Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/25/14

July 27, 2015August 25, 2014 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 Books People Have Been Telling Us We Must Read

Friday: Trent & Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books, 3-6 Months

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: As all teachers know, reading gets much harder once the school year starts, so my updates may be a bit less than they were during the summer. It is the way it is 🙂 This week I was able to finish two very good graphic novels from Netgalley: In Real Life by Cory Doctrow and I Remember Beirut by Zeina Abira. They are very, very different but both worth reading if you have the chance. IRL is a look at poverty, economics, and gaming while I Remember is a memoir of a young girl’s memories during the conflicts in Beirut. I absolutely adored the style of both illustrators as well as the stories. I also read Sam’s Pet Temper by Sangeeta Bhadra which is a great book to look at temper with kids as well as personification.

Trent and I read some really good books this week! I originally got The Troublemaker by Lauren Castillo for the Sharp/Schu book club. I’m going to have to go back and check out the archive now because it is a super cute mystery book. I can’t wait to read this with Trent where he can guess what is happening. The Hueys in the New Sweater by Oliver Jeffers is another very good Huey book. I like the messages in each one, and Oliver Jeffers is always a bit quirky. We saw this quirkiness and brilliance again in The Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers which is fighting Lost and Found to be my favorite Oliver Jeffers book. We also read a beautiful and creative ABC book called Antics! by Cathi Hepworth which had some intense words like jubilant, pantiloons, and xanthophile (all words with “ant” in it). Finally we read Wumbers by Amy Krouse Rosenthal which is so clever! A bunch of short stories (perfect jumping off points for creative writing!) with words that have numbers in them. What a 1derful idea! Though, I will admit, it was quite hard to read out loud.

Ricki: As I am gearing up for school, I made this week a nonfiction week. I finished Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century by Pam Cole. This text had a great overview of the origins of YAL and the genres within the field. I also read Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something that Matters by Laurie Ann Thompson. This is a wonderfully informative book that will help teens start businesses/organizations, run meetings, conduct speeches, and organize financial plans. It was extremely accessible and very well organized. Kellee and I are doing a full review of the book on September 10, and the author will be writing a guest post for us! Henry and I read I Face the Wind by Vicki Cobb. This nonfiction picture book helps kids explore science with interactive activities. We also enjoyed Jacqueline Woodson’s Coming on Home Soon. This would be a great book to read to children whose parent(s) are away.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: Trent and I are still working through our pile of recommend picture books that we got from the library. As for me, I am not sure what I am going to read. I know I’ll read El Deafo by Cece Bell, as that is at the top of my TBR, but then I am not sure. We’ll see how this week goes! 🙂

Ricki: I picked up the audio book Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I wasn’t expecting the heavy British accents, so I am hoping I am able to understand more as it plays. It is a struggle so far (but the story is great!). Kellee sent me a list of her favorite books. I am going to start those, too. She has great taste, after all!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We’ve Owned for a Long Time but Haven’t Read

Wednesday: How Being a Mom Has Changed My Identity (Kellee)

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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Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: Three to Six Months

February 14, 2021August 22, 2014 by Kellee

I am so proud to say that Trent already loves books! He grabs them from me, holds them, stares at them as we read, points at them, and overall enjoys our reading time. It is so special to me!

Through these three months, Trent and I have continued our picture #bookaday. So far we have read 182 titles (91 in the first 3 months then 91 these last three months)!!! Three months ago, I shared our favorites from those months, and today I am so happy to share our top fifteen favorites from these last three months with you.

Favorite Elephant & Piggie
We read a ton of Mo Willems books! I am such a fan! Though I love Pigeon, Cat the Cat, and Knuffle Bunny, E&P are still my favorite.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Favorite Oliver Jeffers Books
We went on an Oliver Jeffers readathon, and these are our favorites that we read during these months (Lost and Found is probably still my favorite.) He is such a superb author!

Stuck and The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Favorite Dan Santat Illustrated Book
We also read a bunch of books that were illustrated by Dan Santat. He is so talented!

Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds

Favorite Bedtime Story
This book is beautiful! Lyrical and great artwork.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

Funniest Book
Laugh out loud funny.

Naked by Michael Ian Black

Favorite “Full of Truth” Book
Giving Tree-esque, but without as much of the selfishness controversy aspect.

Stick Kid by Peter Holwitz

Favorite Repetitive Book
These will be so much fun to read aloud with Trent when he gets older!

Oh No! by Candace Fleming

Honorary: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
(I cannot get the song out of my head!)

Favorite Nonfiction Animal Book
Great photographs of these animals, and I liked that some lesser known animals were featured (Oh No! has some unique animals as well).

