Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 07/07/25

July 7, 2025July 7, 2025 by Ricki

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how 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. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

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!

Wednesday: Student Voices: Impact of Author Visits from Leonardo V., Faten I., Mia G.

Kellee

I am taking a bit of a break from IMWAYR during this summer though I will be sharing some amazing Student Voice posts during that time, so please check them out! OH, and please keep linking up, checking out Ricki’s updates when she posts, and commenting on others in the community 📖💙

My next update will be August 11th, and I look forward to sharing what I read during the rest of the summer (because that’ll be the first day back to school for my students 😲!), but you can always you see what books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am running a summer program and will return in August!

Wednesday: Student Voices: Looking At Characters from Favorite Books from Omayma H., Abigail D., Cassie’s W., Ethan S., and Gabriela T.

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

Student Voices: Impact of Author Visits from Leonardo V., Faten I., and Mia G.

July 5, 2025July 2, 2025 by Kellee

Impact of Author Visits

“2023 vs. 2024 vs. 2025 Author Visits” by Leonardo V., 8th grade

As the 2024-2025 school year comes to a close, some of us will be saying our goodbyes as 8th graders will move on to high school and remember all the memories we made in middle school. One of those memories we made were the 3 author visits. They are fun days where we meet an author in person and learn about their books and about themselves! Which one was the best overall though? I will be answering this question with mine and other opinions from around the school!

2023 Author Visit: Christina Diaz Gonzalez

About Author Christina Diaz Gonzalez

The 2023 author visit (2024-2025 8th graders first one) invited Christina Diaz Gonzalez to HCMS. She had the most diverse options for books out of the 3 authors with the most genres. In HCMS, she is most known for the book Invisible and Concealed [We’ve been very lucky because she visited our two-way dual language program in 2022 then we won a] a virtual author visit in 2023 in the 2023-2024 school year [also]! She is also visiting the school again for the 2025-2026 author visit, so the next generation can see our 1st one!

“I think it was very fun and it was a very new experience for me” Valiya T.

2024 Author Visit: Jerry Craft

The Horn Book | Read Jerry Craft's 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Acceptance Speech American Library Association ALA Virtual Book Award Celebration

The 2024 author visit (2024-2025 8th graders second one) invited Jerry Craft to HCMS. He is the author that visited HCMS that got the most awards like the John Newberry medal. In HCMS he is most known for the “New Kid” series. He also made a special appearance in the house meeting after that to play basketball. He does have the least amount of books out of the 3 though.

“It was really fun and I’m really thankful that I got to meet him. Being the really successful author that he is, and all the advice he gave us for the future, it was a great time for me.” Raegen B.

2025 Author Visit: George O’Connor

George O'Connor | Authors | Macmillan

The 2025 author visit (2024-2025 8th graders final one) invited George O’ Connor to HCMS. He has the longest series out of the 3 authors which is called “Olympians” George O’ Connor is also best known for that same series in HCMS. He was the author who explained all of his books in depth and also explained the most about himself and gave a good lesson.

“I liked his visit because I feel like I got to know his background on why he started writing his books in the first place.” Ellie M.

Conclusion

All the author visits has their (mainly) highs and (rarely) lows and have a place in our hearts, and we should thank Ms. Moye for coordinating these! To all the next author visits and beyond!

“The Impact of Author Visits” by Faten I., 7th grade

Sometimes we get so lost in such a good book, but we never look at the magic behind it. We never really pay attention to how the author came up with the idea of the book, what inspired them to start writing, or even what their life was like. Sometimes we don’t even pay attention to the author at all!

But HCMS decided to change that. Every year, we have authors come and visit our school. These authors share their background, what inspired them to start writing, how they came up with the ideas of their books and so much more!

For example, last year (2024) we had Jerry Craft come and visit our school. To prepare for this, everyone and their ELA classes read his book New Kid. We also decorated the library with posters, we decorated the doors, and we displayed art from Mr. Gomez’s (art teacher) class in the front office. When Jerry Craft came some language arts came in and Jerry had a presentation about his past, books, what inspired him to make books, drew some drawings for us, told us about his journey, and even played in our staff vs students basketball game!

This whole experience impacted so many kids and I because we got to see an author talk about his life and what inspires him. We have some very talented artists in our school who took some of his art advice and benefited from him. He also inspired many students by pushing them to read more!

