IMWAYR

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

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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 to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I have decided that since I am having trouble reading for a long period of time, I decided to boost up my reading confidence by reading a bunch of really phenomenal picture books: Flying Solo by Julie Cummins, Plastic, Ahoy! by Patricia Newman, The Tree Lady by Joseph H. Hopkins, Marvin Makes Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Who Says Woman Can’t Be Doctors? by Kathleen Krull, Little Red Writing by Joan Holub, Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon, Weeds Find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliot, Parrots over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth, Nelson Madela by Kadir Nelson, and Locomotive by Brian Floca. All really, really, really good books! I did read more of Far Far Away by Tom McNeal and am getting into it, but it is still going slowly. I’ll finish soon though!!

Ricki: This week, I read Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education by Nel Noddings. I have always heard of Nel Noddings (a major educational theorist), so I wanted to try reading one of her books. It definitely made me look at caring in a different way. She helps the reader interpret different situations. For example, if I set out bird feeders, it means I care about the birds. But if my neighbor declaws her cat, does she care more? (I simplified this idea a bit from her text, but I wanted to give viewers a taste of the book without making this post too long!) I also read a wonderful nonfiction picture book to my son called Weeds Find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliot. It made me look at weeds in a different way. I am sorry for swearing at you, crabgrass between my bricks! 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I still have lots of picture books to read and I cannot wait! I’ll also keep reading Far Far Away and hope to get even further into it (maybe even finish it!). I am just happy to have reading in my routine again even if it is just in small spurts. [We’ll see how long that lasts, though. I am due in 11 days!!! AH!!!]

Ricki: This week, I definitely plan to finish The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. My schoolwork has gotten a bit in the way. I only read it during my baby’s night feedings, which are getting shorter and less frequent. Horray! I am also starting Cultural Literacy: What Every America Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch. It is another professional development/theory book that will (hopefully) give me another perspective on teaching!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 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 hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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 to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This, as a reading week, was quite a failure. I read Far, Far Away a bit when I was at the doctor’s office on Tuesday, but that is it. I am finding that once again, like at the beginning of pregnancy, these final weeks take a lot of sleeping (though it is not great sleeping, 10 hours of not great sleeping is what I need I guess). I wanted to get a lot of reading done in these final weeks before Baby Boy Moye graces us with his presence (I am on the countdown! Due date is 2/21 or 2/22/14), but it is not going that way. Hopefully this week will be better, but no promises!

Ricki: I read a lot of great picture books with Henry this week. We went to the library for the first time! All of my books this week are picture books. We started with a children’s book of Walden (Henry’s namesake is Thoreau). This version was by Lowe. To be honest, I didn’t think the classic made for a great children’s book. Some of the books I LOVED this week were: How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen, and Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae. Other books I enjoyed reading were Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, You Be You by Linda Kranz, Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson, and The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. The only book I didn’t enjoy very much was R. Robot Saves Lunch by Nicholas R. Kuszyk. I love robots, but this one left me with wanting more.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I hope to get to reading more of Far, Far Away. I really like the author’s style so far and the idea behind it is very clever. Also, I hope to get more of Courage Has No Color listened to. I also have a PILE of picture books I wanted to read and blog about before the baby comes–here’s hoping I can fit that in this week as well.  We’ll just have to see how it goes!!!

Ricki: This week, Henry and I will be heading back to the library for more books. Does anyone have any favorites you can suggest? It is a small library, but I hope to grab some good ones. I also want to finish Caring by Nel Noddings and The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. I am loving LHA’s book. It makes waking up in the middle of the night much more enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong, I love feeding my little one, but I don’t think anything could make me want to wake up at 3am—even chocolate cake. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 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 hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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 to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Mostly this week I have been working on a graphic novel project and have reread a bunch of graphic novels (including a new reading of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad & Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood) and it has just reminded me how much I really enjoy graphic novels.  I also read Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan and was quite impressed with the format of this novel–very unique and clever.

