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

 

Tuesday: Books that Were Honored at the ALA Youth Media Awards that We Want to Read

Wednesday: Mock Sibert Book Club

Thursday: Lexiles and Reading Levels: Just Say No.

Friday: The Perfect Tree by Chloe Bonfield

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I finished Rescued by Eliot Schrefer this week!! Oh, you need to preorder this one! Although it is very different than the first two in the Ape Quartet series, it is just as powerful. I am a sucker for ape books and for Schrefer’s writing, but with the first two being National Book Award finalists, I am not alone.

I also read Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood from Sports Legends by David Stabler for Wednesday’s review. It has big ideas such as overcoming adversity, trying your best, and standing up to bullies. It was great to read stories of so many athletes as kids.

Trent has been pretty stuck on two books this week (Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter and his play-a-sound Disney book); however, he has been picked up more and more books independently and begun “reading” to himself. He specifically loves his two truck picture encyclopedias.

Ricki: I went on a bit of a picture book binge this week because I’ve been hanging with K-6 teachers. I absolutely recommend The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein. I missed this book because I wasn’t avidly reading children’s literature in 2003, and I am really glad someone recommended it to me. This is a fabulous story that is very well-written. I finally read Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate. This is a wonderful picture book that pairs well with her novel (which I LOVE). I also read Uncle Andy’s: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol by James Warhola. I loved the illustrations and enjoyed learning more about Andy Warhol. I didn’t love the writing, but the content and artwork made up for this concern. 

Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book by Shel Silverstein is a bizarre, adult picture book. It made me laugh, but I admit it disturbed me a bit. The White Book: A Minibombo Book by Silvia Borando was adorable, and if I hadn’t read books like it, I think I would have been even more impressed. I suspect many people will enjoy this book very much. Lastly, I read The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster. Grandparents will enjoy reading this book to their grandchildren.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have a few novels to read for reviews coming up, so I plan on reading them this week. I also have a pile of picture books I want to tackle–we’ll see what I get to! I am trying to limit my TV to ensure I don’t have a week like the one I had a couple of weeks ago!

Ricki: Besides picture books, I read a lot of articles this week, so I didn’t get a chance to continue The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. I think I’m going to get an overdue notice because it is one of those 14-day-only books from the library…and it is due tomorrow. I need to get cracking!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

 

Tuesday: Top Historical Settings We Love

Wednesday: Kid Athletes: by David Stabler

Thursday: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Friday: Unleash Your (and your students’) Inner Reader

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Cross Curricular Integration of Climate Change Education Using Middle Grade Fiction” by Michael J. Bowler, Author of Warrior Kids

 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

   

Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For The First Half of 2016

Wednesday: From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Ten: 2015 Fiction Titles

Thursday: The House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle

Friday: Bella’s Best of All by Jamie Harper

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I will tell you that Making a Murderer on Netflix is not a friend to reading. It is so addictive. It fascinates me just as Serial did; however, Serial could be listened to in the car while Making a Murderer is during my prime reading time (nighttime). I am only 4 episodes in, too, and it has already taken away a big chunk of reading time on 4 days!

I did have a chance to read Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo, which is brilliant and you should preorder it!, but after finishing it, I haven’t even picked up the next book even though I am really looking forward to reading it. And all because of a TV show. I have no excuses.

I did attend my first Ed Camp on Saturday, and I cannot stop raving about it! It is like crowd-sourcing professional development. I loved that the PD was on the fly and participant chosen and so interactive. I ended up presenting about how teachers can become voracious readers and inspire their students to become one as well. It was completely impromptu, but I think it went really well.

With Trent, we did add a couple new picture books to our rotation. First, Trent has become a little obsessed with Disney, so we have a Disney short story anthology with sounds that he wants us to read to him all the time. He also pulled Friends by Eric Carle off the shelf and had me read it to him 6 times in one sitting! Finally, we are working our way through two five-minute story books: Five Minute Marvel Stories and Start Your Engines 5-Minute Stories.