Baby Animals at Night by Kingfisher

Favorite Theme
Some things are more important than finishing first.

Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli

Favorite “I Love You” Book
So sweet!

Two Hands To Love You by Diane Adams

Favorite Cause-and-Effect Book
Laura Joffe Numeroff’s books are so quirky and funny!

If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff

A Kids’ Dream Come True Book
Well, an anyone dream come true book actually.

Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Favorite Art (& Color) Book
So happy that I got to read these to Trent at the Hunter Museum of Art. I love that these books teach color through pieces of art.

My First Palette: Six Little Books by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

There are some amazing picture books out there for children, and I am always learning about more that I want to read with Trent! What books should I make sure to read with him? I cannot wait to see what the next three months hold?!

Boys of Blur by N. D. Wilson

August 22, 2014August 21, 2014 by Ricki

Boys of Blur
Author: N. D. Wilson
Published: April 8, 2014 by Random House

Ricki’s Summary and Review: 12-year-old Charlie Reynolds’ family travels to town of Taper to attend the funeral of a beloved football coach. When Charlie’s stepfather is given the opportunity to coach the town’s football team, Charlie is not thrilled to learn that they will be living in this creepy town filled with ancient stories of runaway slaves, native tribes, and monsters that rise organically from the murky swamps. He tries to fit into this mysterious place, where boys chase rabbits through burning sugarcane and everything seems to revolve around football. As he comes to learn about this town of secrets, Charlie wonders if he has the courage to uncover the mysteries that surround him.

Set deep in the heart of the Florida Everglades, this text is sure to grip readers with its muck, swords, blood, and gore. Wilson integrates complex allusions to Beowulf, which will compel readers to uncover all of the parallels with the classic legend. The beautifully complex language of this fast-paced story inspires close readings while also teaching readers lessons about evilness, heroism, and family.

Kellee’s Review: What I found most intriguing about this book is that Wilson was able to allude to Beowulf in a middle grade book without completely scaring away the reader. Although I have read in multiple reviews that this book will grab reluctant readers’ attention, I think that some of the allusions are hard to grasp without prior knowledge, so reluctant readers may need some assistance understanding thus making the book a great read aloud as it will grab attention and start deep discussion (see Tools for Navigation). In addition to the allusions, there are opportunities to discuss hero’s quest, abuse, and loyalty.

You will also find some beautiful writing in this novel. Wilson has a way with words that made this novel lyrical yet easy to read. From the very first line: “When the sugarcane’s burning and the rabbits are running, look for the boys who are quicker than flame.” I was impressed with how literary the novel was.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: There are obvious parallels between this novel and the legend of Beowulf, and pairing these two texts for discussion would prove very rewarding. Perhaps, teachers could use this Boys of Blur in conjunction with Gareth Hinds’ graphic novel of Beowulf. Then, the class could compare and contrast both the story lines and the differing formats authors might employ to convey a story and message.

Discussion Questions: How is Charlie characterized? Do you find him to be a strong character?; What role does Cotton play in the story?; What role does Charlie’s father play in the story? Can he be forgiven?; How does the author use language effectively?

We Flagged: “‘Yes,’ Mrs. Wisdom said, ‘you are. You’re made of tiny spinning bits as fast as light. But those bits aren’t all of you. They fly off. They get lost, and new ones come on and join the swirling Charlie-shaped dance that is your body. And dwelling in that dance, woven through every racing bit, heating it all with life and guiding it, there is a fire, a soul—you. It takes a dream to see something like that, something closer to the way things really are” (110).

Read This If You Loved: Beowulf by Unknown, 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson, Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, Holes by Louis Sachar, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee, Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis

Recommended For:

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Review and Teaching Guide!: Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka, Illustrated by Brian Biggs

August 13, 2023August 20, 2014 by Kellee

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor
Author: Jon Sciezska
Illustrator: Brian Biggs
Published August 19, 2014 by Amulet Books

Goodreads Summary: Frank Einstein loves figuring out how the world works by creating household contraptions that are part science, part imagination, and definitely unusual. After an uneventful experiment in his garage-lab, a lightning storm and flash of electricity bring Frank’s inventions—the robots Klink and Klank—to life! Not exactly the ideal lab partners, the wisecracking Klink and the overly expressive Klank nonetheless help Frank attempt to perfect his Antimatter Motor . . . until Frank’s archnemesis, T. Edison, steals Klink and Klank for his evil doomsday plan! Using real science, Jon Scieszka has created a unique world of adventure and science fiction—an irresistible chemical reaction for middle-grade readers.

