Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 7/7/14

July 27, 2015July 7, 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 Favorite Classics AND Top Ten Classics We Want To Read

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week I received some nonfiction picture books from the library, and was so happy to jump in. So far I have truly enjoyed the ones I’ve read, and plan on featuring them on future Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays: Mrs. Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough, What To Do About Alice: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drover Her Father Teddy Crazy! by Barbara Kerley, and And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson. Additionally, I read a fun picture book called Dog vs. Cat by Chris Gall which is a quirky look at having a baby.

I also read three YA books. My favorite was probably Brother, Brother by Clay Carmichael which is a story of a young man who, after his grandmother’s death, finds out he has a twin, and goes on a road trip to confront the family. I also read Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin which helped reassure my awe for Beaudoin’s craft. He is so unique. Finally, I read Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick, the Printz winner, and I don’t even know what to think. I am going to have to reread this one at some point.

Trent read some amazing books this week!

Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli (Sam likes to win, but sometimes there are other things that are more important. The cartoon style illustrations made this book even more fun.)
Camp Rex by Molly Idle (What amazed me about this book is that the narrative itself is full and funny, but the pictures add a whole new element to the story. I love when authors do that.)
Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Amy Krouse Rosenthal never disappoints. A yes day is a kids biggest dream!)
Nighty Night, Little Green Monster by Ed Emberley (Really liked how the author used cutouts and made this book interactive.)
Cat the Cat: What’s Your Sound, Hound the Hound?, Elephant and Piggie: I Love My New Toy, and Elephant and Piggie: A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems (I love everything that Mo Willems writes, and I love being able to share these amazing picture books with my son.)

Ricki: I was floored by the nonfiction YA book, Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis. Based on my multiple readings of The Diary of Anne Frank, I thought I knew a lot about the people who hid during the Holocaust. I learned that Anne’s story is not typical at all. Many of those who were hidden were beaten, and they often switched locations very frequently. This book is a phenomenal resource. Teachers might read a few (or all) of the stories with their students to show different perspectives. I will be writing a full review, but I needed to share this text with you!

I also reread the professional development text We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools by Gary Howard. This is a well-researched book that I enjoyed, but I think there are others about this topic that are much better. Henry and I read and loved Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon. We also read Marge Blaine’s The Terrible Thing that Happened at Our House. This was a cute book that would be a great resource to families who have a parent who is returning to work.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: For the first time in a while, I am not sure what I am going to read next. I need to dive into my TBR pile and just pick something! I know I have the rest of my nonfiction picture books to read, but that’s it. Not sure what else, so we’ll see!

Ricki: Upon Kellee’s recommendation, I started Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. So far, I love it. I am also beginning the professional development text, Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents by Deborah Appleman.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Blogging Confessions

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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The Star-Spangled Banner illustrated by Peter Spier

July 4, 2014 by Kellee

The Star-Spangled Banner
Author: Francis Scott Key
Illustrator: Peter Spier
Published September 19, 1973 by Doubleday Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: Due to careful research, Spier’s artwork depicts “the dawn’s early light” and “the rocket’s red glare” with remarkable authenticity and detail in this celebratory book. Among the highlights: a brief history of the anthem, a reproduction of Francis Scott Key’s original manuscript, music for guitar and piano chords and many photographs.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Peter Spier’s illustrations bring our national anthem to life. Spier carefully researched all lines of them poem as well as other facts about the War of 1812 when the anthem was written and used all of this knowledge to help show the meaning behind Key’s words. In the afterword, Spier shares much of the research to help tie it all together.

In the past, as a school, we actually had students do something very similar. They each received a line from the first verse, and they had to research what it meant and then draw an illustration to share with their classmates the meaning. These were then put together as a book, so that the entire national anthem could be read with illustrations showing the meaning. Students loved the activity, and I really think it helped make history mean more to them than just dates.

Discussion Questions: What is Key trying to say in The Star-Spangled Banner?; What caused Key to write this poem?; Had you ever heard the second or third verse before? What did you think of it?; For some of the lines, Spier chose to draw a modern setting–why do you think he chose these specific places?

We Flagged:

Recommended For:

Happy Fourth of July!