Ricki: This week, I read and loved Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. What a fascinating book that got me thinking! I am going to be recommending this one a lot, and I am glad that so many folks at NCTE told me to read it. Henry and I read a lot of great picture books this week, and I forgot to snag them out of his room to write this post, and he is asleep right now! He really enjoyed the I Want to Be books by Ruby Brown. I love that these books teach him that he can be anything that he wants to be—and the illustrations are fantastic!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am going to start Rescued by Eliot Schrefer! I already told Jim that I need to go back to our better balance of TV and reading, but I have a feeling that I’ll need to finish the series first. But I do plan on finishing it and Kiki & Jacques by Susan Ross this upcoming week. 

It is Celebrate Literacy, Florida! week which is a pretty exciting time for me at my school. It is the week that the whole school focuses on literacy, so I love it! Today is literacy day where all students in language arts all day are going to be reading (or reading & discussing). I’m also starting a “Most Popular Book at HCMS” poll today by accepting nominations–I’ll let you know what wins. We are also having a student-created book mark competition in the media center. All week our morning announcements will feature some of my students’ book trailers. Wednesday morning we’re doing a Breakfast Book Swap where students who come will be treated to breakfast and then be able to swap books.  There is also a door decorating contest that will be judged on Thursday. The doors must be creative, student-made, and focusing on literacy. Finally, we are doing a book drive for the organization Books for Africa which sends books to schools and libraries in rural Africa.

Ricki: I am still reading and enjoying The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. I am halfway through my instruction of an intensive, two-week course that students take before student teaching. This has really put a damper on my reading, so I look forward to getting back on track!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Books that Were Honored at the ALA Youth Media Awards that We Want to Read

Wednesday: Mock Sibert Book Club

Thursday: Lexiles and Reading Levels: Just Say No.

Friday: The Perfect Tree by Chloe Bonfield

 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

 

Tuesday: 2015 Releases We Meant to Get to But Didn’t

Wednesday: From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Nine: More Nonfiction 2015 Titles

Thursday: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Friday: Dewey Bob by Judy Schachner

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I finished both of the books I planned on reading this week–yay! Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton was everything that Carrie promised me that it would be. It is a story about identity and friendship and differences and prejudice and family and customs and changes. So well done. I also finished Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys which did not disappoint. First, did you know that it was a companion to Between Shades of Gray?!?!?! I didn’t! And I’m not going to give away how they are 🙂 Ruta Sepetys continued doing what she does best–giving voices, faces, and story to history. Trent and I also read Pug in a Truck this week which was the first story in a 5-minute story collection with stories all featuring vehicles. I can see Trent really liking this story in the future because it teaches trucker vocabulary.

Ricki: This week, I finished Rules by Cynthia Lord. This is a wonderful book, and I am so glad so many people still reference it, years after its publication. My son and I also enjoyed Counting Lions: Portraits from the Wild by Katie Cotton. The drawings are stunning! We also enjoyed a few commonly banned books in preparation for my banned books lesson: Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron and In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am SO excited to start Rescued by Eliot Schrefer!!! After Rescued, I have a nonfiction biography anthology about athletes called Kid Athletes by David Stabler to read then Kiki and Jacques by Susan Ross. After those, I think I’ll tackle another book on my #mustread list.

Ricki: I just started Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. It is fabulous. I am really enjoying reading it. After it is finished, I am excited to start The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. I saw it in the library and couldn’t say no!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Early 2016 Releases we’re excited for

Wednesday: From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Ten: 2015 Fiction Titles

Thursday: The House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle

Friday: Bella’s Best of All by Jamie Harper

 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

 

Tuesday: #MustReadin2016 Lists Revealed

Wednesday: From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Eight: 2015 Nonfiction Books

Thursday: Bowls of Happiness by Brian Tse

Friday: Review and Author Q&A: Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I thought all weekend on how to make my week of reading sound better than it was, but then I realized there’s no point. I didn’t read this week. Well, I did, but not enough to finish anything. Or even say that I’m “into” a book. Sad, but true. I’ve been working on NCTE proposals and then Jim had his marathon weekend and then Trent was sick again, and here I am with no books read. Hopefully this upcoming week is better reading-wise! I’ll be home a couple of days with Trent, so hopefully I can read during nap.