My Review: In the world of illustrated novels, we have many a class clown: Greg, Nate, George & Harold. But now we have our very own genius, and he is a genius that kids are going to love! This book combines the humor and fun plot that Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, and Captain Underpants have, but adds in science (though the kids reading it will be none the wiser). The way that Sciezska combines humor, adventure, twists & turns, and science is perfection that will have a whole slew of readers waiting for the next Frank Einstein book.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book has so much that a teacher could touch on while reading it. It would be a perfect book for a read aloud in reading with cross-curricular activities based on the book in science. I was very lucky to once again be able to write a teaching guide, this time for Frank Einstein. To see more specific class activities and discussion questions, view my teaching guide at the Abrams website. (I also wrote the teaching guide for Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger!)

Discussion Questions:

Frank has a double helix DNA slide. What would this look like?; Grandpa Al uses the phrase “Blow this pop stand” (p. 112). This is an idiom meaning “Let’s get out of here.”
What are idioms? What are some idioms you use in your daily life?
Frank’s parents are in Antarctica, where the ozone is getting a hole in it (p. 110). What is causing this hole? Frank mentions CFCs. What are they? How do they affect the ozone?
In Fig 1.1, Frank shows us that every second between light and sound equals 1/5 of a mile, because of the difference between the speed of light and the speed of sound. So, if there are 5 seconds between thunder and lightning, that means the storm is 1 mile away. What if there are 10 seconds between? 15 seconds? 12 seconds? 100 seconds?; On page 109, we learn that corn flakes were an accidental invention. Are there other accidental inventions?

We Flagged: “Night. Darkness. Flash! A bright bolt of lightning splits the dark and flickers over the skylight. Frank Einstein looks up from his work. He counts out loud, “One thousand one. One thousand two. One thousand three. One thousand four. One thousand five–” Craack boom! The sound-wave vibration of the thunder rattles the old iron-framed windows of Frank’s workshop and science laboratory. “Five seconds between light and sound for every mile. . . One mile away,” Frank calculates, using the difference between the almost-instant speed of light and the much slower speed of sound. “Right on time.”

Read This If You Loved: Series: Frankie Pickle by Eric Wight, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Abrams Books for providing a copy for review**

Top Ten Tuesday: Books People Have Been Telling Us That We HAVE TO Read

April 4, 2018August 19, 2014 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 Books People Have Been Telling Us That We HAVE TO Read

Ricki

1. Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil

Kellee highly recommends this book, but I haven’t gotten to it yet!

2. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Several people have recommended this book to me. It is an adult book, but even my past students are emailing me about it!

3. House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle

It is no secret that I love to read every Native American book. I am looking forward to this one, as it has been recommended to me.

4. Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott

I can’t wait to read this book, and it is a Walden Award finalist, too!

5. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

A friend recommended this book. I don’t know anything about orphan trains, so it seemed really interesting to me.

Kellee

And I cannot wait to read all of these!

1. I Will Save You and Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena

I know that these are some of Ricki’s favorite books, so I need to get to them. Also, I really enjoy Matt de la Pena as a person, and have enjoyed what I have read.

2. Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

This is on everyone’s favorite in 2014 lists, and it was recommended to me on Goodreads by a friend. I need to get it, so I can read it.

3. Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

I have wanted to read Snicker since I saw Natalie at NCTE 2013, and everyone keeps on telling me I need to read it–I must get to it soon!

4. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

One of my friends recommended this book so much to me that she sent me a copy–now I just have to read it!

5. Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

This is a book that all my teacher friends are shocked I haven’t read yet, and always insist I need to.

Which books are continually recommended to you?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/18/14

July 27, 2015August 18, 2014 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 Books We’re Not Sure We Want to Read

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, I was lucky enough to read a manuscript of one of my friend’s novel. It is a wonderful middle grade book that I know will be published, and I cannot wait to share it with you!

Trent and I read some amazing picture books this week. We continued our Oliver Jeffers readathon with The Hueyrs in…It Wasn’t Me, Stuck, and The Incredible Book Eating Boy. Stuck and The Incredible Book Eating Boy, along with Lost and Found are probably my favorites of his.

We also read two amazing, but different, nonfiction books. First was Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli was a beautiful story (with amazing illustrations!) of an inspirational woman who I truly want to learn more about. We also read Best Foot Forward by Ingo Arndt which is a fun Q&A nonfiction books with such realistic photographs.

