Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/24/15

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 by Kellee

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

Tuesday: Ten of Our Auto-Buy Authors

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “When Things Aren’t Perfect” by Laurie McKay, Author of The Last Dragon Charmer Series

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Holy first week Batman! This is the first year that I have felt completely overwhelmed with preplanning week. I think it will all seem better once the students start (today!), but this last week was brutal. With that being said, I did finish my reread of A Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. I’ve started the second in the series, The Tiara on the Terrace, but I did not get anywhere near as far as I would have liked to. I’m always super sad when I have these types of reading weeks, but I just couldn’t find the time!

Ricki: Hello! I’ve missed everyone! As some of you know, I broke my right elbow about two weeks ago. I’d tell you the story, but it is embarrassing. I apologize I haven’t commented on anyone’s posts, but I promise I’ve been reading them! And thank you all for your well wishes. I wasn’t able to hold up any books for a good portion of the time, but I read a bunch of books before the injury and in the last few days. I read Kelly Gallagher’s Deeper Reading: Comprehending Texts, 4-12. I loved it so much that I am making my students read it this semester. There are a lot of great, practical strategies to help students break down challenging texts.

Henry and I have read a dozen new picture books, but I will share the best ones. Henry’s favorite picture book from the last few weeks is Planes Fly by George Ella Lyon. We read it three times in a row every night. He loves the illustrations of the different types of planes and the descriptions of the different things that planes can do. Mom’s favorite from the last few weeks is Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall. I added it to his birthday list because I liked it so much! Two other books we enjoyed a lot were the new Dr. Seuss book, What Pet Should I Get? and Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon. I love sloths!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: We’ll see! I hope to finish Tiara, but I am not putting any pressure on myself. If I do, I want to start Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz.

Ricki: I am listening to I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. It is phenomenal!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Texts that Might Be On Ricki’s English Methods Syllabus

Thursday: Review and Giveaway!: Goodnight Songs: A Celebration of the Seasons by Margaret Wise Brown

Sunday: Author’s Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Why We Still Need Coming Out Stories in YA Fiction” by Emily O’Beirne, Author of A Story of Now

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!

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Author Guest Post: “When Things Aren’t Perfect” by Laurie McKay, Author of The Last Dragon Charmer Series

August 23, 2015 by Kellee

“When Things Aren’t Perfect”

A long time ago, in this galaxy and not so far away, I was in an English class. My teacher returned my paper and there was a blue ninety-nine scribbled on the top corner. I looked over my work to see where I lost that one point, and found no marks, no grammatical mistakes, no misspelled words. So, of course, I asked about it.

My teacher raised her brows and told me, “Writing can’t be perfect.”

Well. Isn’t that the entire problem right there? If writing is never perfect, when is it good enough?

After working on my debut novel Villain Keeper, I found that it was good enough for the publisher after three content edits, one copy edit, and at least one proof pages pass. And these by no means were the first revisions I’d done.

When my agent first sold the book series to HarperCollins, I’d already revised book one myself over and over again. Also, my critique partners (from here on known as my mom and my sister) had made suggestions and my agent had given me feedback, all of which I’d applied.

What surprised me the most, however, was how much better the book became after listening to each person’s (my mom’s, my sister’s, my agent’s, my editor’s) critiques, reading their comments, and thinking – with as open a mind as possible – about those editorial suggestions.

Somewhere in the midst of all these revisions, my manuscript got in pretty good shape. I was proud of it at least. It still benefited from additional revisions.

This has changed the way I view criticism. Instead of thinking of it as censure, I think of it as analysis. It’s not meant to condemn my work, it’s meant to benefit it.

There is this phrase I see on writing sites sometimes:

Give yourself permission to write badly.

Or, as I prefer it, Give yourself permission to write not good – at least at first.

It helps me when I get stuck. I remind myself it’s alright for things not to be perfect. I’ve got to start somewhere. Write something down. Practice. Revise. Get feedback. Then write some more. I try not to put the pressure of instant perfection on myself. It’s counterproductive. The idea is to first get something written.

Nora Roberts once said, “I can fix a bad page, I can’t fix a blank one.” She’s written over two hundred books in thirty years. That’s an astounding six to seven novels per year. She’s a NY Times bestselling author. She still has to give herself permission to write bad pages and fix them.

When it comes to fixing pages, I’ve probably applied about ninety percent of feedback I’ve received on my writing. But not all criticisms are equal.

There is another quote, this one attributed to Neil Gaiman, which inspires me when it comes to sorting good criticism from not-so-good criticism. He said, “Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.”

With my mom and sister, my agent, and my editor, the criticism I’ve gotten has been overwhelmingly wonderful. Writing is subjective, though. Occasionally, I don’t agree with them. When that happens, I make myself consider their opinion as carefully as possible. Sometimes, I decide they’re right. Their suggestion is better than what I have. Other times, I decide they’re not, and that’s okay.