So many students and I were so amazed by the fact that one minute we were reading his book and the next minute he was right in front of us! He really did inspire students a lot especially with his drawings. He taught us so much about books, diversity, he even taught me how to draw a background which actually saved me in art. I loved this experience so much!

This year we had George O’Connor, and I learned SO much! I never really knew anything about Greek mythology, but his presentation and the events, and decorations we had for him taught me so much!

Before George O’Connor came we prepared for him by making and hanging up posters, door decorating, having his books on display, hanging up some of Mr. Gomez’s kid’s artwork, making paper cutouts of characters from some of his books, and we even had an Olympians night where you could play games based on the Greek goddesses, purchase food drinks, and get stamps for each station you complete! I was so glad because this year as a student literacy leader I was able to help with all of this and it was so much fun.

When Gorge O’Connor first came many students including myself knew nothing about Greek Gods or him, but throughout his presentation he shared a lot and taught us a lot. He taught us about his past, his drawing techniques, his school life, how he was when he was a kid, what inspired him to start writing books, and so much about the Greek gods.

This experience was so cool because it taught me and other students that even if we think we can’t do something we always can, you just have to have faith and try. He also taught me and others so much about Greek mythology, and gods and goddesses which we all found so cool. Gorge gave a lot of kids fun memories by signing books and bookmarks for them, talking with them, showing us cool activities, etc.!

Overall I think author visits should continue because they benefit me and many kids in so many ways and have big impacts!

“How Yearly Author Visits Impact Students” by Mia G., 7th grade

Careers

Yearly Author visits are really helpful to students when it comes to choosing careers. Many authors like to introduce careers like publishing, arts, writing, and more which can make a student feel a type of connection with that career. When authors come to schools and talk about their story/background on how they became authors it can motivate students making the idea of becoming an author or another career related to it feel more real to them.

Encourages to Read

Most of the time Author Visits encourage students to start reading by discussing their books, their characters and themes of the book making students feel more interested in their books. This motivates students to start reading more not only specific author books but similar books from different authors or by discovering which genres they like. Authors also let students ask questions which makes them more interested in reading.

Understanding the process of writing

Authors often share their process like everything they have had to go through to be where they are right now; they share their success and the challenges they have gone through over the years. This can make the students learn to understand the process of writing and make them clearly understand that everything takes time.

Participation

Authors often let students ask questions out loud and tell them their thoughts, questions or opinions. This activity helps students to communicate in front of a lot or a group of people making them more confident in speaking out loud

Conclusion

In conclusion, Yearly author visits benefit students in many good ways which can have a big impact on them!

Thank you so much to my student voices today and their look at our yearly author visits!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/30/25

July 5, 2025June 30, 2025 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

Happy reading!

Thursday: Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Bletchley Riddle by Rita Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “What Would It Take to Love a Snake” by Sunya Mara, Author of Embrace the Serpent

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

Kellee

Ricki

This is my week off; I’ll update you all next week.

Wednesday: Student Voices: Impact of Author Visits from Leonardo V., Faten I., and Mia G.

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Author Guest Post: “What Would It Take to Love a Snake” by Sunya Mara, Author of Embrace the Serpent

June 29, 2025 by Kellee

“What Would It Take to Love a Snake”

.I’ve always been afraid of snakes. They give me the primordial heebie-jeebies—a fear so deep in my blood that I’m sure my ancestors are recoiling, too. But, one day, I saw this king snake in my backyard — an enormous, black-and-white striped, insanely long creature — and for some reason, a little voice in my head said: what would it take to love a snake?

I had been tinkering with this idea of a girl who made magic jewelry, but it was at that moment that Embrace the Serpent really had a spark. Jewels and snakes go together often in fairytales—there are too many examples to name, but I’m particularly fond of “The Snake Prince” and “Muchie-Lal”—and I started wondering why. Why do fairytale serpents have bejeweled palaces? Why does a queen’s ruby necklace turn into a snake, and the snake into a prince? Why does a bride have to embrace a hundred-headed snake for an entire night without letting go, to save her bridegroom? Why do they go together, the things we covet and the things we fear?

One thought kept nagging at me. It’s a simple one: both snakes and jewels are found deep in the earth, hidden from sight.

