Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/8/21

November 8, 2021 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Giveaway & Review!: A Sari for Ammi by Mamta Nainy, Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

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

Kellee

The weekend got away from me (even with that extra hour!), so this post just didn’t happen this week–sorry!! See you next week ❤

To see what I’ve been reading, check out my 2021 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Hi! I got my booster shot and am not feeling so great, so I will return next week.

Tuesday: A-Okay by Jarad Greene

Thursday: A Hundred Thousand Welcomes by Mary Lee Donovan, Illustrated by Lian Cho

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Non-grammatical doesn’t always mean wrong” by Matt Forrest Esenwine, Author of I Am Today

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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Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

November 6, 2021 by Ricki

Sofia is a 10-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer, who started with us when she was 8 years old. On select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

GET READY TO READ THE BEST BOOK EVER! Introducing The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer! Danny is no normal kid! He lives every day twice, which means he can improvise on the first run of the day! During his “discard days” he does crazy things because he knows anything that discard Danny does will be erased from people’s memories at the stroke of midnight. This is the kind of book that would make reluctant readers hooked. This book is recommended for ages 8-12.

Danny has always had the ability to live every day twice. When he was a little kid and did not know to keep the double day thing a secret his parents thought he was crazy. Only after going to a psychologist for a few years, he now knows how to keep it a secret. Maybe he got this “power” by being born on February 22 at 2:22 am (2/22 at 2:22 am!) At his new school Danny sits with a girl named Freddie. On a discard day Danny plays a game called the brown bag game. It is a game where kids play a video game at lunch and whoever wins gets all the money the other people put into a brown bag under the lunch table. The money that the winner gets is the money that the kids pay as “entrance fee” which is two dollars. But Danny and Freddie suspect foul play when one kid wins every day. By now you might know why Danny mostly plays on discard days. At some point Danny starts to feel like he should tell somebody about the double day. Do you think Danny will tell somebody, and most importantly, who will he tell?!

I love this book because it is so funny and it keeps you reading. I love the idea of living every day twice and was enchanted by this book. It was so amazing to see how much a person can change on a discard day. I would really recommend this book to anybody! I hope you enjoy this fantastic book!

**Thanks so much, Sofia! Now we need to get our hands on this book!**

Review and Giveaway!: A Sari for Ammi by Mamta Nainy, Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

November 2, 2021November 2, 2021 by Ricki

A Sari for Ammi
Author: Mamta Nainy
Illustrator: Sandhya Prabhat
Publication Date: November 9, 2021 by Amazon Crossing

Summary: Ammi weaves the most beautiful saris but never gets to wear any of them. Her two little daughters decide to do something about it—break their piggy bank! But when there isn’t enough money to buy Ammi a sari, the two girls must work together to find a solution. Will they be able to buy Ammi the gift she so deserves? With a text full of heart, and bright, cheerful artwork, this story brings readers into the home of a weaver’s family in Kaithoon, India, where the creation of saris is an art form. The book includes a glossary of Indian terms and a note about the saris made in this region.

“This delightful picture book shines a spotlight on a rural, underrepresented Indian Muslim community.” —Kirkus Reviews

Mamta Nainy is a children’s writer, editor, and translator based in New Delhi, India. She is the author of many children’s books, including A Brush with Indian Art, illustrated by Aniruddha Mukherjee, which won the Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award in 2019; and Bioscope, illustrated by Shanti Devi, which was named to the IBBY Honor List in 2012. Follow the author on Instagram @mamtanainy.

Sandhya Prabhat is an independent animator and illustrator from Chennai, India, who resides in the United States. She has a master’s degree in animation and digital arts from New York University. She has illustrated nearly a dozen picture books, including her recent book I Am Brown, written by Ashok Banker. She animates for TV and movies and creates content for social media websites such as Facebook, Google, and Snapchat. Follow the artist on Instagram @sandhyaprabhat.

Review: This is one of those books that makes readers want to be better people. The two sisters in this book have so much heart and so much love for their mother that they are determined to buy her a sari. It is clear that their mother is so beautiful of a person that they feel she must own a beautiful sari. I love, love this book and really enjoyed reading it to my children. Afterwards, we talked about the many ways we can be better people.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book invites readers to take action. After reading the text, I might ask students the ways in which they can show their gratitude for the people in their lives. Then, we might begin a community action project together.