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos

July 5, 2014July 3, 2014 by Ricki

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets
Author: Evan Roskos
Published: March 5, 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary: “I hate myself but I love Walt Whitman, the kook. Always positive. I need to be more positive, so I wake myself up every morning with a song of myself.”

Sixteen-year-old James Whitman has been yawping (à la Whitman) at his abusive father ever since he kicked his beloved older sister, Jorie, out of the house. James’s painful struggle with anxiety and depression—along with his ongoing quest to understand what led to his self-destructive sister’s exile—make for a heart-rending read, but his wild, exuberant Whitmanization of the world and keen sense of humor keep this emotionally charged debut novel buoyant.

Ricki’s Review: Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets is such an important book. It captures depression and anxiety in a way that is both authentic and heart-wrenching at the same time. I wanted to reach into the pages of the book to give James a big hug. Similarly to It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, this book employs humor without detracting from the very realness of James’ struggles with loneliness and isolation. Teens (and adults) will find themselves in James because he is depicted in a sympathetic way that is very human. This novel is brilliant and should be in every classroom library.

Kellee’s Review: I concur with everything that Ricki said. Dr. Bird’s is a very special book. On a Top Ten Tuesday list, I wrote that I wished there were more books about kids with chemical imbalances, and Dr. Bird’s is the closest I’ve read yet. Evan Roskos captures the feeling of a manic depressive state. The energy of the writing actually changes as James’s state of mind changes: anxious, manic, depressed. However, what makes it truly special is that even in the end, there is optimism. Although James is fighting his own chemical imbalance, he keeps doing just that—fighting.

Another thing I adored about this book is the idea of art and writing as therapy. James finds solace in photography and poetry, which is a positive lesson for teens because it shows the power of art, writing, and poetry.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: It would be interesting for teachers to do literature circles with texts that concern mental health. Students might read this book along with titles like: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick, It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, and 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I imagine that reading these titles would foster incredibly rich discussions about depression, anxiety, and suicide. In my opinion, we must have these conversations with our students.

Also, Walt Whitman is a huge part of James’s life, and Whitman is mentioned throughout the book. The Whitman references (and James’s poetry emulating Whitman) would great to be examined in a classroom.

Discussion Questions: If James didn’t have abusive parents, do you think his life would be the same? Do you think depression is genetic in his family?; How does James show bravery?; What role does Walt Whitman play in James’ life?

We Flagged: “People in the world suffer from greater calamities than I do. I eat, I have clothes, I have a house. I read about people around the world who survive on less than a dollar a day. I read about how there are hundreds of millions of widows living in poverty. I see ads for kids who are born with ragged lips and jagged teeth. I don’t have anything like that. I just wake up with a deep hatred of myself. How selfish is that?” (p. 115)

“Later, as my father drives me to the pizzeria, his gassy, grumpy body reeking of judgment and anger and disappointment, I can’t help but wonder how little he knows about the depth of my sadness. The depth of my very being. Will he be upset to find me dead, or relieved?” (p. 214)

Read This If You Loved: (Many of these are listed above.) Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick, It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, Reality Boy by A.S. King, Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Recommended For:

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Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

July 2, 2014 by Kellee

Openly Straight
Author: Bill Konigsberg
Published May 28th, 2013 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Goodreads Summary: A funny, honest novel about being out, being proud . . . and being ready for something else.

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He’s won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he’s gay. He’s been out since 8th grade, and he isn’t teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that’s important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys’ boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret — not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn’t even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself

Review and Teachers’ Guide to Navigation: This is such a great book! It is written well, very funny, smart, and has an important theme. What blew me away the most is how it was so humorous when dealing with a tough subject, but never lost its maturity and importance. Sometimes if you add humor to a novel, it becomes slap stick or more of a novelty, but Bill Konigsberg does it perfectly in Openly Straight.

As a teacher, what I immediately find myself connecting to was the journal entries from Rafe followed by Mr. Scarborough responses. Mr. Scarbourgh becomes quite an important person in Rafe’s life, and I feel that only through these journals, reflections, and responses that Rafe was able to make it at the new school. I think much of what Mr. Scarborough does with Rafe could be transferred directly into most classrooms.

