Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 3/11/19

March 11, 2019 by Kellee

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

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Ricki’s book came out this week!!!!!

Engaging with Multicultural YA Literature in the Secondary Classroom: Critical Approaches for Critical Education

Edited by our very own Ricki Ginsberg and the amazing Wendy J. Glenn

Description: With a focus on fostering democratic, equitable education for young people, Ginsberg and Glenn’s engaging text showcases a wide variety of innovative, critical classroom approaches that extend beyond traditional literary theories commonly used in K-12 and higher education classrooms and provides opportunities to explore young adult (YA) texts in new and essential ways. The chapters pair YA texts with critical practices and perspectives for culturally affirming and sustaining teaching and include resources, suggested titles, and classroom strategies. Following a consistent structure, each chapter provides foundational background on a key critical approach, applies the approach to a focal YA text, and connects the approach to classroom strategies designed to encourage students to think deeply and critically about texts, themselves, and the world. Offering a wealth of innovative pedagogical tools, this comprehensive volume offers opportunities for students and their teachers to explore key and emerging topics, including culture, (dis)ability, ethnicity, gender, immigration, race, sexual orientation, and social class.

Congratulations, Ricki! And I cannot wait to read it!
Love, Kellee ♥

CONGRATULATIONS
Donna M.
for winning the It’s Not Hansel and Gretel giveaway!

Tuesday: Do you teach a YAL course or do you integrate YAL in your classroom? If so, Ricki needs your help!

Thursday: Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles

Friday: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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

Kellee

Wait until I share The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly by Rebecca K.S. Ansari on Friday! Immediately engaging!
Today is our virtual visit with Todd Mitchell, and I am so happy that I was able to read The Secret to Lying before we met up with him. Both of his books that I read were so different yet both so good!
I have now officially read everything that Meg Medina has written. And it is all brilliant!
Tiger Days: A Book of Feelings by M.H. Clark is going to be one that will be used in my parenting. Ricki and I look forward to sharing it soon!

I was so happy to get to these award-winning picture books! They are beautiful and all have one other thing in common: They all made me super emotional!

Upcoming picture books alert!

I actually laughed out loud and tweet about it right away after opening the package with I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt in it! And that was before I even read it. Then I read it. A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Loved it! One of the best counting books I’ve ever read!
Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons is a family story. It is a heritage story. It is a home story. A perfect story of going home and reuniting with family, finding a way to tell the story of your family and home, and the love around all involved.
Alan Bean was an artist and an astronaut. He saw colors and textures with the eye of an artist, so after he visited the moon and saw that photographs didn’t show what he saw the way he saw it, he painted. The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon by Dean Robbins is his true story. I cannot wait to own a finished copy of this one!
I am a Tiger by Karl Newson is the picture book version of Fox the Tiger. Mouse knows he’s a tiger. And then a tiger shows up…
Pig the Stinker is the 7th book in the Pig the Pug series, and Pig is still the same old figurative and literal stinker.
Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey was another laugh out loud book. Brian likes fruit, but his friends just want to bite some bums. But Brian for real loves his fruit, why won’t his friends try some?!

Ricki

Kellee, I adore you. You are so, so sweet! I am really excited that the book is out in the world. It was so much fun to work on it over the last year.

I read Tiger Days: A Book of Feelings by M.H. Clark. My two-year-old LOVES this book, so I’ve read it several times this week. It is a fun book that teaches metaphor and emotions.

I also read Bird Watch by Christie Matheson this week. I loved how this book incorporated bird knowledge and find-and-seek birds within each page. The book is great to teach different types of common birds, counting, and searching for birds that are hiding in nature.

Kellee

Still listening: A Grimm Warning by Chris Colfer
Still reading with Trent: Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey
Reading: ?? We’ll see!

Ricki

I am still enjoying On the Come Up. It’s absolutely fantastic. The only reason I haven’t finished it is the fact that I am not sleeping much. But I plan to finish it very, very soon.

