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 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

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
Amanda S.
FOR WINNING A COPY OF BUSY BUILDERS, BUSY WEEK!

Interested in being a Cybils judge? Visit the Call for Judges Post!!!! 

Last Week’s Posts

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

   

Tuesday: Back to School Picture Books

Wednesday: Pirasaurs! by Josh Funk

Thursday: #MustReadin2016 Fall Update

Friday: Risking Exposure by Jeanne Moran

Sunday: Author Guest Post! by Martellus Bennett, Author of Hey A.J., It’s Saturday

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Olivia Decoded is the second book in the Olivia Twisted series, and I read it in one sitting! I am so glad that we get to take part in the blog tour for the book–look forward my review later this month!

Insignia is the first faculty book club choice of the year, and it is also one of our Sunshine State Books. It is a pretty epic story that takes place during World War III that is taking place in space!

This book was a pretty great premise, and it kept me reading and reading. And man! The ending was so good, but definitely a cliffhanger that made me grab the sequel right away!

I can definitely tell why this book inspired Ricki to want to look more into the erasures of identity in literature which is the topic of our NCTE presentation.

Trent finally wants to read Elephant and Piggie books! I love them, and I am so glad that he is finally interested in them. I bought 9 of them, and I hope to get them all! My favorite memory from this week was reading We Are In a Book and when Piggie says BANANA and laughs, Trent LOST IT!

Ricki

It turns out preparing for a new baby (25 days left!) and moving your toddler to a new room take up a lot of time. I am sorry I am falling behind a bit!

I finished Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai. This is a wonderful, wonderful book. I plan to use it in a future research project, and I am really looking forward to seeing how students respond to it. There are so many things to discuss with regards to this book, so it is a great classroom text.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

Like I said above, I picked up the sequel of All Fall Down as soon as I was done! I am so excited to listen to the sequel!

I was so thankful to get approved for some graphic novels from Netgalley, so I plan on reading them. Then I am going to either pick up something for review or for NCTE/ALAN. We’ll see where the week goes!

Ricki 

It is a another week that I haven’t made progress in John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me, and it is most certainly NOT because it isn’t an excellent text. I am hoping to read and finish it this week.

I read another big chunk of Jo Knowles’ See You at Harry’s last night, and I still love it. With my giant baby in my belly (yes, he is giant, apparently), I can’t help but be really exhausted at the end of each night. I know I would be done with this book if it weren’t for the baby. It is excellent.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

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!

 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 that Have Been on our TBR Shelf Since Before we Started Blogging

Wednesday: National Geographic’s Real or Fake

Thursday: Dear Dragon by Josh Funk

Friday: Blog Tour with Author Guest Post, Review, and Giveaway!: Busy Builders, Busy Week! by Jean Reidy
**Giveaway open until Thursday!**

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Courting the Reluctant Writer” by Michele Bacon, Author of Life Before

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

A fun A-Z book focused around wacky science fair experiments and real science. I’ll be reviewing this one because it is a great buy for the classroom.

Wow. I am a huge fan of Jeffers’ work, and this one is one of his best. It is a book that readers will love because it is a love letter to books and reading and imagination and childhood and art and life. I look forward to reading this one to my students and reviewing it.

This is a new favorite graphic novel, and I cannot wait to read the sequel! The setting is perfect–I love the premise that surrounds the Nameless City. I’m also fascinated by the two main characters–two opposites that should be enemies but instead work together.

I love Andrea Beaty’s other two books in this series, so I am so happy to finally get to read Iggy’s story. I love Beaty’s focus on intelligence, creativity, and individuality.

Ricki

It’s been a busy week in my house between attending doctors’ appointments, preparing to teach for the Fall semester (which starts today!), and attending a bunch of events to gear my son up for pre-k. I definitely feel nine months pregnant because I can’t seem to keep my eyes open to read at night. I am in the midst of three incredible books which I share in my next section below. 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

Ricki and I, with our other NCTE presentation member, Wendy, are working on finishing our NCTE presentation on Erasing Identities before my dear friend goes on maternity leave, so More Happy Than Not jumped to the top of my need-to-read list because it is the anchor text for our presentation. What a fascinating premise. We look forward to sharing our presentation to you in November.

I’m still listening to All Fall Down which has gotten to a point where I don’t want to get out of my car or talk to anyone on the phone because that means I have to stop listening. I really like how different this book is (though I don’t like how the cover makes it seem more generic than it is).

After More Happy Than Not, I have to decide if I’m going to read something for the blog or something for NCTE/ALAN. We’ll see next week!

Ricki 

I haven’t made progress in this book this week, but I am really looking forward to getting back to it. John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me is referenced often, and I know it used to be required reading in schools in the 60s. I am halfway through and really enjoy it.

