Unleashing Readers

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

July 27, 2015July 14, 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 Blogging Confessions

Friday: Minion blog tour with exclusive excerpt

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week I have been rereading a lot and am currently on vacation with Trent. I was able to fit in two wonderful books that I cannot wait to share with kids. First, I read Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, the current Newbery winner. I can definitely see why this text won. It is funny, clever, beautifully written, and super unique. I especially love how she combined prose with comics. I also read Comic Book Squad: Recess! edited by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, and Jarrett Krosoczka with stories by them, Dan Santat, Ursula Vernon, Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, Dav Pilkey, Eric Wight, and Gene Yang. What a perfect graphic novel anthology! It is as wonderful as it sounds.

We are actually off a book this week with Trent because of the travel. We’ll catch up, and I will hopefully have 8 books to share next week. This week we read:

Maisy’s Colors by Lucy Cousins (I, personally, thought this book was a meh board book about colors, but Trent seemed to really like it. He took it right out of my hands to look at it.)
Alice in Wonderland: A BabyLit Colors Primer by Jennifer Adams (I love these BabyLit books. They are a great way to introduce some classics in an appropriate way.)
A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na (I loved this book. The art was BEAUTIFUL and the text was lyrical. This is definitely a library book that we’ll have to buy.)
Corduroy’s Party by Lisa McCue (A cute story of Corduroy celebrating his birthday.)
Rereads: The Going to Bed Book and Are You a Cow? by Sandra Boyton (My mom bought these for Trent, so we reread them for what, I am sure, is not the last time.)

Ricki: This week, I read Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. This is tells the story of a high school girl who is relentlessly bullied. It will feel very real to readers. I loved it. I also read Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier, a captivating graphic novel about a grandmother telling her granddaughter about her childhood experiences during the Holocaust. Henry and I also read and loved Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. I am very frightened of bats, but I loved this beautiful story.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am going to be doing a lot of rereading this week, but I hope to find some time to continue reading Touched by Paul Maurer which I started on Sunday. I also have Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson and the newest installments of Amulet and Captain Underpants to read. We’ll see what I get to. Trent and I have plans to read some Pete the Cat this week.

Ricki: I tend to read my paper books much more slowly than my Kindle books. This week, I will be finishing A Snicker of Magic. Please don’t take my slow pace with this book to mean that I don’t enjoy it. It is my bedside book, and I am often exhausted from taking care of the baby. This is one of the best books I have read for the 8-12 age level. I think readers of all ages would love it. I also started Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This is my downstairs book. 🙂 I am not very far into this one, but so far, I am very interested to see where it will go.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Movies (for their story)

Thursday: Because I’m Disposable Blog Tour

Thursday: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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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Blog Tour with Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway!: Minion by John David Anderson

July 27, 2015July 11, 2014 by Kellee

In June, 2013 John David Anderson introduced us to the world of Sidekicked. Filled with superheroes, villains, and sidekicks, Sidekicked took us on quite an adventure. Check out my review here. Now John David Anderson returns to the world of superheroes he created in Sidekicked with an entirely new cast of characters in Minion, a funny and emotional companion to his first breakout tween novel—perfect for superhero fans who also love the work of bestselling authors Rick Riordan, Louis Sachar, and Frank Cottrell Boyce.

minion
Minion
Author: John David Anderson
Published June 24th, 2014 by Walden Pond Press

About Minion: Michael Morn might be a villain, but he’s really not a bad guy. When you live in New Liberty, known across the country as the City without a Super, there are only two kinds of people, after all: those who turn to crime and those who suffer. Michael and his adoptive father spend their days building boxes—special devices with mysterious abilities—which they sell to the mob at a price. They provide for each other, they look out for each other, and they’d never betray each other.

But then a Super comes to town, and Michael’s world is thrown into disarray. The Comet could destroy everything Michael and his dad have built, the safe and secure life they’ve made for themselves. And now Michael and his father face a choice: to hold tight to their life or to let it unravel.

Book Trailer:

We Flagged:

My Hero

When I was twelve years old, give or take, my father strapped a bomb to my chest and drove me to the First National Bank and Trust so we could steal $27,500. I know what you’re thinking: if you’re going to go through all the trouble of rigging your son with explosives and send him to rob a bank, you should set loftier goals, but my father has a policy that he only steals what he needs at the time, and at the time he needed $27,500 to finish one of his projects and to buy groceries. We were out of frozen waffles.

Dad parked outside the BP across the street to distract himself by playing Angry Birds and eating cashews while I walked through the bulletproof doors of the gray-bricked building. Me, a pale, wispy-banged preteen, green eyed and skinny, wearing a dark-brown overcoat and an impertinent expression, walking into a bank all by myself. There was no guard at the door, but there were plenty of little black globes hanging from the ceiling. Security cameras. My heart caught in my throat, but I forced it down—Dad had told me not to worry about the cameras. They were taken care of. He had my back.