That idea inspired me. That something could be lurking just beneath your feet—something that could be wonderful, or dangerous. And you can’t know which it is unless you’re brave enough to seek it out, to reach into the dark, the unknown, and take hold of it.

Saphira, the main character in Embrace the Serpent, is a girl who’s so afraid of the world that she lets someone else take the credit for the magical jewelry she makes. But, she doesn’t realize that her work is so extraordinary that powerful people are paying attention, including the Serpent King. That idea, of being afraid to claim your work as your own, and therefore limiting yourself to a cage of your own making—that became the crux of Saphira’s character.

She’s tested when the Serpent King sends his cleverest huntsman to find the best jewelsmith in the world, and he realizes that the unassuming little apprentice is the true genius behind these extraordinary works. Unfortunately, his scrutiny leads others to discover her, and sets of a chain of events that leads to Saphira making a dangerous deal with the Serpent King: she’ll help him, if he’ll give her the means to hide forever.

And that’s where the unlikely romance begins. As they journey together, pretending to be newlyweds, they begin to see each other as more than a means to an end. Both Saphira and the Serpent King have something to hide, and I wanted to capture the feeling of guarded people slowly opening up to each other, and finding that under the fear, there’s something to love.

Who we love shows us who we are. And sometimes who we really are is a surprise to ourselves—in a good way. Sometimes being loved changes the beloved.

That feeling of transformation—of becoming stronger because you have something or someone to be strong for—was the thing I most wanted to explore with this story.

Some of the books and movies that have been a touchstone for this story include Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen—all these have one thing in common, which is that the main character undergoes a radical transformation because they found a reason to be braver in loving someone else. I found those stories powerful, especially in the context of a world that seems increasingly self-centered and fearful.

Fear can be good, because it keeps us alive, but it also can keep us stagnant. You can only be sure no one will hurt you if you’re all alone, that you’ll never say something wrong if you never speak at all, and that nothing horrible can happen to you if you never leave the house—but centering fear seems like such a shame, when there are so many wonderful things to embrace instead.

That, I think, is what Embrace the Serpent is about. It came out of me as an antidote to fear. It reminded me of the power of delight, of choosing to be strong enough to care. I hope that if you choose to give Embrace the Serpent a chance, that Saphira and the Serpent King’s love story will take care of you the way it took care of me.

And, the funny thing is, I still think about that king snake. In a way, it gave me this book, and the adventure of writing it. It changed me for the better, and I’m grateful to it.

And I wonder, what would it take for you to love a snake?

Published June 24th, 2025 by HarperCollins

About the Book: “An exquisite jewel of a book.” —Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

In this sweeping romantic fantasy, a dangerous deal binds a young jeweler’s apprentice to the mysterious Serpent King in a marriage of convenience, thrusting her into a deadly game between the cunning, fearsome ruler and his rebellious huntsman. Perfect for fans of The Wrath & the Dawn and Once Upon a Broken Heart!

The Serpent King is the most eligible bachelor in the land: a monster with dark and terrible magic and the ruler of the last free kingdom. Riches and power await his future bride—but so does a life forever trapped in the games of court.

That fate is eighteen-year-old Saphira’s worst nightmare. Ever since the Empire made her an orphan, she’s found freedom in being invisible. So despite her rare gift for harnessing the magic in gemstones, she lets an unscrupulous jewelsmith take credit for her increasingly sought-after work.

But when the king sends his most clever huntsman to find the best jewelsmith of all, the spotlight lands on Saphira. Faced with choosing between falling into the Empire’s grasp or marrying a monster, she chooses the latter — even if it means getting increasingly caught between her cold, serpentine husband and his cunning, handsome huntsman.

About the Author: Sunya Mara grew up in six different cities across five different states and now calls Los Angeles home. She studied film and business at the University of Southern California and went on to write and illustrate at Kobe Bryant’s Granity Studios. When not telling stories, she spends her time haunting old movie theaters and staring at museum walls.

Thank you, Sunya, for sharing your fear that became power in this post!

Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys

July 5, 2025June 26, 2025 by Ricki

Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select weeks, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Please let me introduce you to this masterpiece of historical fiction, The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Septeys and Steve Sheinkin! This is a two perspective book that takes place in Britain during the Second World War (1940). The two main characters are Lizzie and Jakob, two orphaned siblings. Jakob is older and has already moved away from home and works in “Government Communications”, which really means he is a code breaker in Bletchley Park, deciphering messages from the Germans. On the other hand, Lizzie is still living in their old house in London, being taken care of by a Nanny. This all changes though when her Grandma in Ohio sends her butler to come fetch her and bring her to Cleveland, before the war escalates. Though when the butler takes Lizzie back on a ship to America, she escapes and goes to find her brother, who she hasn’t seen in forever. Once she arrives in Bletchley, she discovers the place is shrouded in mystery, and sets out to explore!

Goodreads Summary

This middle grade historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s death. Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act… Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War II-Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi’s Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother. The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother’s disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues which unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?

My Thoughts

Wow, I must say, The Bletchley Riddle is an amazing book! I found it really interesting to learn about top secret code breaking in England during the Second World War while also being entertained by Lizzie and Jakob’s shenanigans. Over the course of the story, you can see the two siblings growing together and caring about each other, even though Jakob’s protective nature always remains. While Jakob is working on the enigmas, Lizzie is trying to find their mother, who she believes is still alive even though she was proclaimed dead when the Nazis invaded Poland, where she was at the time. With both of the siblings making breakthroughs in their own right, this book is very fun!

On Amazon, this book is recommended for ages 11+ and I agree with that rating.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/23/25

June 23, 2025 by Ricki

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? For readers of all ages

Happy reading!

Wednesday: Student Voices: Benefits of Reading and School Libraries from Annarita A., Leo S., Scarlet-Gray S., Arden W., and Diogo R.

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

Kellee

Ricki

Young Adult

Flamer by Mike Curato is a phenomenal book. I was reading it for the second time, but it is like a punch in the gut every time. I love this book so much.

Adult

I loved Monica Wood’s How to Read a Book. A friend recommended it, and I really enjoyed reading it. Wood does a phenomenal job depicting complex characters that reflect humanity.

Adult Romance

I adored each of these charming romances, which are getting me through the world at this moment. 🙂

Thursday: Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “What Would It Take to Love a Snake” by Sunya Mara, Author of Embrace the Serpent

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Author Guest Post: “Scared Safe: How Horror Literature Can Comfort Young Readers” by Ann Dávila Cardinal, Author of You’ve Awoken Her

June 22, 2025 by Kellee

“Scared Safe: How Horror Literature Can Comfort Young Readers”

When people learn what kind of young adult novels I write, I often get the comment, “Oh, I can’t read horror. I’m too scared!” I always respond with, “Oh, me too! I’m so afraid, I’m medicated!” I usually get a confused look in reply, “But . . .you write horror?”

I know, it doesn’t make a lot of sense at first glance, but I’ve always loved scary stories, even when I was quite young. My three older brothers usually had Creature Features on, a weekly television broadcast of cult horror movies, and my mother was always reading some gothic horror novel or another, so I was right there asking them all my questions, peeking at the screen from between my fingers. Yes, these things gave me nightmares, but no, that didn’t stop me. After many years of being a horror fan, I began my writing career with a young adult novel about the Latine boogeyman entitled Five Midnights. From that point on, I was hooked. After writing in this genre for over ten years and meeting a lot of other writers and readers, I’ve come to realize that a lot of us are like this: these stories scare us too, but we also find comfort from reading, watching, or listening to tales of the macabre. I have a theory why, at least in my own case.

Like many childhoods of that time, mine had its traumas. I was the fifth of five children, with sixteen years between me and my eldest sibling, and for five of my first eight years my father was dying of ALS. As you can imagine with all that was going on for my fairly large family, I often went unnoticed, quietly sitting in the background as my brother George watched Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or listening in on conversations about my father’s disease that were not appropriate for my young years. After my father passed, with only two of us kids left at home, my mother turned to alcohol for comfort. Me? I started buying horror comics, reading about dolls that came alive at night and killed their owners, corpses that rose from the grave to exact revenge. I was drawn to these dark tales because they made my difficult life seem bearable, particularly those that featured kids who, like me, had no autonomy, no voice, but when faced with the most unimaginable horrors they managed to triumph in the end. Weird as it was, those stories made me believe that there was hope, because though my young life sucked, at least there weren’t zombies breaking down the front door of our home. I am clearly not alone in this response; in fact, I came to find that it is supported by studies as well.