Ricki: This week, I read House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle. What a beautiful story! I thought it was YA, but then I learned that it is an adult book that is also marketed to YA. I feel like Tim Tingle’s writing is like Sherman Alexie met John Steinbeck. Tingle beautifully develops character and interweaves a variety of plots in a way that is quite masterful. The book is quiet and loud at the same time.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started two books that I am so excited to read! First, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys! I hope to finish it this week though that won’t be enough time to review it with Ricki on Thursday, but it’ll be my first #mustread title for 2016 🙁 I also started Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton. Carrie Gelson recommended this one and it is on my #mustread lit. After these, I have some books to read for the blog that I am looking forward to.

Ricki: I’ve been listening to Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith. I made the mistake of downloading this one on Audible. My son is always in the car when I listen to audiobooks, and there are simply too many swears for his 2-year-old ears. So I’ve been listening to it when he isn’t in the car. Anyone who is a mom knows that is not a frequent occurrence! I am also reading several books, but I haven’t gotten far enough in any of them to comment yet. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: 2015 Releases We Meant to Get to But Didn’t

Wednesday: From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Nine: More Nonfiction 2015 titles

Thursday: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Friday: Dewey Bob by Judy Schachner

 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

  

Tuesday: Books Ricki Loved in 2015

Wednesday: Best of 2015 Book Lists

Thursday: #mustread2015 Final Reflection

Friday: Favorite Books Kellee Read in 2015

Happy New Year!

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I completely failed on my winter break book-a-day (though I had started so well), but I definitely had fun-a-day! My sister, who I hadn’t seen since May, was here as was my WHOLE family; we visited Universal & Harry Potter; I took Trent to Sea Life Aquarium and the Orlando Eye; we saw Elmo’s Christmas Show at Sea World; and I just overall spent an entire week being a mom, wife, daughter, and sister. Though not much reading was none, I loved it!

The one book I did finish, and couldn’t put down once I started it!, was Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro. I will be reviewing this on Friday, but it is best described as a completely unique story that will reminds me of Frankenstein, Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, and Emerald Atlas all rolled into one but with its own magical awesomeness.

Ricki: I was on a sprint to tackle more books on my #mustreadin2015 list, and then 2016 hit, and I focused on transcribing my dissertation interviews. I typed for eight hour straight yesterday, and I only finished one interview! Ah! I finished A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, and I plan to tackle much more this week.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: This week we go back to work, so I don’t know how much reading will be done again, but I hope to read Ruta Sepetys’s Salt to the Sea, so I can join Ricki in reviewing it next week. I also have a nonfiction text, Kid Athlete, to read which I’ll pick up after. I didn’t complete my TO DO of going through my room of books, so I am sure when I do I will find even more in there I want to read!

Happy first day back at work to all the teachers returning! I hope it is a wonderful day/week/month/year!

Ricki: I am halfway through Rules by Cynthia Lord, and then I plan to get a kickstart on my #mustreadin2016 list. Yahoo! Happy first day back to work, teacher friends!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: #MustReadin2016 Lists Revealed

Wednesday: From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Eight: 2015 Nonfiction Books

Thursday: Bowls of Happiness by Brian Tse

Friday: Review and Author Q&A: Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro

 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.

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We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the most incredible bloggers we know, Debbie Alvarez. For the last three years, Debbie battled cancer. She never complained, and she continued to be positive, even when she reached setbacks. Debbie was known and loved by many, and she taught us all very much about how we look at the world. Even in her last week while she was in the hospital, she was linking up and commenting on IMWAYR posts and sharing books on her blog and on social media. Debbie’s light has not gone out. Her legacy shines, shines, shines.

We are grateful to know this remarkable woman.

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Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Finding the Line: What is “Good?”

Wednesday: Good vs. Evil: Exploring Morality Through the Holocaust

Thursday: Gender’s Lens: Society’s Views and Expressions of Gender

Friday: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Many “Best of” lists have been coming out recently and when I read School Library Journal‘s “Top 10 Graphic Novels 2015” and Carrie & Alyson’s best of 2015 lists, I realized there were so many I hadn’t read, so I ordered a bunch from my library and I did a lot of 2015 reading this week.