Discussion Questions: Why did Rafe feel like he needed to hide who he was?; Have you ever felt like you couldn’t be who you really are?; How does Mr. Scarborough play a role in Rafe’s life?; How would you react if you were Ben?

We Flagged: “‘It’s hard to be different,’ Scarborough said. ‘And perhaps the best answer is not to tolerate differences, not even to accept them. But to celebrate them. Maybe then those who are different would feel more loved, and less, well, tolerated.'”

Read This If You Loved: Paper Towns by John Green, The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, Two Boys Kissing by David Leviathan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leviathan, Life in Outer Space by Melissa Kiel

Recommended For:

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Classics AND Top Ten Classics We Want To Read

July 2, 2014July 1, 2014 by Kellee

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 Favorite Classics AND Top Ten Classics We Want To Read

Ricki

Favorites

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is my all-time favorite book. I read it as a freshman in high school and thought it was okay. When I reread it as an adult, I fell in love with it. I made my dad read it, and he was just as enamored with the book.

2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

I love all things John Steinbeck. This is my favorite classic to teach. My students and I read it like a play, and they love it.

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

This book takes me to a different land. It is beautiful. I own an old copy with illustrations. As I write about the book right now, I am compelled to reread it.

4. 1984 by George Orwell

1984 is an incredible book to teach. It took awhile for my students to get into it, but they really enjoyed it once they got over the initial hump. This book is a winner (and there are so many modern-day connections for students to appreciate).

5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

I read this book the summer before college. I was blown away by how good it was. This is a classic worth reading.

Want to Read

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I am embarrassed that I haven’t read this book yet! I love all of the movies. I know that doesn’t count!

2. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

This book has been on my to-read list for a very long time. I think I own three copies of it.

3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I’d love to read this text. I opened the first few pages during a break in my teaching schedule, but somehow, I lost the copy.

4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

This is a book that I probably won’t enjoy, but I would love to try it out.

5. Beloved by Toni Morrison

I read The Bluest Eye as a freshman in high school (and was very confused), and then when I had the option to see the play, I ordered copies of it. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up teaching it the following year.

Kellee

Favorites

1. Hemingway’s Sun Also Rises, Old Man and the Sea, and A Farewell to Arms

I love how Hemingway writes! And although I haven’t read everything by him yet, everything I have read I thoroughly enjoy.

2. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

This is a book that truly makes you look at the world differently.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Perfection. The courtroom scene will never leave me. And if you haven’t listened to the audio book, it is a must. Sissy Spacek is amazing.

4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

This is such a powerful novel. And the ending! Wow. It is also an amazing audio book read by Gary Sinise.

5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

One of the first dystopians and a frightening and scary world it is.

Want to Read

1. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

I want to see where the phrase came from. Also, I have heard it is quite enjoyable.

2. 1984 by George Orwell

I have started this book a handful of times, and I. Am. Going. To. Finish. It!

3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Too often this is brought up, and I haven’t read it.

4. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Everyone’s favorite, and I am enthralled with the Dust Bowl.

5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

The premise just seems like it is going to be fun to read.

What classics are your favorite?
What classics do you still want to read?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/30/14

July 27, 2015June 30, 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

We celebrated our one year anniversary last week!!!

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Posts in the First Year of Unleashing Readers

Wednesday: Why Do We Blog?

Thursday: What We’ve Learned This Year

Friday: New Year’s Resolution

Saturday: Wrap Up

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

Congratulations to our SIX book giveaway winners!!

Holly M. (Remember Dippy)
Gigi M. (Golden Boy)
Kelly V. (All Our Yesterdays)
Kristen H. (The Lost Planet)
Linda B. (All the Truth That’s in Me)
Cassie L. (Dead End in Norvelt)

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Not to toot my own horn, but I am so impressed by how much time I am able to find to read these days. I love having reading in my life regularly again. This week I read some more amazing novels.