I approached the first teller—a young woman in a navy blazer with her hair pulled into a stern bun and too much makeup masking a potentially pretty face—and opened my jacket, showing her the bomb. I could tell she was impressed by her platter-sized eyes and the choked-down, quietly-pee-your-pants scream, which came out all muffled, like a dog’s squeak toy under a couch cushion. I gave her the speech. The one I had recited at least a dozen times the night before and three more on the way over while finishing off a bag of Skittles for breakfast.

“There’s a horrible man outside,” I said, nodding back toward the glass. “You can’t see him, but he can see you, and he says if you don’t fill this”—produce Transformers backpack, old-school cartoon, not those overstuffed Michael Bay movies—“with twenty-seven thousand five hundred dollars, he will hit the detonator and you and me will both be carried out of here in Ziploc bags.” It was a speech prepared by my father, at least most of it. I added the Ziploc bags part myself.

And it probably would have worked. The bomb. The speech. The Ziploc line. It would have, if I had even tried, if I had bothered to get into character. Someone in my position, a kid picked up off the street, three pounds of explosives taped under his chin, a juvenile IED about to commit his first felony—you’d expect I’d be snot faced and crying, shaking uncontrollably, begging the woman to hurry or to call the police. But I just couldn’t make myself do it. I came off flat, I’m sure, as if I couldn’t care less.

As if I wasn’t worried at all.

Don’t get me wrong. I was. A little. I just knew more than I was letting on.

About the author, in his own words: John David Anderson writes novels for young people and then, occasionally, gets them published. Besides Minion, he is the author of Sidekicked, and Standard Hero Behavior. He lives with his patient wife and brilliant twins in Indianapolis, Indiana, right next to a State park and a Walmart. He enjoys hiking, reading, chocolate, spending time with his family, playing the piano, chocolate, making board games, chocolate, not putting away his laundry, watching movies, and chocolate. Those aren’t his real teeth. To find out more: www.johndavidanderson.org

Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the blog tour:

June 23 Maria’s Melange
June 24 The Library Fanatic
June 25 The Next Best Book
June 26 Jean Book Nerd
June 27 Book Egg
June 28 Word Spelunking Book Blog
June 30 Ms. Yingling Reads
July 1     The Book Monsters
July 2     The Book Monsters
July 3     Read Now, Sleep Later
July 6 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
July 7 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
July 8 Candace’s Book Blog
July 9 Middle Grade Mafioso
July10 Librarian’s Quest
July 11 Unleashing Readers
July 12 Mindjacked
July 14 This Kid Reviews Books
July 16 Charlotte’s Library
July 17 Literacy Toolbox
July 18 Small Review

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Debbie and Danielle at Walden Pond Press hosting this blog tour and for providing a copy of Minion for giveaway!

Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar

July 27, 2015July 10, 2014 by Ricki

Voices of the Sea
Author: Bethany Masone Harar
Expected Publication: July 22, 2014 by WiDo Publishing

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Loralei is the future Guardian of her Siren clan. To outsiders, she appears to live the average life of a teenager, but like her ancestors, her voice has the power to entrance men. But the Sons of Orpheus are determined to destroy all Sirens, and when members from her clan are savagely murdered, Loralei feels a responsibility to protect her people. When Lora meets Ryan, a new student in her school, she can’t help but be drawn to him in a way that feels both exhilarating and unsettling. The sea’s dark whispers urge Lora to find the Sons of Orpheus, and she quickly learns that no one can be trusted.

Review: I was drawn to the mystery of this novel. I found myself turning the pages quickly, eager to uncover the mystery of Half-Moon Bay. This is a book that would be very appealing to my students as it is very engaging. The romance is passionate and fiery, and it is a text that would be easily passed amongst peers. Loralei is a strong, independent woman who works fearlessly to lead her clan. She faces danger with her eyes wide open, and teens can learn much from her strength. The book is cleverly crafted with the perfect amount of detail to leave readers guessing.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: My heart swelled at the many references to mythology. This text is unlike others that may be defined as paranormal romance in that the author includes a rich history of Sirens. Teachers can capitalize on this by asking students to explore Sirens further or research other mythological creatures.

Discussion Questions: How does the author develop the plot to keep readers engaged? Which details does she withhold? Which does she provide? Can you see any foreshadowing?; Can Loralei trust the people in her life? Which characters feel nefarious to you? Which can be trusted?

We Flagged: “She could no more ignore the ocean than she could her own soul” (Chapter Two).

Please note: This quotation was taken from an advanced reader copy. It may change in the final publication.

Read This If You Loved: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Recommended For:

A Tribute to Walter Dean Myers

July 9, 2014 by Kellee

Kellee

When I heard of Walter Dean Myers’s passing, tears immediately began flowing. As a reader, many of us feel close to authors when we read their books, but with Myers, it was more for me. He meant something to me, my students (past, present, and future), my fellow teachers, their students, and everyone else who ever touched one of his books.