When I see the results of applying those analyses and suggestions, I’m wowed. And appreciative. It’s probably important to note, giving good feedback is hard work, too.

I’m also a teacher. I’ve taught some combination of biology, chemistry, and math for the last ten years. Many of my students are like I was. They don’t want a mark of ninety-nine. They want a perfect hundred. They often don’t want to revise, either. And I understand. It’s almost like they think if it needs improvement, it’s a failure. Or, if they think it’s good already, it can’t be improved.

But I think it’s a better idea to think of writing not in terms of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, but it terms of a ‘work-in-progress’. The goal isn’t to hit perfection. It’s to hone skills. Improve. And criticism and revision are essential. They are part of the process. Once I’ve been over the same piece of work many times, there comes a point where I decide I’m happy with it, and move on to the next thing.

I just finished editing the second book Quest Maker in my series. I went through several rounds of feedback and revisions on it as well. I hope, and believe, my skills keep improving. I’m happy with book two, too.

Besides, there is something wonderful about always having room for improvement, always having something to strive for. Who knows? Maybe that was what my English teacher was trying to tell me way back when with that blue ninety-nine.

Villain Keeper Summary: All his life, Prince Caden has dreamed of slaying a dragon. But before he has the chance, he is ripped from his home in the Great Winterlands of Razzon and finds himself in Asheville, North Carolina—a land with no magic and no dragons.

Or so he thinks. The longer Caden spends in Asheville, the more he comes to realize that there is unexpected and dangerous magic in this strange land. There just may be dragons here, too. But what if Caden’s destiny isn’t to slay a dragon, after all?

Quest Maker (Book 2)
Expected Publication February 2nd, 2016 by HarperCollins

About the Author: Laurie McKay is an author and biology instructor who lives in Durham, NC. When she’s not working, she spends time with her family and her two elderly dogs. Her debut MG fantasy novel, VILLAIN KEEPER (The Last Dragon Charmer #1), is available now, and her second book QUEST MAKER (The Last Dragon Charmer #2) will be available Feb. 2, 2016. To learn more about her or to see pictures of her dogs (and her family) follow her at lauriemckay.net or on Twitter or Facebook. You can find her book at Goodreads, Indiebound, Amazon, BN, and wherever books are sold.

Thank you so much to Laurie for her reflections on revision and critique! Such a great lesson for students (and adult writers!)

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Blog Tour and Review!: Monster Needs Your Vote by Paul Czajak

August 21, 2015 by Kellee

Monster Needs Your Vote
Author: Paul Czajak
Illustrator: Wendy Grieb
Expected Publication September 4th, 2015 by Mighty Media Kids

Goodreads Summary: Election season is here and Monster is ready to vote! But why cast your ballot when you can run for president instead? With speeches, debates, and a soapbox or two, Monster’s newest tale is a campaign encouraging kids to take a stand and fight for what they believe in.

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Monster wants to make a difference, but he has to go about it a little bit differently than he had planned. Monster Needs Your Vote is a great look at politics and making a difference in your community within a fun story with enjoyable characters. Monster is a little bit like Elephant in the Elephant and Piggie books. He gets so excited and wants to just go, go, go. The Boy is a bit more like Piggie. He reins Monster in. It is a great relationship! Then you add the fun story and the movie-like, colorful illustrations, and you have a book that kids, parents, and teachers are going to enjoy. Since there is such an underlying political charge to the book (who can be president, voting, education advocacy, etc.) teachers can use it in conjunction with introduction voting and democracy to students.

Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: What a wonderful text to introduce kids to politics! Teachers might consider asking the class to look at different platforms that politicians might select. Then, they could consider different political platforms that interest them. Depending on the age of the students, these platforms could be silly or serious. Teachers might use this text to introduce the basic concepts of the election process or the requirements to run for presidency. As a child, I loved when we had mock votes in elementary school. This book is just in time for the election season and would be a fantastic way for teachers to connect literature to current events!

Campaign Kit: http://mightymediapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MMP_MonsterCampaignKit.pdf
The kit contains presidential timelines, infographics, and activity sheets—even a ballot so kids can practice voting!

Info about the purpose and vocabulary in the Monster and Me series: http://www.bigredpaint.com/words_edit.mp4

Mini Monster and Me story: http://monsterwants.com/

Discussion Questions: Why wasn’t Monster able to run for President? What other laws are there for who can run for President?; Monster advocates for libraries and education. What would be your platform if you ran for President right now?; Why wasn’t summer and food something that drew attention from the masses? What did the people want instead?; How are Monster and the Boy different? How do they help each other?; What is the author’s purpose for writing this book?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Other Monster and Me books, Books about politics, the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems, the Mal and Chad series by Stephen McCranie

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**Thank you to Sammy at Mighty Media Press for providing copies for review!!**

Race Car Count by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Illustrated by Michael Slack

August 20, 2015 by Ricki

Race Car Count
Author: Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Illustrator: Michael Slack
Published: October 27, 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Goodreads Summary: Race car 1 honks look at me!
He zooms in front with the turn of a key.

