfiction texts that my friends Aly and Michele are listing as in the running for the Sibert. This is my first year not taking part in the Mock Sibert with Aly of Kid Lit Frenzy because I just hadn’t read enough 2016 NF during the year, but as soon as Michele and Aly put out their lists (here, here, here, and here), I started requesting titles from my library. I have gotten through four of the titles so far, but I will definitely be reading more this week. I highly recommend all four, but my favorite so far has to be Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood.

Ricki

 

This week, I’ve been rereading a lot of picture books with Henry. He’s asked me to reread Shivery Shades of Halloween by Mary McKenna Siddals and Shy by Deborah Freedman. He’s also strangely obsessed with the new graphic novel, Fish Girl by David Wiesner and Donna Jo Napoli. He isn’t the target audience, but he loves it.

A few books that I am considering using in my Teaching of Language Arts course that I am rereading are They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel, Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, and Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. I have others on my list of books to re-read, but I decided to get an early jump on these.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I am definitely going to read more nonfiction before next week. I’ll have my Sibert prediction for you then. I have at least four more to read including Jazz Day by Roxane Orgill and Giant Squid by Candace Fleming.

I just started Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña which is on my #mustreadin2016 list, and I am sucked in. After I finish this, I have a pile of #mustreadin2016 titles, Mock Newbery titles, and books I need to read for review; I’ll let you know what I am able to get to.

Ricki 

I’ve been doing some traveling this week, and I have been enjoying For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…And the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

  

Tuesday: Ten Books We Wouldn’t Mind Santa Bringing Our Boys

Wednesday: How the World Was: A California Childhood by Emmanuel Guiber

Friday: Wishapick by M.M. Allen

Sunday: MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of our friends and followers who celebrate!

 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 New-to-Me Authors I Read for the First Time in 2016

Wednesday: Mean Machines: Supercars (Mean Machine Series) by Kane Miller Books

Thursday: Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young

Friday: Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “This is Useful for Teachers” by Mark Geatches, Author of Tamar and PJ: One Giant Adventure

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

I did a book path (similar to a book pass but the kids move) of all my new books for the classroom library (from NCTE/ALAN and a book order), and these were three that I wanted to read before students checked them out and they did not get returned until the end of the year. All three books were quite good! The 3rd HiLo may just be my favorite because we’re really starting to get into HiLo’s story, Dog Man is such a ridiculous premise but also so funny, and Double Down shows me that the last couple of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books weren’t a fluke and Greg is actually growing up some.

Wishapick by M.M. Allen is a fun introduction to the world of fantasy novels and will also be perfect to give to fans of the Spiderwick Chronicles.

I also finally had the pleasure to read Some Writer! by Melissa Sweet this week. I can definitely see why there is so much hype around this book. I loved Sweet’s picture book biographies but this one goes to a whole new level. Brilliantly crafted, illustrated, and written!

Ricki

I am excited that I just submitted a manuscript for publication. I worked on it all week, so I was more productive with my writing than my reading. I’ve also been reading excerpts from textbooks to try to decide which books to use next semester with my pre-service teachers. I will share more about these later. 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I have some lofty December goals! First, I want to finish my #mustreadin2016 titles, and I have four more: Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle, Hook’s Revenge: The Pirate Code, Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña, and The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (though I may only read 3 of them; I keep trying to read The Nest, and it is just too creepy for me).

I also want to try to read some of our Mock Newbery titles in preparation for our voting on January 19th (the 2016 Youth Media Award announcements will take place on Monday, Jan. 23, at 8 a.m. ET).

Ricki

I am just about finished with The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, and it is incredible. I can’t wait to share more about it!

I am about to start For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…And the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin. This book is very relevant to my work, so I am very excited to read and learn from it.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Books We Want to Read That We Heard About at NCTE/ALAN

Wednesday: On the Construction Site by Carron Brown

Thursday: The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu

Friday: Noodles’ and Albie’s Birthday Surprise by Eric Bennett

 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: Kellee’s 2016 NCTE and ALAN Experience

Thursday: Ricki’s 2016 NCTE and ALAN Experience

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

I did finish Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young which is a book I have mixed feelings about. I’ll share on Thursday.

Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell is a one sitting book. I loved going on the journey with the Lovings, and the book truly gave me hope in this tumultuous times for civil rights. I book talked this for my classes, and they are all really interested in it as well. My students this year are very politically and socially minded.

Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder has a death very early on in the book, and the way that the mother dealt with the grief made this book very hard for me to read when I first started it in July. It was really affecting me, so I put it down for a while. Then this weekend, after reading Augusta Scattergood’s review of it on her IMWAYR post, I picked it back up, and this time I must have been in a better mind space for it, and I found it a thought-provoking and heartfelt book.

 Ricki

I’ve been writing, writing, writing this week! I’m trying to finish a few different manuscripts about young adult literature, and we had some deadlines for The ALAN Review. I didn’t finish any books, but everything I’m doing is connected to reading! I’m excited to hear what you all read this week!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I don’t know! My plan had been to read HiLo 3 this weekend since I got it at NCTE, but I sadly left it at work.

I think I am going to read some of the nonfiction and picture books I have sitting around to read/review 🙂

Ricki

I’ve listened to half of The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, and I love it! It is a remarkable book that offers many opportunities for classroom discussion!

I am still really enjoying Gem and Dixie by Sara Zarr. It is a great story about the dynamic between sisters, and I suspect there is much more to come.

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read for the First Time in 2016

Wednesday: Mean Machines: Supercars by Kane Miller Books

Thursday: Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young

Friday: Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder

 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

We took last week off for the ALAN workshop and to spend time with our family. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

 Last Two Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Anyone who has gone to a conference knows that they go from sun up to sun down and doesn’t leave much time for extracurriculars such as reading; however, I did get a couple in since our last IMWAYR post.

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox is a perfect combination of Frankenstein and Hansel and Gretel historically placed during WWII with a Gothic fiction feel. I loved listening to it, and I cannot wait to discuss it with my Mock Newbery Book Club.

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas really feeds into my love for true crime, and I can tell that Kara Thomas is a fan of true crime as well! I was lucky enough to eat dinner with Kara, and we discussed Serial and Making a Murderer and we offered recommendations to each other. I knew that this was going to be the first book I read after the conference.

Ricki

I am glad to be back!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

Because of Kara Thomas reopening my need for true crime podcasts and documentaries, so I am going to take an audio book break and listen to some podcasts (and watch some Netflix documentaries).

I began reading Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young which is a quite mature look at sixth grade with a protagonist who is trying to find her place.

Ricki

I’ve listened to half of The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, and I love it! I look forward to sharing more with you soon. I like how this book is much more political than Everything, Everything. They are so different, which shows Yoon’s great talent.

I am really enjoying Gem and Dixie by Sara Zarr. I’m only about 50 pages into it, and I can’t wait to read more! It is a great story about the dynamic between sisters.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Kellee’s 2016 NCTE and ALAN Experience

Thursday: Ricki’s 2016 NCTE and ALAN Experience

 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