I read my first Walter Dean Myers, Shooter, in May of 2007 during my Master’s year. I was blown away by the truth within his books and the way in which he could weave a story. Then I read Monster and was once again awed by the unique ways that he told his stories (interview, police report, etc.). I followed these two YA books with read 5 more of his YA (Handbook for Boys, Dope Sick, It Ain’t All For Nothing, Kick, and Fallen Angels), 1 middle grade (Autobiography of my Dead Brother), and 2 picture books (Harlem and Muhammad Ali). All brilliant. But what made these books even more special for me? They were books that my students wanted to read. They were easy sells. They grabbed their attention. They sucked them in. They were a reflection of people in their lives and themselves. And they were written so well. Even when I moved to teaching the most struggling readers in my school, I found that they gravitated towards Myers’s books even when the “reading level” was higher than theirs. Because of this, I began using an excerpt from Slam as a mentor text during a lesson. This brought even more of my students to his books. I also used Love that Dog by Sharon Creech during my poetry unit which has Walter Dean Myers as a character and uses one of his poems. Because of Jack’s love of Myers, even more kids were interested in his work. The demand for his books never stopped, so I kept buying his books. And lending his books. He was a constant presence in my room, and a presence that is irreplaceable.

I’ve also been lucky enough to see him speak twice and meet him once. He was a true gentleman, advocate for literacy, and just had a way with words. In 2011, Myers spoke at ALAN and shared how writing was his passion, and he was lucky enough to have publishers that would let him do whatever he could pull off. MAN could he pull off some amazing things. In 2013, Myers was the ALAN breakfast speaker. His speech was about diversity (economic and race) and reading. He shared how he’d been going to prisons for over 20 years to speak to the youth there to promote literacy. He reminded us that there are all types of children, and that “we need to acknowledge that these [diverse] kids exist,” and “you will save some lives by the choices of the books that you get into kids’ hands.” It was a speech that would make any person want to go out and change the world because we were listening to a person who had.

Ricki

Walter Dean Myers was a gentle, kind man with a fiery spirit. He was committed to change and a strong advocate for young people. When I first met him, I was surprised by how soft-spoken he was. It became immediately clear that his words had power, and I listened very closely when he spoke. Even when the lines for his book signings were out of the door, he treated all of the people in the line as if they were the only ones who mattered.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to receive his newest book, On a Clear Day in the mail. When a brown envelope comes, it is often a mystery about which book will be inside. When I pulled out the book and saw his name, I felt a rush of excitement. I will read anything by this man. In this particular text, Myers strays from his norm and dapples in the dystopian genre. This does not surprise me because he has never been afraid to be innovative and break barriers.

I’ve been fortunate enough to teach Walter Dean Myers’ books, and any teacher who has used them in the classroom knows how powerful they can be for kids. My students have used Monster to debate the inequities of society, and they have learned about the devastation of war from Sunrise Over Fallujah. When I wrote a tribute to Myers on my Facebook page, a student posted about how much he treasures Fallen Angels because Myers’ military experience was very clear. His books are gripping, honest and gritty. These are the kind of books that help kids realize that they are readers.

Walter Dean Myers leaves behind a legacy of powerful books that will reach children for decades. He is truly a giant among men, and I’ve been honored to learn from him.

Walter Dean Myers’s will always be alive in his books,

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Top Ten Tuesday: Blogging Confessions

July 8, 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 Blogging Confessions

Ricki

1. On our #IMWAYR posts, I have said I’ve finished a book when I have a good chunk left to read. I race to finish it that night to avoid being a liar when the post goes live the next day.

2. I binge blog…writing five or six weeks at a time. When I get on a roll, I just can’t stop!

3. I spend hours trying to fix the spacing of blog posts because I am so obsessive. When I can’t get it right, I lose sleep over it.

4. I reread my blog posts five to ten times to make sure I avoided grammar mistakes. I am meticulous to a fault.

5. Our Monday blog posts go live at midnight, and more than once, I have leaped out of bed at 11:45pm to race to beat the clock because I forgot.

Kellee

1. I always put a positive spin on my Monday posts no matter how bad a week I had. It is hard for me to admit when reading just wasn’t a priority during my week.

2. I have written postive-ish reviews on books that I really didn’t like because I liked the author that asked me to review it for him/her.

3. I am not a grammarian. I do my best, but Ricki is just better at grammar than me. (And I type pretty quickly and have been known to make typos and not see them.)

4. I have to put reminders in my phone to blog each weekend because when I didn’t in the past, I’d forget to do the Monday post or some other post for the week.

5. I’ve had trouble writing teacher posts this year as I was not in the classroom and struggled in my new position, and I feel really guilty about it.

It’s your turn! Time to confess!

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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!

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?

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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!