First was A.S. King’s Reality Boy, and it does not disappoint. Like all of King’s novels, it deals with some tough subjects with a voice that rings true.
Next was The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman. I am glad I picked this one up. I didn’t know anything about it, and it surprised me (as did a couple other books I read this week). Milk of Birds is about two girls, one in Sudan and one in the US, that are pen pals. Through narrative and letters you learn about both of their lives. So good!
Then I read Golden by Jessi Kirby, which is a contemporary high school story with a mystery twist.
Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian was another that surprised me because I hadn’t heard of it. Actually it blew me away a bit. It is about Tom, a hugely popular high school soccer player and the Somali immigrant soccer player who he befriends, and how Tom’s life changes because of the new look at life he has because of his new friend.
Imperfect Spiral by Debbie Levy is a book about Danielle who is babysitting a young boy when he is hit by a car and killed. The book looks at all of the effects of this young life’s loss.
Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden is about Cricket who is an orphan who lives in a home for boys and the anger he holds because of how rough his life has been.

Doesn’t that sound like an amazing reading week?!

On top of the novels, I read some great picture books as well (I’ll blog about them later): A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley, President Taft is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett, Firefly July by Paul B. Janeczko, The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham, Picnic by John Burningham, Peppa Pig and the Great Vacation by Candlewick Entertainment, One My Way to Bed by Sarah Maizes, and Moo! by David LaRochelle. Trent and I also kept on reading our picture #bookaday:

What Makes Elmo Happy? by Lee Howard (I love Sesame Street. Everything about it. I love that they teach lessons and still make it fun. Sesame Street books are no different.)
Baby Animals at Night by Kingfisher (This is a great nonfiction board book. One I hope to buy. It looks at a handful of animals and what they do at night. I specifically loved that it looked at some less known animals like tarsiers and fennec foxes.)
The Cat Comes Too by Hazel Hutchins (A simple board book about how a cat helps his owner.)
What is That? by Tana Hoban (Tana Hoban’s books are wordless and in black and white to help catch babies’ eyes, and boy do they! The pictures always catch Trent’s attention. And it is fun to make up what to say for each illustration.)
Brave: Magic in the Mist by Disney (I am a huge Pixar fan. I think everything they do is brilliant. This book is a cute adaptation of Brave, and I think it does a great job of holding the integrity of the movie. Also, it is in verse which adds even more to the story.)
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems (I love Knuffle Bunny and was so happy to read it to Trent! It is one I need to buy so we can read it over and over and over again. I have the second one to read to him. Maybe this week.)
Little Duckling by Rebecca Harry (A cute board book with sound that has a little duckling trying to find someone to teach him to swim.)

Ricki: Unlike Kellee, I had a rough week. My poor son had a very high fever and woke up every few hours crying. I was reminded of what it was like to have a newborn again. Thank goodness, he took a turn for the better today and is feeling well again. We only read three picture books, two I loved and one I didn’t. I fell in love with The Noisy Paintbox by Barb Rosenstock (and illustrated beautifully by Mary Grandpré). I learned a lot about synesthesia and will be buying a Kandinsky print. I loved learning about his magical childhood. I also enjoyed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. I have always heard about the book and was glad I found it in the library. I also read The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. This is our district’s K-2 summer reading text. My son is still only 7 months old, but I was curious about it. I thought it taught a good lesson, but it was very basic, and I can think of many other books that do a better job.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: This week I plan on reading Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin, Brother, Brother by Clay Carmichael, and Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. I hope they continue the streak of great books I’ve been reading.

Trent and I will continue to read our picture books. We finished the board books from the library, but I have a pile of non-board picture books that we may dive into.

Ricki: I am halfway through Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis. Whew. This book has been an emotional ride for me. I am learning about the ways in which people hid during the Holocaust, but reading about the narrators’ immense sadness and grief is weighing on me. I’ll absolutely be writing a full review on this one when I finish it, but I recommend it to anyone is looking for a powerful work of nonfiction.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Classics AND Top Ten Classics We Want To Read

So, what are you reading?

and

One Year Anniversary Celebration Week: Recap

June 29, 2014June 28, 2014 by Kellee

This has been a wonderful week filled with celebrations, reflections, and goals!

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Posts in the First Year of Unleashing Readers

We look back at the past year and share our ten (+1) favorite posts.

Wednesday: Why Do We Blog?

Joined with our blogging friends, we tell why we love blogging.

Thursday: What We’ve Learned This Year

Reflecting on our first year, we share what we have learned about ourselves and blogging.

Friday: New Year’s Resolutions

What’s next?! We detail our plans for the upcoming year.

Please visit our anniversary posts and celebrate with us!

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