Ricki: This week, I enjoyed Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This was an excellent sequel to I’ll Be There, and I enjoyed it very much. Sloan plays with literary elements in ways that are both innovative and brave. It is a very suspenseful book, and I had difficulty putting it down! Henry and I enjoyed some great picture books this week. We laughed as we read Naked by Michael Ian Black, admired the artwork in Oh No, George by Chris Haughton, enjoyed the adventurous boy in The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, lived through history with Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, and loved the retelling of Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky. This isn’t my favorite fairy tale (but Zelinsky does it very well), and my husband and I spent a long time trying to figure out the moral of the tale. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started In Real Life by Cory Doctorow yesterday, and so far I am truly enjoying it. I especially love how real the protagonist is. After IRL I am going to read El Deafo by Cece Bell and reread Jellaby by Kean Soo. Trent and I still have the huge pile of picture books from the library to read that includes many picture books I learned about on your IMWAYR posts.

Ricki: My second Ph.D. year at UConn starts next week, so I am reading twice as many PD texts as usual. Once teaching and classes start, I lose a lot of time, so I am trying to devote most of my free time to reading. I started Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher, which is edited by Judith A. Hayn and Jeffrey S. Kaplan. I really like the way the book is organized and find myself nodding my head quite frequently. I will share more when I am a bit further in the book. I also started The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. To be honest, I don’t love it yet, but I am very curious to see where it goes.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Books People Have Been Telling Us We Must Read

So, what are you reading?

and

The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman

August 15, 2014 by Kellee

The Milk of Birds
Author: Sylvia Whitman
Published April 16th, 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: This timely, heartrending novel tells the moving story of a friendship between two girls: one an American teen, one a victim of the crisis in Darfur.

Know that there are many words behind the few on this paper…

Fifteen-year-old Nawra lives in Darfur, Sudan, in a camp for refugees displaced by the Janjaweed’s trail of murder and destruction. Nawra cannot read or write, but when a nonprofit organization called Save the Girls pairs her with an American donor, Nawra dictates her thank-you letters. Putting her experiences into words begins to free her from her devastating past—and to brighten the path to her future.

K. C. is an American teenager from Richmond, Virginia, who hates reading and writing—or anything that smacks of school. But as Nawra pours grief and joy into her letters, she inspires K. C. to see beyond her own struggles. And as K. C. opens her heart in her responses to Nawra, she becomes both a dedicated friend and a passionate activist for Darfur.

In this poetic tale of unlikely sisterhood, debut author Sylvia Whitman captures the friendship between two girls who teach each other compassion and share a remarkable bond that bridges two continents.

My Review: This is a special book. First, because of the characters who tell the story. K.C. is a young girl with learning disabilities which have caused her to hate reading, writing, and school. Nawra is a refugee in Darfur who continues to have an optimistic view of the world even after she has been surrounded by horrors that I can’t even imagine. Both of these girls are not represented very often in books, and they are both so important to know. Through this book, the reader gets to see the intensity of the situation in Sudan and refugees’ power in overcoming however they can. They also get to see the brilliance of students with learning disabilities. There are so many students in our school just like K.C., and too many of their peers would judge them by their struggles instead of by their heart and soul.

Second, this book is special because of the way the author is able to intertwine these two stories in a flawless way, and a way that keeps the reader engaged in both stories simultaneously. Third, the lyrical writing of Whitman makes this story not only interesting and important, but also beautiful to read. Last, the power of this book lies in the book, and how the book will change those who read it.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book has some incredibly lyrical aspects which would be perfect for mentor texts for imagery and other descriptive language. I also love the idea of written pen pals, and I would love to see this book being used to start pen pals in a classroom. Finally, K.C.’s friendship with Nawra helps her become an advocate for refugees in Darfur. This would be a great way to talk about ways to make a difference in the world. I would pair it with A Long Walk to Water which shows the same thing. Powerful.

Discussion Questions: What does K.C. teach us about students with learning disabilities?; What does Nawra teach us about Sudanese refugees?; What is your favorite Nawra saying? Why?; How does life here compare to life in the Sudan?; What is a way you could help the refugees in Sudan?; What is another cause in the world that you could help?

We Flagged: “My mother is sitting on the mat where I left her. She shows no surprise that Adeeba and I return so soon with nothing but more words from the khawaja. She does not protest when I lift her.

I carry my mother as I used to carry wounded animals from pasture, arms on one side, legs on the other, her body draped behind my neck and across my shoulders. She is not much heavier than a goat.” (Nawra, p. 3)

“When she explains things, they make sense, for a while. Who cares about the area of a trapezoid, though? That question stumped my teacher for a minute, and then he launched into this spiel about geometry in everyday life, and if I were someone with a trapezoidal yard, I might need to figure out how much fertilizer to spread. As if. Hook up your hose to a bottle of Miracle-Gro, point, and shoot.” (K.C., p. 12)

Read This If You Love: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan, Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian

Recommended For: