It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/2/21

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Kingdom of Secrets by Christyne Morrell

Thursday: Long Distance by Whitney Gardner

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Princesses Wear Pants by Savannah Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim, Illustrated by Eva Byrne

Sunday: Student Voices: Recommended Mangas by Sabrina Kayat and Lisa Wojciechowski, 9th Graders

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

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Kellee

  • Slay by Brittney Morris: I am so glad I put this book on my must read in 2021 list! I don’t even know how to put into words my feelings throughout this book, but I will try. First, the representation of multiple points of view of Blackness and uplifting of all Black people was everything. Also, I was blown away by the fully-developed Slay game Morris created, complete with rules, cards, design… everything! I also found the inclusion of microaggressions by white friends super important because they need to be shown in narratives to help remediate them. And I was quite shocked by the surprise about 75% of the way in when the book definitely shifts. Overall, I can just say that I highly recommend this book!
  • AstroNuts Mission 3: The Perfect Planet by Jon Sciezska, Illustrated by Steven Weinberg: What a wonderful (I’m assuming) conclusion to the series! If you don’t have the first two and aren’t getting them into kids’ hands, please fix that. The series is funny and informative–a perfect mix! Then when this one comes out in September, grab it too.
  • Juan Hormiga by Gustavo Roldán, Translated by Robert Croll: I’m reviewing this book this week!
  • With Trent:
    • Little Fox by Edward van de Vendel: This was a beautiful book. I mean, wow beautiful. The prose was lyrical and fluid and was filled with imagery. The illustrations were a brilliant mixture of photographs and hand-drawn illustrations in different mediums. And on top of that, the story was quite fun and engaging. I am just a big fan!
    • Dragon Post and Santa Post by Emma Yarlett: Emma Yartlett is one of our favorite picture book authors. She is so inventive and funny and this series is no different. If you have not read anything by her, I highly recommend picking up this series or her Nibble series.
    • I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 by Lauren Tarshis: Trent says this is his favorite so far, and I can see why: action-packed and full of suspense.
    • Out by Arree Chung: A mostly wordless picture book that is fun to discuss because of the multiple ways OUT is used and the use of the illustrations in telling the story.
    • Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever by Julie Falatko: Reading this made me realize that I hadn’t read any Snappsy books before, and now I am mad at myself for missing out for so long! I can’t wait to read the first one to get to know the characters better, but we still thoroughly enjoyed the second one where we learn that things are really better with friends.

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2021 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am with a lot of children, and I’ve really been rocking the picture book reading. Maybe: A Story about the Endless Potential in All of Us by Kobi Yamada really hit me. It won the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, and it is very well-deserving. I can’t believe I missed this book!

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Kellee

I’m back to school this week, so my reading will probably slow down in general, but hopefully we’ll get back in a good rhythm with family reading time and bedtime reading again, so maybe it will even out!

Reading: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Reading during family reading time: Check Please: Book 2 Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu

Listening: Unicorn Rescue Society: The Secret of the Himalayas by Adam Gidwitz & Hena Khan

Trent and I listening to: I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 by Lauren Tarshis

Ricki

I’ve been reading a lot about communities of practice, so it is no surprised that Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity by Etienne Wenger is my current read. I am thinking about the ways in which to apply it to my practice as an educator.

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Tuesday: Juan Hormiga by Gustavo Roldán, Translated by Robert Croll

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Using Anthologies to Teach Writing” by Rochelle Melander, Author of Mightier than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World Through Writing

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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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Student Voices: “Recommended Mangas” by Sabrina Kayat and Lisa Wojciechowski, 9th Graders

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“Recommended Mangas”
by Sabrina Kayat and Lisa Wojciechowski, rising 9th Graders and Kellee’s students 2020-2021 & 2018-2020 respectively

Spy Family by Tatsuya Endo
Recommended manga series by Sabrina

Preview: Spy family is about a master spy that goes by the name Twilight. When it comes to the dangerous missions he is assigned to, he always gets the job done. Him being a master of disguise, he wants to make the world a better place. When he finishes up his current mission, he gets a particular job that requires him to find a spouse and a kid, he just might have hit a dead end. When he does procure both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school, he has yet to know the child he adopted is a telepath and his wife is an assassin.

Review: Having read the first volume of this manga, I can honestly say that this is a must read. This manga has a lot of dramatic irony, and uses it to make a hilarious story. Each character in this story (the spy, the assassin, and the telepath), all complement each other very well. When one character might be lacking in an area, another steps up and aids them. This story also has a lot of family themes and action. Overall, I recommend this manga to older teens.

Demon Slayer by Koyoharu Gotouge
Recommended manga series by Sabrina

Preview: Demon Slayer is about Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who regularly goes to a local village to sell coal and make money for his family. One day, he heads out to the village, where his life takes a turn for the worse. At his home, a demon killed his whole family, in the process turning his little sister Nezuko into a demon. Tanjiro decided he would do whatever it takes to turn his sister back to a human, and get revenge on the demon.

Review: Though I have not read the whole series, I recommend this manga to teens. This series has a straightforward story, and the artstyle is amazing. The characters are excellent, each having an interesting story and are likeable in their own ways. In the beginning, I had a hard time getting into it, but eventually it really picks up. All in all, I recommend this series.

Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Recommended manga series by Lisa

Preview: Naruto is about a kid named Naruto who is in the Ninja Academy and is really struggling. He wants to be the leader of his village called a Hokage but there may be more to his destiny than that.

Review: The Naruto manga has some really great moments and is a great addition to the fandom. You don’t need to watch the anime to read the books which is also good. The dialogue is very fun, and the designs are really good for the most part. There’s not one time where I asked myself what was going on in the book; everything is very clear and well described.

Thank you so much, Sabrina & Lisa, for the recommendations!! As my Unleashing Readers readers and students know, I have been trying to get some good manga reading in, so I appreciate knowing which to move to the top of my to be read list!