Ricki: I had a great reading week! I divided them into categories below!

Professional Development: I finished Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. It was dense, but a historically important book that is still applicable today. I’ve always wanted to read Freire, so I was glad to get this one under my belt.
YA: I finished Winger by Andrew Smith. With each page, I loved this book more and more. By the end, I couldn’t put it down!
Children’s Books: I read two classics to my son: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina and Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. My friend just sent me You Mean the World to Me by Bayne Gibby. I think every mother will appreciate this beautiful book. I read Billy Crystal’s I Already Know I Love You. I wasn’t in love with it, but it was a nice book. Lastly, I read an AWESOME book that many of you probably know about (and I missed!): Press Here by Hervé Tullet. My two-month-old cannot follow the instructions of this text (pressing, wiggling, shaking, etc.) but I cannot WAIT until he is old enough to play with this interactive text. What a gem! This is going to be my go-to book to give to friends who are having babies. 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening to Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone. I didn’t get very much read as I car pooled a lot this week (and it was a short week), but I hope to finish this week as I am not car pooling 3 days. I also plan on reading Far Far Away by Tom McNeal which has received really wonderful reviews.

Ricki: This week, I want to read Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education by Nel Noddings, a professional development text I have heard referenced quite often. I also want to read The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Of course, I will select some children’s books to read to my son, too!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 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 hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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 to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I finished two books this week and they both were 5 star reads–I love weeks like that! First, I finished listening to Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I found this book to be more along the line of his Coraline and other children’s books than his adult books and I adored the magical world he made. I will also say that I am biased a bit, because I listened to the audiobook and I love listening to Gaiman (who narrated).  The other book I read I may have liked even more; I cannot stop raving about it–Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil. It is such a good book and I cannot believe that this book hasn’t been talked about more and that I hadn’t heard about it until recently.  I plan on reviewing it soon for you all.

Ricki: This week, I dipped into the classic children’s books. I read The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I enjoyed rereading these, as I haven’t read them since I was a child. I felt compelled to research Dr. Seuss’s life a bit more because I was so impressed by his language. I also read On the Night You Were Born  by Nancy Tillman and Where the Deep Ones Are by Kenneth Hite. Both were enjoyable, but I liked the classics more.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am quite excited about both of the books I am starting. First, I am going to start listening to Courage Has No Color this week. As always, since I am car pooling, it will take a bit to finish, but I know I am going to enjoy it. I also started Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. If it is anywhere as good as the other books I’ve read of his, I know it is going to be fantastic.

Ricki: This week, I will definitely finish Winger by Andrew Smith. I am at a REALLY good part. It makes me look forward to my nursing sessions. I also hope to finish Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. This one is good, but very dense! Has anyone else read it?

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 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 hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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 to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I finished Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole which, unfortunately, took me all week to finish it.  It was overall a good book, but I just had trouble connecting to the protagonist until about half way through… then it was smooth sailing. I did finish it Saturday, but because of going to be early and waking up early to see my husband finish his first marathon (actually he did the Dopey Challenge this weekend! 48.6 miles in 4 days!), I haven’t started another book yet.

Ricki: Last week, I read seven books. This week, I read zero. Yes, ZERO! I am so embarrassed. My excuse: Henry’s colic has gotten increasingly worse. We have been dealing with a child who screams from 8pm to midnight. The hours before and after that, he fusses. My life balance is all a mess! To be fair, my husband and I reread The Little Engine that Could to him last night, but I included that book in a past week’s post. We also read a book about cars, but it wasn’t memorable enough for me to remember the title. I have also read about fifty more pages in Winger by Andrew Smith. But books completed? None. 

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening to Ocean at the End of the Lane. I am carpooling again (3 days this week), but I am listening whenever I am alone. I am almost finished with disc 4 (out of 5), so I should finish it soon. I plan to start Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil tonight and finish it this week. I then plan on reading Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. 