Wednesday: Don’t Mess With Me: The Strange Lives of Venomous Sea Creatures by Paul Erickson

Thursday: Make This! from National Geographic Kids

Friday: Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway!: The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly by Rebecca K.S. Ansari

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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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

March 8, 2019 by Kellee

The Poet X
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Published March 6th, 2018 by HarperTeen

Summary: A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

About the Author: Elizabeth Acevedo is the youngest child and only daughter of Dominican immigrants. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from the George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. With over fourteen years of performance poetry experience, Acevedo is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Cave Canem Fellow, CantoMundo Fellow, and participant of the Callaloo Writer’s Workshop. She has two collections of poetry, Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths (YesYes Books, 2016) and winner of the 2016 Berkshire Prize, Medusa Reads La Negra’s Palm (Tupelo Press, forthcoming). The Poet X is her debut novel. She lives with her partner in Washington, DC

Praise:

National Book Award
Pura Belpré Award
Michael L. Printz Award
Golden Kite Award Honor Book

★ “Themes as diverse as growing up first-generation American, Latinx culture, sizeism, music, burgeoning sexuality, and the power of the written and spoken word are all explored with nuance. Poignant and real, beautiful and intense.”– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “Debut novelist Acevedo’s free verse gives Xiomara’s coming-of-age story an undeniable pull, its emotionally charged bluntness reflecting her determination and strength. At its heart, this is a complex and sometimes painful exploration of love in its many forms, with Xiomara’s growing love for herself reigning supreme.”– Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★ “In nearly every poem, there is at least one universal truth about adolescence, family, gender, race, religion, or sexuality that will have readers either nodding in grateful acknowledgment or blinking away tears.”– Horn Book (starred review)

★ “The Poet X is beautiful and true—a splendid debut.”– Shelf Awareness (starred review)

★ “Acevedo’s poetry is skillfully and gorgeously crafted, each verse can be savored on its own, but together they create a portrait of a young poet sure to resonate with readers long after the book’s end.”– School Library Journal (starred review)

“Crackles with energy and snaps with authenticity and voice.” —Justina Ireland, author of Dread Nation

“An incredibly potent debut.” —Jason Reynolds, author of the National Book Award Finalist Ghost

“Acevedo has amplified the voices of girls en el barrio who are equal parts goddess, saint, warrior, and hero.” —Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street

Kellee’s Review: I am not a rereader. Once I know a story, very rarely do I feel the need to revisit it; however, with The Poet X, I didn’t want to stop reading and listening to her words. As soon as I finished reading it, I found the audiobook so I could listen to it. The power of the words do not diminish with rereading, instead they scream from the pages into the reader’s hearts and minds with each read. I even plan on rereading it again because now that I know the story, I want to dive into the beautiful poetry.

With her story, Elizabeth Acevedo took me back to high school–she was talking to me. Actually, she is talking to so many: Girls who are trying to figure out their body and sexuality, Kids who are questioning religion, Families who are struggling with change, Students who are learning to find their voice, and So many people out there that need these words.

Ricki’s Review: I haven’t been able to stop recommending this book. I’ve even bought it for a few people! I’ve read this book twice, and I find new beauty in different elements each time that I read it. The writing is so captivating that I’d really love to see it as a movie or performed on a stage. Elizabeth Acevedo is known for her slam poetry performances, and she definitely won’t disappoint her followers in this one.

As Kellee noted, the themes are richly realized and offer much conversation for readers. It would make a wonderful book club selection. Each character has great depth, and I imagined them to be friends. I suspect many of the readers of this blog have read this book, but if you haven’t, drop everything and read it. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Discussion Questions:

How did one teacher change the course of Xiomara’s existence?
How are Xiomara and her mother alike in their passions?
How does Father Sean support Xiomara in her search for her personal identity?
Aman shows Xiomara that her body is not the only thing that speaks to boys. How does he show her that she is more than other men have made her feel?

Example Discussion Questions from the Publisher-Provided Educator’s Guide:

How does Xiomara reckon with her own silence? Have you ever felt silenced? Why or why not?
How does Xiomara’s relationship with writing change her relationship with her mother over the course of the novel? Why do you think writing affects her relationship with her mother? What about church and spirituality–how does X compare and contrast religion (prayer) and poetry?
What is it about writing that makes Xiomara feel brave?

Example Creative Writing Prompts from the Publisher-Provided Educator’s Guide:

List the five senses. Read the poem “Names.” What do you know about your name? How is your name a sound? A smell? A touch?
Read Xiomara’s responses to Ms. Galiano’s writing assignment “When was the last time you felt free?” Write your own response to Ms. Galiano’s question.

Flagged Passages:

I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn’t that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark.
My brother was born a soft whistle:
quiet, barely stirring the air, a gentle sound.
But I was born all the hurricane he needed
to lift – and drop- those that hurt him to the ground.
Just because your father’s present, doesn’t mean he isn’t absent.
While I watch her hands, and face,
feeling like she’s talking directly to me.
She’s saying the thoughts I didn’t know anyone else had.

We’re different, this poet and I. In looks, in body,
in background. But I don’t feel so different
when I listen to her. I feel heard.

“Music for A” from The Poet X, Live Performance by Elizabeth Acevedo:

Audio Exceprt also found at: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062662804/the-poet-x/

Read This If You Love: Meg Medina, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, Sandra Cisneros, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Solo by Kwame Alexander, Open Riffs edited by Mitali Perkins, Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes, What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold, American Street by Ibi Zoboi, Water in May by Ismée Amiel Williams

Recommended For:

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Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles

March 7, 2019March 7, 2019 by Ricki

Where the Heart Is
Author: Jo Knowles
Published April 2, 2019 by Candlewick Press

GoodReads Summary: If home is where the heart is, what would happen if you lost it? Compassion and humor infuse the story of a family caught in financial crisis and a girl struggling to form her own identity.

It’s the first day of summer and Rachel’s thirteenth birthday. She can’t wait to head to the lake with her best friend, Micah! But as summer unfolds, every day seems to get more complicated. Her “fun” new job taking care of the neighbors’ farm animals quickly becomes a challenge, whether she’s being pecked by chickens or having to dodge a charging pig at feeding time. At home, her parents are more worried about money than usual, and their arguments over bills intensify. Fortunately, Rachel can count on Micah to help her cope with all the stress. But Micah seems to want their relationship to go beyond friendship, and though Rachel almost wishes for that, too, she can’t force herself to feel “that way” about him. In fact, she isn’t sure she can feel that way about any boy — or what that means.

Review: I absolutely adored this book. Jo Knowles tackles critical issues that are not as common in middle grade literature. The Rachel’s family faces foreclosure of their house—a home in which she is deeply rooted. She feels as if a piece of her identity will be lost. Further, she is experiencing many emotions regarding her sexuality. She is questioning, and those around her are placing pressure on her to make a choice. I’d love to use this book in the classroom setting. The coming of age issues are very real for our young people, and Jo Knowles does not shy away from digging deeply into critical topics.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I’d love to have students visually map different themes of the novel. The complexity of this novel is rich, and students would be able to visualize the themes with supporting quotations.

Discussion Questions:

What are some of the struggles that Rachel faces?
What do we know about Micah? How does he change in the novel?
What is the role of Rachel’s sister (Ivy) in the novel? What does she teach us?

Flagged Passages: “When you learn vocabulary words in school, you memorize the definition. And you have a good idea of what the words mean. But it’s not until you feel them that you really grasp the definition. I have known what the word ‘helpless’ means for a long time. And ‘desperate.’ But I’ve never felt them. Feeling them is different. They fill your chest with a horrible sense of ‘dread’ and ‘guilt’ and ‘despair.’ Those are more vocabulary words that you can’t fully understand until you feel them.” (p. 246)

Read This If You Loved: Anything written by Jo Knowles, Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya, Perfect by Natasha Friend, Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova, Zack Delacruz by Jeff Anderson

Recommended For:

Call for Middle and High School Teachers of YAL

April 22, 2023March 5, 2019 by Ricki

Do you teach a young adult literature course, or do you integrate YAL in your classroom?

I am currently working on a book project that explores the different ways in which middle and high school teachers structure their YAL courses (elective or required). I am also looking at how teachers infuse YAL into their regular education courses. I’ve seen great classroom designs and course projects, and I am looking for others. I’d love to capture them and acknowledge the great work happening in classrooms. If you might be interested in being included in the book, please send me an email at ricki[DOT]ginsberg[AT]colostate.edu or message me on Facebook! Participation would involve the sharing of a course project, classroom activity/activities, and/or course syllabus.

If you know someone who might be interested, please share this post with them. Thank you!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 3/4/19

March 4, 2019March 4, 2019 by Kellee

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

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

CONGRATULATIONS
Denise M.
for winning our What If…? Then We… Giveaway!

