Unleashing Readers

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Releases We Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To

August 4, 2016January 13, 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: Top Ten 2014 Releases We Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To

It is 2015, but that isn’t stopping us from reading these 2014 books!

Ricki

This was the hardest Top Ten Tuesday that I have done in awhile. There are so many books I want to get to! I decided to do it by category. I do have adult books on my 2014 TBR list, but I decided to do two YA books because that list is so much longer!

1. Picture Book: The Girl and her Bicycle by Mark Pett

Everyone has been raving about this book. I am looking forward to it.

2. Middle Grade: Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

The topic of this book is so important. I will definitely be reading it this year.

3. Young Adult: Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

I read everything A.S. King writes, and I didn’t read this one right when it comes out, but I just got it for Christmas, so I will be reading it soon!

4. Young Adult: I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Several friends have recommended this book to me. I just need to nab a copy of it!

5. Nonfiction: Dreaming in Indian edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Leatherdale

I received the ARC of this book from NetGalley, and it expired before I got to it, so I asked for it for Christmas. It looks fantastic!

Kellee

I always have so many books that I planned on reading each year that I didn’t get to. For this list, I decided to look at the New York Times Notable Children’s Books and list the ones I had wanted to read but didn’t get to.

1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I want to know the ending that everyone keeps mentioning!

2. Noggin by John Corey Whaley

A National Book Award finalist by a Printz Award winning author with a super unique premise? It has to be good.

3. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson. That is all.

4. The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin

Another National Book Award finalist! The premise of this book seems so unbelieveable, but it is the exact opposite: nonfiction. Intriguing!

5. The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis

I loved hearing Christopher Paul Curtis speak at ALAN (and meeting him!), and I have loved everything of his I’ve read. I look forward to this one.

Which 2014 books do you hope to read in 2015?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/12/15

July 27, 2015January 12, 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: Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2015

Wednesday: #MustReadIn2015

Thursday: Blog Tour, Book Trailer, and Author’s Guest Post!: When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt

Friday: Books Trent Got For Christmas

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I am currently staying out at Disney World with Jim and Trent because my (crazy!) husband is running the Dopey (5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, 1/2 maraton on Saturday, and marathon on Sunday). I will update you on my reading next week! Have a wonderful week!!!

Ricki: I read some great books this week! I finished Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down. In light of the recent protests, this was an incredibly insightful book. The point-of-view shifts every 2-3 pages, which was very thought-provoking. This is the first book that I have completed from my #mustreadin2015 list. Yahoo!

Henry and I loved Matt de la Peña’s new picture book, Last Stop on Market Street. It is a beautiful book that we’ve read at least eight times this week. I can’t wait to review it. We also really enjoyed Peter H. Reynolds’ The Dot. We read two other picture books, but I don’t have a lot of nice things to say about them, so I am leaving them off of the list this week. I like to stick with the good recommendations! 🙂

Henry reading Last Stop on Market Street with his dad for the umpteenth time

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: See above. I apologize in advance if I am not able to comment on as many posts as usual as well. Happy reading!

Ricki: I can’t decide which book to read next. Would anyone recommend a book I should put to the top of my #mustreadin2015 list? I’d like to tackle another in January to stay ahead of the game. I trust my blogger friends’ advice, and many of the books on that list are popular books that I just haven’t gotten around to reading!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten 2014 Releases We Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To

Wednesday: Blog Tour!: Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

Friday: Mock Sibert Award: Favorites Announced

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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Books Trent Got For Christmas

February 14, 2021January 9, 2015 by Kellee

No one would probably be surprised to hear that Trent got an actual box full of books for Christmas. I want him to grow up around books and reading and readers because I know how important it is for development, a love of reading, and overall long-term intelligence. This means that most Christmases Trent will find many books under the tree. This year, I wanted to share with you the books that Trent received from me and my family.

Books I got for Trent at NCTE/ALAN (SIGNED!)

I think this is one of the most clever books ever written. I was so happy to be able to get it signed by Jon Sciezska.

0-545-14314-4
I love Jane Yolen. And I want Trent to love dinosaurs. And I love this series. A perfect combination. I was so honored to meet Jane Yolen and get her to sign books for Trent.

I actually had this book at home, but when I heard Jane Yolen and Melissa Sweet would both be at NCTE, I knew I had to bring it and get it signed by both. It is a sweet book about loving books.

This is one of my favorite nonfiction picture books I have ever read. I am glad I could get it signed for Trent and that I will be able to share it with him when he gets older.

I loved Invisible Boy and although this is different, I knew I had to get it for Trent (and me!). I also had a wonderful conversation with Tracy Ludwig at NCTE.

Other Books I got for Trent

I think every person should own/read this book, so I had to get it for Trent.

Jen Vincent always told me how much her sons loved this book, so I knew Trent would like it as well.

Such a wonderful book; I was surprised I didn’t own it already!

Bob Dylan is very important in our home, so I am making sure that Trent has all of Bob’s picture books.

We need to own more Mo!

birds
Trent loves watching birds, so I though this book would be a fun one for him.

Kadir Nelson. That is all.

ogre
I really liked funny poems when I was younger, so when I saw these at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale, I snatched them up for Trent.

Nonfiction is important! I chose these two because Knut is so cute (though his story is sad), and Steve Jenkins is brilliant.

This was a set of sports board books and since we watch a lot of sports in the Moye house, I thought they were a good intro.

My mom is a huge Peanuts and Scanimation fan, so I thought this would be a fun book to own.

Books my Family Gave Trent

Books my Friends Gave Trent

Books from Kohl’s Cares
We’re suckers for Pixar and Disney 🙂 And it is for a good cause!

I am so lucky to have a son who likes books and family and friends that help grow his library!

What books did you receive/give for Christmas?

Blog Tour with Review and Guest Post!: When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt

July 27, 2015January 8, 2015 by Ricki

When Otis Courted Mama
Author: Kathi Appelt
Illustrator: Jill McElmurry
Published: January 6, 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: Apart from sticker burrs and sand fleas, Cardell’s life is mostly wonderful. He knows he’s loved through and through by his perfectly good mama and his perfectly good daddy. They live in different parts of the desert, but that’s okay—Cardell is mostly used to it. Then Otis comes calling, and Cardell feels a grrr form in his throat. Otis can’t make jalapeño flapjacks or play Zig-the-Zag anything like Cardell’s daddy. And so Cardell waits for Mama to say “Adiós, Otis.” But what will happen if she doesn’t?

Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: On a recent Top Ten Tuesday post, I wrote that I would love to see more picture books about different kinds of families. A week later, I found this gem. I absolutely adored Cardell the coyote and think kids will identify with his spunk. Cardell isn’t thrilled when his mother begins dating a new man, and he suspects Otis (the new guy) will be gone quickly, just like the others. This is a great resource to teach kids about accepting and adjusting to life with a new stepparent. I would also use it to teach setting and creative writing–the Southwest flavor adds a beautiful sense of culture that spices up both the text on the page and the illustrations. There is much to discuss with this book, and I think it would make a great read-aloud. I had a lot of fun reading it to my son.

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Ricki said it so well! This is a book that was needed, and it is a good one at that. Too often, a lack of empathy occurs because one person doesn’t understand the other. I love picture books that help kids understand other people’s situations (but without being preachy), and this book does just that; however, it is also a very universal picture book because it shows a kid having to deal with a new situation. At one point or another, everyone must face the unknown or something s/he dislikes, and that is exactly what Cardell is going through.

This book will become a favorite read aloud for classroom teachers! Cardell’s voice rings true, and it will be so much fun to read aloud. I really loved Kathi Appelt’s writing as well. Her use of descriptive words is spot on and would be a great mentor text for imagery. Teachers could also discuss how her words were translated into illustrations.

Teaching Materials: Curriculum guide and Activities

Bonus!: Find a full-color door hanger and other fun downloadables at kathiappelt.com.

Discussion Questions: Do you think Cardell treated Otis fairly?; What are some of the different types of families in our world? What makes your family different?; How do you treat new people you meet?

Book Trailer:

Read This if You Loved: ABC A Family Alphabet Book by Bobbie Combs, Donovan’s Big Day by Lesléa Newman, The Family Book by Todd Parr, And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Two Cool Coyotes by Jillian Lund, Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble, A Tale of Two Daddies and A Tale of Two Mommies by Vanita Oelschlager

Recommended For:

Guest Post by Kathi Appelt

When I was in the fifth grade, my parents got divorced. It wasn’t a sudden thing, but it was a sad thing. We went from a whole family to a broken family. Moreover, my father left us—my mom and my two younger sisters and me—to start a brand new family. All at once, I had a stepmother and two stepbrothers, not to mention step-grandparents, step cousins, step uncles and aunts. Lots of steps. It was confusing.

The thing is, whenever life got to be too much, I could duck into the pages of a book and find some refuge there. It’s always been that way for me.

But in that tumultuous time, when my family was becoming something that seemed both smaller and larger, I could really have used a book that gave me some faith that life would eventually be “mostly wonderful.” I could have used a book that had non-antagonistic stepparents. There were—and still are—few picture books that celebrate step families, a notable exception being When We Married Gary, by Anna Grossnickle Hines.

In fact, for the most part, stepparents in children’s literature, are fairly villainous. (I’m reminded of the evil stepmother in Cinderella). In reality, I know that there are many stepparents in the world who are doing their best, and who are making a positive difference in the lives of their stepchildren. I had the great fortune of having George. He came into my mother’s life like a breath of fresh air. And he had the courage to marry her when my sisters and I were sixteen, fourteen, and thirteen. Imagine marrying someone who had three teenagers!

Looking back, I believe that the best thing about George was his ability to spin a yarn. He was a master at telling tales. In a matter of minutes, he’d have all of us laughing right out loud. And that felt perfectly wonderful.

So, when it comes to using my book in classrooms, I have four main hopes for it:

(1) that it can be used to feature an all-too-common modern family—divided, but working it all out; (2) that it honestly portrays a youngster who is having to make adjustments; (3) that it can serve as a way to talk about jealousy and other mixed emotions; and finally (4) with its Southwestern flora and fauna and landscape, that it can just be plain fun to read out loud. That last is my biggest hope.

And if it can offer up a character who is not a stereotype of Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, that will just be a bonus.

Photo of George, Kathi’s stepfather

(He’s with Kathi and her oldest child, Jacob, on his first birthday.)

About the Author: Kathi Appelt’s perfectly wonderful stepfather was a terrific storyteller, and she grew up to become a teller of stories, too. She is the New York Times best-selling author of more than forty books for children and young adults. Her picture books include Oh My Baby, Little One, illustrated by Jane Dyer, and the Bubba and Beau series, illustrated by Arthur Howard. Her novels for older readers include two National Book Award finalists: The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp and The Underneath, which was also a Newbery Honor Book. In addition to writing, Ms. Appelt is on the faculty in the Masters of Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in College Station, Texas. To download a free, CCSS-aligned curriculum guide, visit Kathi’s website at kathiappelt.com.

Follow sweet Cardell on all of the tour stops!

Date	Blog	Blog URL
Mon, Jan 5	5 Minutes for Books	http://www.5minutesformom.com/category/feature-columns/5-minutes-for-books/
Tues, Jan 6	Cracking the Cover	http://www.crackingthecover.com/
Wed, Jan 7	Sharpread	http://mrcolbysharp.com/
Thurs, Jan 8	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Fri, Jan 9	Once Upon a Story	http://mariaburel.com/
Sat, Jan 10	Booking Mama	http://www.bookingmama.net/
Mon, Jan 12	Geo Librarian	http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com/
Tues, Jan 13	The Late Bloomer’s Book Blog AND NC Teacher Stuff	http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com/http://ncteacherstuff.blogspot.com/
Wed, Jan 14	Teach Mentor Texts	http://www.teachmentortexts.com/#axzz3DP0vkvgi
Thurs, Jan 15	Kid Lit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Fri, Jan 16	The Fourth Musketeer	http://fourthmusketeer.blogspot.com/

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**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing copies for review!**

Kellee and Ricki’s #MustReadIn2015

September 3, 2017January 7, 2015 by Kellee

#MustReadIn2015 is hosted by Carrie Gelson at There Is A Book For That:

“For anyone out there with a To Be Read list that seems like it will never end, this challenge is for you! This is all about making your own personal list of books (5? 10? 20? 30? more?) that you commit to reading in 2015. Books can be published in any year, be from any genre, and be from any category (adult, YA, MG, Graphics, NF, etc.). As your TBR list grows, you promise you will get to the books on this list.”