Race car 2 is close behind.
The sound of vroom is on his mind.

This simple, rhyming text is perfect for reinforcing counting with young children, and the vibrant, energetic illustrations make this a terrific package for the youngest vehicle enthusiasts.

Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: My son is absolutely obsessed with cars, so I consider myself to be a car book connoisseur. In the past year, I have read at least fifty books about cars, and Race Car Count stands out from the rest. Upon Henry’s request, we’ve read it about eight times in the last three days. Parents and teachers know that when kids take an interest in a topic, they want to read every book about that interest. I am very pleased that my son wants to read this book over and over again because we can practice counting several times a day. As we read each page, I ask him to count each car with me. He loves the ways the cars pile up on each page, and says “Uh oh!” each time we turn to a car pileup.

The illustrations are fantastic, and they keep him engaged. Each numbered car is consistent throughout the book, which adds great characterization/personification to each car. We spend a lot of time on the last page, where my son stares at all of the cars. Each car has different interests. For example, car number ten (my personal favorite) is yellow and named Groovy. It loves popcorn and collects bumper stickers. Teachers might ask students to illustrate car number 11 and share that car’s personality. Or, they can ask students to create their own number books with something that interests them! I suspect my son’s next step would be to create a book to count construction vehicles. 😉

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Whenever I think there cannot be any new interesting ABC and counting books, I am introduced to another book that proves me wrong. Race Car Counts is going to be loved by so many kids and teachers. Not only is it a fun story of racing with vibrant and colorful illustrations, it is a great book to teach counting, colors, personality/character traits, and rhyming. Each car is introduced, and the reader learns their number, their color, and a bit about their personality. And I think the addition of the character cards in the back of the book that includes more information about each race car really pushes the book into being a mentor text for writing as well because students could duplicate the cards with their own characters.

Discussion Questions: How does the author use rhymes to enhance the story?; How does she use adjectives to make the story fun and engaging?; How does the illustrator personify each car?; Which car is your favorite and why?

We Flagged: “Race car 4, all shiny red, rumbles grumbles, pulls ahead.”

race car count — From http://us.macmillan.com/racecarcount/rebeccakaidotlich

Read This If You Love: The Racecar Alphabet by Brian Floca, Alphabeep: A Zipping, Zooming ABC by Debora Pearson, The Three Little Rigs by David Gordon, Ten Little School Cars by School Specialty Publishing

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Michael Slack for providing copies for review!**

Blog Tour and Review!: Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich

August 19, 2015 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles
Author: Susanna Reich
Illustrator: Adam Gustavson
Published August 18th, 2015 by Henry Holt and Co.

Goodreads Summary: In 1957 in Liverpool, England, a young lad named John Lennon and his band played music at a local church fair. In the audience was Paul McCartney, who liked what he heard and soon joined the group. Paul’s friend George Harrison kept showing up at rehearsals until the older boys finally let him in. Eventually they found the perfect drummer, Ringo Starr, and the perfect name: The Beatles.

Told through a lyrical text and stunning paintings, this book spotlights four ordinary boys growing up amid the rubble of postwar England who found music to be a powerful, even life-saving, force.

My Review: I adore The Beatles. I think they, along with other artists like Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Bob Dylan, really changed the direction of music and opened up a whole new world of music that truly made modern rock and roll possible. Because of that, and how much I love their music, I have always enjoyed learning about them. This middle grade picture book biography really gives us a wonderful look into the childhood and the creation of the band. In addition to really giving us insight into each boys’ lives and how The Beatles began, Susanna Reich did a beautiful job combining fact, primary sources, and lyrical writing. In addition to the beautiful writing, the art that accompanies it is stunning. They are truly paintings as the summary states.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I really hope that kids read this book! I want the story of The Beatles to continue because of their importance within music history.

I think one really interesting analysis of the book that the students could partake in is a visual analysis. Students would first read the text completely. They would then go back and reread a single page then look at the full page illustrations. They should discuss or write about why the artist chose the specific scene/person/activity to illustrate. What else could they have chosen to illustrate? Which do you think makes a bigger impact?

Discussion Questions: Which Beatle is the creator of the band?; What vocabulary in the text are obsolete in modern times?; How would The Beatles rise to fame be different if it was the 21st century when they formed?; What traits do each of the members have?