Tuesday: Jennifer Nielsen’s Visit to Kellee’s School

Thursday: The Story of Rock, The Story of Rap, and Frida Catlo

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

Kellee

I can definitely see why so many of my students rave about Red Queen, and I cannot wait to see what happens in book two. So much betrayal and unexpected events in the first book! However, I will admit that it did remind me of many different books’ premises.
Monday’s Not Coming was such a surprise for me! It was anything but the typical missing person book you normally encounter, and I really didn’t figure out the truth until it was revealed.
Marie Lu is a sci-fi genius in my mind. The Warcross/Wildcard duology was epic! Though my favorite thing about it was the focus on friendship, teamwork, and truthfulness.
The Last Panther should be talked about more! It is a middle grade dystopian novel mixed with a Carl Hiaasen novel, and it is as good and interesting as the combination sounds.

We have finished Dog Man #3: A Tale of Two Kitties, and it is still definitely holding Trent’s attention.
A librarian from our county library visited Trent’s school and read Mousetronaut and my typical “I don’t remember what I did at school kid” instead talked a mile a minute about a mouse saving the say on a space ship and becoming an astronaut, so we asked for the book (and received!) Mousetronaut for Trent’s birthday.
After Ricki’s rave review of Fox the Tiger and its ALA award, I had to read it with Trent, and I see why it is receiving the love. It is a fun read with a good plot, but it is also very readable for early readers.

Kellee

On to number 4! I think Trent would read this for hours every night with us!
Todd Mitchell is our virtual visit on March 11th, so I am onto my second of his books–VERY different!
A Grimm Warning audiobook was finally available and it was perfect timing since I finished listening/rereading The Poet X.

Tuesday: Do you teach a YAL course or do you integrate YAL in your classroom? If so, Ricki needs your help!

Thursday: Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles

Friday: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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Three Great New Board Books: The Story of Rock, The Story of Rap, and Frida Catlo

February 28, 2019 by Ricki

The Story of Rock
Published: May 7, 2019 by Silver Dolphin Books

Summary: 1…2…3…4! Let’s rock and roll, babies!

From Elvis Presley to Beatlemania, from Janis Joplin to David Bowie—rock has transformed through generations while ringing true with passionate sound. Rock along with the greats in this delightful baby book that introduces little ones to the rockers that started it all!
Parental Advisory: May cause toddlers to play the air guitar with adorable frequency.

My Review: Last night, my husband was reading to my son, and he asked me to bring this book from downstairs. It’s a great, enjoyable book to read and entertained both my 2-year-old and my 5-year-old. I liked how I could cater my reading differently to each of them. For my 5-year-old, I was able to show him pictures of the bands online and talk about the evolution of rock. For my 2-year-old, I was able to talk about music and instruments. We played sample music of many of the bands and had a lot of fun. I could see this working well in the classroom setting. Students might create their own Story of _________ books for children. It teaches excellent skills of summary, synthesis, and brevity.

The Story of Rap
Published: May 7, 2019 by Silver Dolphin Books

Summary: Lay down a baby beat and learn all about the history of rap!

From Grandmaster Flash to Kendrick Lamar, rap has shaped generations and brought a voice to the voiceless. Bop along with the greats in this adorable baby book that introduces little ones to the rappers that started it all!
Parental Advisory: May cause toddlers to develop excessive amounts of swagger.

My Review: I will admit that I know a lot less about rap than I know about rock, so reading this book was a different experience. I knew many of the names but had less background information to share with my children. So together, we looked up the musicians to read and learn more about them together. It was fun to learn more about a music genre that I am less familiar with. This is another book that would pair well with a student assignment to create their own Story of _________ books for children. I love nontraditional synthesis assignments.

Wild Bios: Frida Catlo
Published: January 8, 2019 by Silver Dolphin Books

Summary: Frida Catlo was one purr-fect painter!

Meet one of history’s greatest figures in this adorable board book with an animal twist! Famous Meowxican painter Frida Catlo was a pioneer for female artists. She always painted from the heart, even in the face of health problems and personal struggles. With hilarious puns and colorful illustrations, this book brings Frida’s legacy to life for babies and parents alike!