These are our hopeful lists. Many are books we’ve been wanting to read for a long time, while others are books we just really want to read as of right now (January 2015), and lastly, some are books we really need to read because we’ve promised someone (or each other). Primarily, we included young adult and middle grade books because they are what we are going to try to read more of this year. As Carrie said, we will absolutely be reading many books not on this list! And don’t worry, we will still be reading the latest and greatest picture books to our boys.

Now without further adieu:

Kellee’s #mustreadin2015

Ricki’s #mustreadin2015

Kellee’s #mustreadin2015

1. Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peña

~~2. Tyrell by Coe Booth~~ Completed 11/25/15

~~3. Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick~~ Completed 2/6/15

~~4. Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles~~ Completed 12/3/15

~~5. Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine~~ Completed 2/20/15

~~6. The Dugeoneers by John David Anderson~~ Completed 1/30/15

~~7. Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle~~ Competed 3/29/15

~~8. Knockout Games by G. Neri~~ Completed 9/6/17

~~9. How To Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby~~ Completed 1/16/15

~~10. Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine~~ Completed 4/26/15

~~11. Secret Hum of Daisy by Tracy Holczer~~ Completed 2/7/15

~~12. How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon~~ Completed 12/7/15

~~13. X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon~~ Completed 6/20/15

~~14. The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart~~ Completed 3/9/16

~~15. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan~~ Completed 3/24/15

16. Year of Shadows by Claire LeGrand

~~17. The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz~~ Completed 7/21/16

18. The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith

19. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

~~20. Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School by Kim Baker~~ Completed 8/9/15

~~21. Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz~~ Completed 10/8/15

~~22. The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson~~ Completed 5/12/15

~~23. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami~~ Completed 1/16/15

~~24. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero~~ Completed 1/10/15

25. Camp Utopia and the Forgiveness Diet by Jenny Ruden

Completed: 20 out of 25

Ricki’s #mustreadin2015

1. The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith

~~2. Audacity by Melanie Crowder~~ Completed 1-30-15

3. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

~~4. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan~~ Completed 6-19-15

~~5. Dreaming in Indian, Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Leatherdale~~ Completed 2-8-15

~~6. East of Eden by John Steinbeck~~ Completed 5-17-15

7. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan Completed 1-13-15

8. Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky Completed 12-21-15

9. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

10. How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon Completed 1-10-15

11. Just One Year by Gayle Foreman

12. Like Water on Stone by Dana Walrath Completed 9-23-15

13. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park Completed 12-30-15

14. Knockout Games by G. Neri

15. Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper Completed 12-25-15

16. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

17. Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin Completed 4-13-15

18. Rules by Cynthia Lord

19. The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer Completed 2-19-15

20. See You At Harry’s by Jo Knowles

21. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

22. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

23. When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

24. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick Completed 12-22-15

25. ~~X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon~~ Completed 5-31-15

Completed: 14 out of 25

We’d love to hear about your #mustreadin2015 list!

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Updates throughout the year:

#MUSTREADIN2015 SPRING UPDATE

#MUSTREADIN2015 SUMMER UPDATE

#MUSTREADIN2015 END OF YEAR UPDATE

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

August 4, 2016January 6, 2015 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

These authors debut in 2015, and we are looking forward to their books!

Ricki

1. Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk

I am very much looking forward to this picture book, which comes out in the fall of 2015!

2. Mosquitoland by David Arnold

I keep hearing about this book from everyone! A tease: “I am a collection of oddities, a circus of neurons and electrons: my heart is the ringmaster, my soul is the trapeze artist, and the world is my audience. It sounds strange because it is, and it is, because I am strange.” I can’t wait to read this one.

3. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

Mental illness and suicide are very important topics for me. I think it is very relevant for many teens, and I am grateful for all of the authors who publish excellent books on this topic. Books save lives.