Ricki: This week, I would love to finish Winger by Andrew Smith. I read a few pages to Henry (and even read the swears–I figure it is safe, as he is only 6 weeks old). I also plan to read some of Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire for school. I’d love to finish two or three picture books too, if Henry is willing to listen. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 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 hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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 to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Happy new year!! I read two very different yet very good novels this week and I definitely recommend them both. First was Period 8 by Chris Crutcher which is… well, a Chris Crutcher novel! They are always winners. I’ll be reviewing it here for you later. Next, I read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein which was a middle grade novel paying homage to Willy Wonka with so many book allusions throughout. It was such a fun book! I actually am not planning on reviewing it because I read it in bed in one sitting, so I didn’t take any review notes on it—oops!

Ricki: This week, I took it back a few decades and read Experience & Education by John Dewey. This book was published in 1938, but boy was John Dewey on the mark. He was ahead of his time in his progressive thoughts, and I can understand why scholars always refer to his writings. I also read the YA book, The Living by Matt de la Peña. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the sequel. I will read anything by this man. He is such an incredible writer. This book was much different from his other works, and I think students who love action-packed books like The Maze Runner by James Dashner will love it. The children’s books I read to Henry this week are: Boy and Bot by Ame Dyckman, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (sobbed through this one), Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (nice illustrations and photography), Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson, and Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle (this one was adorable). 

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I just started Sometimes Always, Sometimes Never by Elissa Janine Hoole yesterday, but did not get very far–we’ll see! After Sometimes Always, I’ll be reading Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil. I also will continue Ocean at the End of the Lane tomorrow when I go back to driving to work.

Ricki: This week, I am starting Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Friere as part of my independent study for my doctoral degree. I am trying to read books by all of the big names in education. I also plan to read Winger by Andrew Smith while nursing. Additionally, I will be reading as many children’s books as I can to Henry each night. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 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 hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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 to view the post**

 

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I was doing so well with Winter Break #bookaday and then Christmas happened! It is so hard to just excuse yourself from all of the family fun to go read and with people from out of town visiting, it was even harder. With that being said, I did read 5 books over this week.

The first 4 were graphic novels: Romeo and Juliet by Gareth Hinds, The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown, Bluffton by Matt Phelan, and Lost Boy by Greg Ruth. They were all VERY different yet I enjoyed them all in a different way. I’ll be reviewing Dust Bowl and Romeo later in the winter.

The 5th book I read was Fangirl  by Rainbow Rowell and OMG! I read it all in one sitting and I loved every second of it! If you have been following my pregnancy reading at all, you know that sitting down and reading a novel in one sitting has been something that has become hard for me, so I was so proud of finishing Fangirl in one night!

Ricki: This week, I finished The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher. This was quite different from her other book, Stolen. It is a mystery/thriller, and I really enjoyed the way she depicted the setting. I also read several books to baby Henry. We started with a few classics: The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper, Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle (I loved this board book—the see-through sections are beautiful!) and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. Then, we read some new picture books that were both fantastic! Both were based on true stories. The Man with the Violin is based on a true story and has a wonderful lesson for children (and adults)—to stop and admire the beauty in the world. We also finished On the Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne. This was really fun. I can’t wait to read it to Henry when he is older. I love how it teaches children to be curious.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening to Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane, but I am not getting much reading done during the break without the commute. I love what I’ve read so far, but I don’t know how much I’ll get read this week either. I also started reading You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle and thus far I am really connect with the narrator and I look forward to reading more of it.

Ricki: I am almost finished with The Living by Matt de la Peña. The only reason I haven’t finished it is because I have it in actual book form, and I can only read e-books while nursing. It is very, very good. I am losing some sleep over it because I read it when I should really be sleeping. I also downloaded Winger by Andrew Smith on my Kindle. So far, I am loving it. It is reminding me a bit of John Green’s Looking for Alaska so far.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

  

 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