In his paper entitled, “Scaring away anxiety: Therapeutic avenues for horror fiction to enhance treatment for anxiety symptoms,” behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner, PhD states, “Horror media may provide a unique avenue for individuals to manage anxiety by offering controlled exposure to fear, opportunities for cognitive engagement, and experiences of mastery over negative emotions.” He goes on to talk about the benefits of “scary play” for juveniles, “Much of human play takes place in the cognitive playground of a fictional world. Through fictional play, people can learn what a particular situation looks like and imagine how they would react and deal with it. As with more physical types of play, cognitive play with fiction can also serve as a rehearsal for negative emotions and how to manage them.” So, horror stories give young readers an opportunity to practice their responses to trauma in a safe and fictional environment.

During a recent interview I was asked how writing horror for teens differs from writing horror for adults. My answer is always the same: hope. When you’re writing for young people, you’re writing for a vulnerable population. You have responsibility toward your readers. With adults, you don’t have to consider audience at all, you just write. And in the case of adult horror, it can be as dark, violent, or disturbing as you’d like. But with young people, I feel that even the darkest stories should end with a certain amount of hope, and, perhaps, agency for the young protagonists. But along the way, the road can be pretty dark: today’s youth can take it.

In any young adult novel, it is partially our job as writers to throw as many roadblocks at our main characters as possible, sometimes in the form of trauma or truly horrific things, because, put simply: conflict makes for a more interesting story. The more conflict, the better. No one wants to read about someone’s perfect life, because I don’t believe anyone actually has one. It would seem empty. I often think about the first time I read the Lord of the Rings. I couldn’t stand the fact that Frodo and Sam continued to encounter unspeakable evil for thousands of pages, and I gnashed my teeth for hours at a time. I was like, “Just let them throw the damn ring into the fire already!” But it kept me turning pages. No one wants to read a version where they’re magically flown to Mount Doom, Frodo doesn’t have an internal battle with evil but rather just tossed it into the lava, middle earth is saved in the first fifteen minutes, and there was much rejoicing. Rather, it is the act of overcoming that elevates a tale to one that we love and reread over and over. And it is these kinds of stories that almost always end with hope.

So, whether or not you are someone who enjoys horror, you will probably encounter a student or other young person who expresses interest in books of the scary persuasion. What I’d like to ask of you, is this: don’t assume about the child is drawn to these kinds of stories because they are receding into darkness, but rather consider that they might be trying to claw their way out of it, and books of this kind help them do just that. Because in the darkness of horror, young readers often find the light they need to face the real world.

I certainly did. And I turned out alright. (Well, more or less. 😉

Published June 17th, 2025 by HarperCollins

About the Book: Fans of You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight and Your Lonely Nights Are Over will love this thrilling YA horror about a string of disappearances and “accidental” drownings in the Hamptons, the changing relationship between two best friends, and their desperate attempt to not be the next victims of a Lovecraftian monster terrorizing the coastline.

Gabi should be thrilled to be visiting his best friend for the summer. But with its mansions, country clubs, and Ruth’s terrible new boyfriend, Frost Thurston, the Hamptons is the last place he wants to be. And then Gabi witnesses a woman being dragged under the ocean by what looks like a tentacle . . .

When no one—not the police or anyone else—seems to care, Gabi starts to wonder if maybe the beachside town’s bad vibes are more real than he thought. As the number of “accidental” deaths begins to climb, the Thurston family name keeps rising to the top. And what’s worse is that all the signs point to something lurking beneath the water—something with a hunger for blood.

Can Gabi figure out how the two are intertwined and put an end to the string of deaths . . . before becoming the water’s next victim?

About the Author: Ann Dávila Cardinal is a writer and part-time bookseller with an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her young adult horror novels include You’ve Awoken Her, Breakup from Hell, and Five Midnights and its sequel, Category Five. Ann lives with her husband in a little house with a creepy basement and is always on the lookout for parts of monstrous creatures floating in the Vermont rivers as Lovecraft wrote about. Visit her online at anndavilacardinal.com.

Thank you, Ann, for sharing the research behind the need for horror!