4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Many of my friends have listed this book on their TBR lists. The summary is enticing, and I suspect it will be very popular.

5. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Because the cover entices me. Oops. Was I not supposed to judge a book based on its cover?

Kellee

1. Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk

Because Josh is hilarious, a wonderful supporter, and those sketches (above from Josh’s blog) are AWESOME!

2. The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Because people I really truth have this book 4 and 5 stars.

3. I Don’t Want to be a Frog by Dev Petty

Because Colby Sharp recommended it.

4. Simon vs. the Homo Sapians Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Because Andrew Smith blurbed it.

5. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Because the concept (being allergic to the outside world) terrifies me, and I want to see what the protagonist does to overcome this.

Which debut books are you most anticipating?

Check out the Fearless Fifteen website for some other debut authors publishing YA in 2015.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/5/15

July 27, 2015January 5, 2015 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish/Blog Goals/Resolutions for 2014

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week I focused on reading two middle grade novels I’d been wanting to read ever since I’d heard of them and a pile of picture books I had. I am so glad that I read A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd and Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. These books are brilliant. I can see why everyone is raving about them:

Snicker of Magic is a quiet, special books that just goes straight to your heart when you read it. I loved so many of Natalie Lloyd’s words I actually pulled out tabs to mark pages for reminders and sharing. The book is marked like crazy! Beautiful writing.
I adored Fish in a Tree so much! I think it means even more to me being an intensive reading teacher/reading coach. Ally is so many students that I have had over the years that just needed a teacher to take the time; Mr. Daniels is the teacher that I hope I am, that I wish I could be, that I want all teachers to be, and that I want to be friends with; Ally’s journey is one that I hope I inspire my students to have; Keisha is the friend I wish I’d had; Albert is so many student in our schools that are just a bit different thus leading to a life of sorrows; Shay shows that meanness often is because of meanness; Travis shows that it is never too late to change a kid’s life. So many special characters and such a special story. Once again, Lynda Mullaly Hunt made me cry. Well done!

For picture books, I read so many good ones: The Right Word by Jennifer Fisher Bryant, Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau by Andrea Beaty, The Very Inappropriate Word by Jim Tobin, Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse, The Girl Who Hear Colors by Marie Harris, The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma by Diane Fox, April & Esme: Tooth Fairies by Bob Graham, Miss Brooks Loves Books! by Barbara Bottner, Birds by Kevin Henkes, Found by Salina Yoon, I’m My Own Dog by David Ezra Stein, Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker, When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt, Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson, and Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers. Not a bad one in the bunch! Some of these even ended up on my Best Reads of 2015 list! I’ll be reviewing many of these in the future.

Ricki: I read some excellent books this week! I loved The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley. It is a 2015 Morris Finalist and well-deserving of this honor. The setting and raw emotion of this book really hit me hard. I struggled to pick up another book because I couldn’t bear to leave the emotions I felt from this one. I particularly loved the parental dynamics. I also very much enjoyed Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang. This book felt very teachable to me, and it will serve well for discussions of race, stereotypes, and heroism.

Henry and I dove into the picture books this week. We enjoyed Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It is a book that is very much marketed for girls, but I will read it to Henry because I refuse to give in to gender expectations. I love e.e. cummings’ I Carry Your Heart with Me, so I loved sharing the picture book with Henry. The art by Mati Rose McDonough is simply stunning. Henry also learned about Alzheimer’s Disease in Forget Me Not by Nancy Van Laan. This is a quiet, important book that is a great resource for teachers. We thought Earth Space Moon Base by Ben Joel Price was an okay book–enjoyable for those who like reading about space.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: Back to school…. That means less reading 🙁 I am starting Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero and hope to finish it (one of my #mustreadin2015). Like Ricki said below, we will share our lists on Wednesday!

Ricki: I am excited to read How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. It is one of my books on my #mustread2015 list! Kellee and I are excited to share these lists on Wednesday. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2015

Wednesday: #MustReadIn2015

Thursday: Blog Tour, Book Trailer, and Author’s Guest Post!: When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt

Friday: Books Trent Got For Christmas

So, what are you reading?

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