We Flagged: “John attacked the guitar, strumming as fast as he could. He didn’t give a fig about wrong notes.”

http://us.macmillan.com/fabfourfriends/susannareich

Read This If You Loved: Any books about The Beatles including The Beatles Were Fab by Kathleen Krull and John’s Secret Dreams by Doreen Rappaport, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown, When Bob Met Woody by Gary Golio, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Recommended For:

Make sure to visit other stops on the blog tour!

Monday, August 17 Booktalking
Nonfiction Monday

Tuesday, August 18 Shelf-Employed
Review plus Susanna reveals her favorite Beatles song

Wednesday, August 19 UnleashingReaders.com

Thursday, August 20 Elizabeth Dulemba
Susanna & Adam interview each other

Friday, August 21 Maurice on Books

Tuesday, August 25 Kidsbiographer’s Blog
Susanna writes about choosing subjects for kid’s biographies

Wednesday, August 26 Gail Gauthier

Thursday, August 27 Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Friday, August 28 Alphabet Soup
Interview with Susanna

**Thank you to Susanna for providing a copy for review!!**

Top Ten Tuesday: Our Auto-Buy Authors

August 4, 2016August 18, 2015 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Our Auto-Buy Authors

We run out and buy (or preorder) all the books for these authors!

Ricki

In no particular order (and please excuse my brevity—my arm is in a cast). I have many more than five auto-buy authors, by the way. 🙂

1. Ruta Sepetys

Everything this woman touches is gold.

2. John Green

His characters stick make an imprint on my heart.

3. Matt de la Peña

He id sn unbelievable storyteller.

4. Kekla Magoon

She brings me right into the setting.

5. Sarah Dessen

Every book she’s written has made me feel warm and fuzzy.

Kellee

1. John Green

He hasn’t written a book I haven’t loved yet!

2. Eliot Schrefer

I loved Endangered and Threatened, and I am waiting very impatiently for the third book of the Ape Quartet.
(Though I haven’t read his earlier novels–I probably should!)

3. Kazu Kibuishi

His books are loved by myself and my students. When I buy one, I have to read it that night because there is already a waiting list for it at school.

4. Raina Telgemeier

Same as Kazu. A favorite of all!

5. Ginny Rorby

I love all of her books and am always waiting to see what she comes up with next. Her books always make me cheer and cry.

Which authors’ books do you automatically buy?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/17/15

August 23, 2015August 17, 2015 by Ricki

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

JOSH F.

for winning a set of the Emily Windsnap books by Liz Kessler

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Fairy Tale Retellings

Thursday: 25 Boys Who Stand Out (in Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature) for Ricki

Friday: 25 Boys Who Stand Out (in Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature) for Kellee

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “In This Place: An Imagery Writing Activity” by Kate Ormand, Author of The Wanderers

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I have no excuse for the lack of reading I did this last week. Trent is finally feeling better (last day sick was Tuesday!), but then we just ended up doing a bunch of stuff together. I am super sad to go back to work tomorrow because I don’t get to spend as much time with Trent. I also pampered myself a bit 🙂 I did finish The Fall of the House of West by Paul Pope, the second book in the Aurora West series which is a prequel to Battling Boy, and I really enjoy the story and characters. She is such a tough cookie, and this book was a roller coaster!

Aurora wants to know who killed her mother. But because she is hiding her investigation from her father, there is no one to monitor what she is doing, so through her investigation, things do not really go as planned. I loved this continuation of Aurora’s story. She is such a strong character, and I love that she and her father are willing to put their lives on the line to protect others in her city. There are definitely some BIG surprises in this one. Throughout the book you will feel so many emotions: frustration, shock, sadness, anger. All rolled into an adventure-filled GN.

With Trent, we have been reading a bunch of Sesame Street mini-board books because he is in love with Elmo as well as some of his other regulars; however, I was able to sneak in A Good Day by Kevin Henkes. Man, I enjoy Kevin Henkes’s books. They are so quiet but special. I also finished a bunch of picture books for review, so I will share my thoughts about them when I review.: Goodnight Songs: A Celebration of Seasons by Margaret Wise Brown, Your Alien by Tammi Sauer, Monster Needs Your Vote by Paul Czajak, Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich, and Tristan Wolf by Mariana Llanos.

Ricki: Unfortunately, Ricki has a fractured elbow, which makes it very painful to type. She will be out for one more week and promises to return with some good books to share.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: As I didn’t get as much reading done as I hoped, I pretty much have the same reading plan as last week. I am 75% done with a reread of The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher in preparation for reading book #2, The Tiara on the Terrace. After these, I want to read Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz. However, with going back to school (lesson plans and focus calendars are due by next Monday!), I am not sure how much reading I will get done. There may be some dry weeks coming up…

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten of Our Auto-Buy Authors

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “When Things Aren’t Perfect” by Laurie McKay, Author of The Last Dragon Charmer Series

So, what are you reading?

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