My Review: Ahh, how I love Frida Kahlo. This book made me chuckle a bit. I will admit that I read it to my kids the first time without any of the cat references, but then I went through and read it again with the cat jokes. I wanted them to get a sense of Frida (who they are unfamiliar with) before they considered the cat jokes. This would make for a really fun classroom book. I can envision students enjoying a project that asks them to create their own Wild Bios for a person in history.

Recommended For:

Kellee’s School’s Author Visit with Jennifer A. Nielsen

April 22, 2023February 26, 2019 by Kellee

Jennifer A. Nielsen visited my school on December 4th, 2018, and today her newest book comes out (Deceiver’s Heart, Traitor’s Game #2!!!!), so I thought today would be the best day to share about the amazing experience she brought to my school and the superb person she is!

Jennifer was kind enough to have a very packed day with us! She did an assembly for each grade level where she shared that the secret to being a writer is asking questions:

Do you have stories? Do you have dreams? If you have dreams, your brain is creating a story. Are you curious? You can be a writer.
Writers do these things: Collect stupid facts but don’t collect stupid. Ask Questions. Gain knowledge. They write. They work to get better. They keep trying.
There are two types of people: One who says they are good enough. You’ll be passed by people who won’t quit until it’s great.

She also gave us a sneak peek of the Resistance book trailer that went live the next week!

Every group of students (at over 375 each) were captivated by her stories, her humor, and her truth.

During each grade level’s lunch period, she also was kind enough to eat lunch with students who had read two or more of her books. During this time, they could get their books signed and ask exclusive questions.

This lunchtime experience was so inspiring to these students! They still talk about what she shared and (as you’ll see in the last photo below) they helped write a quite hilarious story with her that was cracking everyone up:

Story in her head is like an itch that she can’t reach. She is happiest when she is writing because she is reaching the itch.
Story is everywhere. Everyone carries story with them. Just ask questions and tell the story.
She starts a story with the character in action. Helps the reader and writer get into the character’s head and puts the character into immediate trouble.
When she was younger, she didn’t know writing was a choice for something you could do.

Then Jennifer even stayed with us for the evening for another quick presentation, book signing, and cross-curricular events that tied her book into all the subjects.

All in all, the visit was life-changing for our HCMS students.

After the visit, I had my students write letters sharing how the event affected them:

Thank you so much! You have made a great impact on my life. I have never liked writing but your story about when you were in 6th grade made me realize that I can do what I put my mind to do. -Olivia M, 6th grade
I love reading your books because when I read your books it is so good that I read for hours without stopping. When I found out you were coming I got excited because I wanted to find out more about the author who wrote my favorite books. You taught me never to give up and to keep going for my dream no matter how long it takes. Your books have inspired me to create my own book and to be a writer in the future. -Jacob K, 6th grade
The things you said during your visit made me realize I’ll never get better if I don’t try. -Georgia B, 6th grade
I loved your assembly. Your stories were hilarious and you inspired me to write down my ideas. -Emily B, 7th grade
Thank you so much for visiting us. It was amazing and super fun. Your presentations were incredible and I loved the stories you told. They were sad but so interesting. Your tips for writing were so helpful and I plan on taking them to heart whenever I write. Your encouragement was inspiring. “All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it. (Benjamin Mee)” -Duda V, 7th grade
Your books are amazing, the plot twists were breath-taking, and your books are meaningful and are powerful. -Molly N, 7th grade
I’m a huge fan of your books and it was a dream come true to meet you! I enjoyed making a story with you during my lunch time, and I will always remember your visit. -Mariana S, 8th grade
If you were here to inspire, you hit it on the dot. -Julia R, 8th grade
Thank you for not quitting and showing us that just because you fail once, or twice, or even hundreds of times, we should keep on trying. -Lorenza M, 8th grade
Everything that you said just inspired me to do something that would forever make the world better. -Jordan K, 7th grade
Thank you for all the words of wisdom and encouragement to write, and for that I’ll always be grateful. -Monika A, 7th grade
You are such a beautiful soul, and I am in denial that I had the chance to meet someone like you. -Amy C, 7th grade
You were right – stories are everywhere!.. You are funny and kind, and I love how you add little bits of yourself into your books. -Maelynn A, 7th grade

And I’ll end with this beautiful work. My friend, who teaches 8th grade ELA, had her students do a 6 word reflection with a visual to summarize either how they felt or what they learned:

“Good writing takes time and passion.” -Alexa F.