First up were graphic novels. I read The Lunch Witch by Deb Lucke, Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown, Nimona by Noelle Stevenson, Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitty Holy by Noelle Stevenson, and Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson. I can definitely see why all of these graphic novels were on the top ten list because they were all brilliant in their own right. All 4 or 5 stars

Next up were picture books. I read Float by Daniel Miyares, Earmuffs for Everyone! by Meghan McCarthy, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach, My Pen by Christopher Myers, The Skunk by Mac Barnett, Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate, The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein, Water is Water by Miranda Paul, The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski, and Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker. Another set of brilliant titles. I loved all of them and I am so glad I didn’t miss them.

Many of these titles will definitely be on my FAVORITE READS OF 2015 list I’ll be sharing Friday.

Ricki: I’ve been reading like crazy, and I read a few books I’ve always wanted to read! I finished and loved Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polansky. This is a middle grade novel about a boy who has always felt as if he was a girl. I absolutely loved this story. I also (FINALLY) read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. Wow! It reminded me a bit of Stuck in Neutral, but (dare I say) that I think I liked it even more. The book is beautifully written, and I am glad we will be using it with my pre-service K-6 teachers. I think they will love it, too. I read Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. Another WOW book. Now I understand why everyone loves Selznick’s work. I was lost in the story, and it was quite magical.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro this weekend and plan on finishing it soon. I am looking forward to interviewing Greg for the blog and sharing my review and Q&A on January 8th. Then I plan on reading Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, so I can review it with Ricki in early January as well. I don’t think I’ll get any more #mustread2015 books read this week, but I cannot wait to begin tackling my #mustread2016 list!

Ricki: I am trying to knock off as many #mustreadin2015 books as I can. I am hoping to finish A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. I’m moving at a fast pace, so it may be more!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Books Ricki Loved in 2015

Wednesday: Best of 2015 Book Lists

Thursday: #mustread2015 Final Reflection

Friday: Favorite Books Kellee Read in 2015

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

Tuesday: Introduction to Text Sets for Teachers Series

Wednesday: Text Sets for Teachers: Growing Pains: Looking at the Subject of Coming of Age

Thursday: Text Sets for Teachers: What is a Hero?: Exploring the Concept of a Hero

Friday: Text Sets for Teachers: Prejudice: Is It Something We Can Control?

Sunday: Text Sets for Teachers: The Power of Words: Witnessing the Impact of Words

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: So…. this wasn’t as good of a reading week. My life was PACKED this week with holiday parties, Christmas programs, Disney trips, and visiting family, so I just didn’t get as much reading in as I wanted. This week I finished nothing; however, I had a lot of fun with my family 🙂

Ricki: I finished listening to The Martian by Andy Weir. It was okay. I found it to be suspenseful and interesting, but I didn’t love the writing. I think the author is incredibly intelligent, but language isn’t his strongest skill. Overall, I was engaged from the beginning until the end, so I can’t complain. I also finished Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. The topic will connect with many teens, and I felt Simon’s sense of loneliness. I wanted to give him a warm hug. Henry and I read two Candlewick picture books by Bob Graham: A Bus Called Heaven and Let’s Get a Pup! Both were fun, and Henry enjoyed the illustrations. I liked the sense of advocacy in A Bus Called Heaven.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have a pile of graphic novels and picture books that I got from the library based off of recommendations on IMWAYR posts. I cannot wait to tackle the pile during break. My 2nd period and I have a competition going about who can read more–me or one of them, so we’ll see how it goes! I also plan to read The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart, when Michele tells me to :),  Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro, and a few other books for review.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday if you celebrate, and I hope all my teacher friends enjoy the first week of their break!

Ricki: I am reading Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polansky and really enjoying it. It is on my #mustreadin2015 list.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Finding the Line: What is “Good?”

Wednesday: Good vs. Evil: Exploring Morality Through the Holocaust

Thursday: Gender’s Lens: Society’s Views and Expressions of Gender

Friday: Merry Christmas to those 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