I am also a bit more than halfway through Jo Knowles’ See You at Harry’s, and I love it. Last week, many of you shared that I better buy some tissues. I am prepared! I am very glad I put this on my #mustreadin2016 list!

I started Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai last night. MY GOODNESS. I could not put it down. At one o’clock in the morning, my husband rolled over and said, “It is so bright in here!” So I decided to be a good wife and turn out the light. I will definitely be finished with this book by next week.

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Back to School Picture Books

Wednesday: Pirasaurs! by Josh Funk

Thursday: #MustReadin2016 Fall Update

Friday: Risking Exposure by Jeanne Moran

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 Tuesday: Diverse Books I Wish More People Would Read to Build Understanding and Empathy

Wednesday: National Geographic’s 125 Wacky Roadside Attractions

Thursday: Selfies in the Wild by C.L. Murphy

Friday: The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “How an Author Deals with Not Writing Something New” by Jordan Elizabeth, Author of The Escape from Witchwood Hollow

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

This was a much better week for me. I think part of it was that the kids are there, so I feel like all of the work has a purpose. Also, I must be getting used to my schedule because I’m finding time to read.

The new Jedi Academy book is a great addition to the series. Though it is a companion and done by a different author (Jarrett Krosoczka vs. Jeffrey Brown) the feeling and humor of the original series is there yet it still has its own personality. This book will definitely not last long on the shelves!

I then read a very special present I received from a very special author. Oh guys, Pirasaurs! is as good as you think it’ll be. If you don’t have an opinion, check out our preview post, and you’ll predict that it is good–and it is! Preorder this one! (Review closer to its publication date.)

Upside Down Magic: Stick and Stones by the brilliant E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski is just as good as the first and will leave you excited for a third. I love this cast of characters, and I couldn’t help already talking about this one in class because I think it has such middle school relevance.

The Curse of the Were-Hyena by Bruce Hale is the first in a new series that takes place in a town where monsters run amok. The premise reminds me a bit of Bailey School Kids, but these are for a bit older kids, so they’ll make a perfect ladder up. (Review coming soon!)

Fantastic Beasts is worth reading just for the intro and Harry’s notes inside. I actually found the rest of it (classifications of all the magical creatures) a bit dry (it is supposed to be a textbook…), but the intro and Harry’s notes add a bit of fun.

I never know what to recommend to my graphic novel readers after they’ve read all of the Amulet series and all of Doug TenNapel’s books. This is it. HiLo is a book that so many of my kids are going to love. It is going to be passed around just like their other favorite GNs are.

Ricki

My heart feels full after reading Josh Funk’s Pirasaurs! I knew it would be fantastic (as all of his work is), but this exceeded even my highest expectations. This book is going to be an absolute favorite amongst kids. After I finished reading it to my toddler, he said, “AGAIN, PLEASE!” I can’t wait to review this book next week. In case you missed it, you can see our preview post for this great text! Like Kellee, I highly recommend pre-ordering this book!

Continuing with my project to read more Muslim/Islamic literature, I finished I Love I Hate I Miss My Sister by Amélie Sarn. This is a short book that hit me very hard. It begins with the death of the narrator’s sister, who was a year younger than her. The sisters are high schoolers living in France and share very different religious values. I won’t say more, but the story sent me reeling.

I simply adored this book (Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm). I know many of my fellow bloggers have raved about it, and I can see why. It is set in the mid-1970s, and the illustrations and dialogue are very, very funny, despite the heavy plot line that lingers in the background. This is a great text for classrooms. I am very happy it was on my #mustreadin2016 list!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

In my quest to read all of our SSYRA 6-8 books (our state reading list), I began listening to All Fall Down by Ally Carter. So far, I am still in the expedition, but I like Grace’s voice and guts, so I have a feeling I am going to like it.

I plan on reading some graphic novels this week because I have them in my house, and I want to get them into students’ hands, but I also plan on reading Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk which looks like The Spiderwick Chronicles (I’ll let you know!).

I also keep promising my friend that I’ll read Story Thieves, so I plan on picking it up before I move on to start reading my books for my NCTE and ALAN presentations and panels.

Ricki 

I always see John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me referenced, and I know it used to be required reading in schools in the 60s. I am reading it right now and finding it to be very, very interesting.

I am halfway through Jo Knowles’ See You at Harry’s, and I love it. I am very glad I put this on my #mustreadin2016 list! I can see why everyone raved about it!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Ten Books that Have Been on our TBR Shelf Since Before we Started Blogging

Wednesday: National Geographic’s Real or Fake

Thursday: Dear Dragon by Josh Funk

Friday: Blog Tour with Author Guest Post, Review, and Giveaway!: Busy Builders, Busy Week!by Jean Reidy

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!

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