Discussion Questions:

Why doesn’t Ammi own a sari?
What do her daughters decide to do? What do they learn along the way?
How might you show your gratitude for the people in your life?

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët, Normal Norman by Tara Lazar, Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse by Marcy Campbell, What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amazon Crossing Kids aims to increase the diversity of children’s books in translation and encourage young reading from a range of cultural perspectives.

Recommended For:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/1/21

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste, Illustrated by Amber Ren

Sunday: Student Voices: Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s Visit to Kellee’s School

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

Kellee

Once Upon an Eid edited by S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed: I loved this anthology! I learned a lot about Eid and different ways that it is celebrated. As with any anthology, it is so much fun to read snippits by so many different authors.
Where I End & You Begin by Preston Norton: I am so glad my high school librarian friend recommended this to me! It is a fun twist on a Freaky Friday story, but with so much in it about identity, friendship, love, family, forgiveness… so much! And it is funny–I laughed out loud too many times during family reading time.
Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui: Trent’s sensei recommended this manga to me, and I can definitely see why. The concept is fascinating: an alien(?) had destroyed the moon and is now threatening to destroy the Earth in a year, but first, he wants to be a teacher for a year allowing his pupils chances to assassinate him. This is the first manga since Promised Neverland that I have been sucked into and want to read, read, read.
Rereads with Trent: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt & It’s Shoe Time! by Bryan Collier

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2021 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I just finished listening (on audio) to Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya. (I’d read it previously in print.) I love this book so much and am excited to discuss it with my class this week!

Kellee

Reading: As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

Reading during family reading time: Assassination Classroom Vol. 3 by Yusei Matsui

Reading for my Lunch Book Club: Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Listening: Jackpot by Nic Stone

Trent reading during family reading time: Catstronaut 3: Space Station Situation by Drew Brockington

Jim reading during family reading time: Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham

Ricki

I just started listening to We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez to prepare for my class in two weeks. So far, I might be liking the audio more than the print version! It’s hard to tell. Both are so good.

Tuesday: A Sari for Ammi by Mamta Nainy, Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

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Author Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s Visit to Kellee’s School

April 22, 2023October 31, 2021 by Kellee

Having authors visit my school will NEVER get old! It is such an amazing experience for my students (and me)!

For Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s visit, she was at our school for half a day (we were splitting with another middle school), but we were able to fit in 2 presentations and book signings during this time.

The first presentation was to our two-way dual language students, and Christina gave the presentation completely in Spanish! It was awesome to support the magnet program and literacy! For this presentation, she talked a bit more about Red Umbrella because my Spanish Honors teacher plans to teach the book.

The second presentation was to our Student Literacy Leaders, 7th grade Latinos in Action, Lunch Book Club members, and several students who signed up to fill in the last of the 75 available spots. This presentation was focused on promoting her newest book, Concealed, which we were able to give a copy to each student who attended! After the presentation, Christina signed each students book and chatted with each student.

It was a whirlwind of an visit, but it was wonderful! I highly recommend Christina Diaz Gonzalez for visits–she was engaging, interesting, and the students loved her! I asked my Student Literacy Leaders to reflect on the visit, and here are some of their responses:

I really liked the author and she seemed like a great person and learning about her secret dream of being an author and her becoming one was honestly really inspirational.
It was very inspirational! I also loved how passionate she seemed about writing and reading books.
My favorite part was when she was talking about her idea process and how she got the idea for Concealed.
I learned that being an author doesn’t mean you need to have your whole book planned out from chapter to chapter, as long as you have a start and finish, you could write a book.
I learned that anyone can be an author if they enjoy it.
The visit was important to me because I love meeting an author and seeing what they are like outside of what is written in their books.
The visit was important because she was a Latina author, and I haven’t met that many female authors of color.
The visit was important to me because it was a new experience for me when it comes to visiting authors and getting a little sneak peek of their life. I enjoyed every second of it and getting a signed book for free just seemed like a huge honor.
It was important because it was my first time meeting an author!
The visit was important to me because it gave me (alongside others) a chance to take things in from an author’s perspective; it really was refreshing to hear and gain a sense of.
I learned that even if there’s no motivation left is to always push through the matter/problem.

Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s Books

Concealed

The Red Umbrella

Moving Target & Return Fire

A Thunderous Whisper

Stormspeaker

Hope Nation

Thank you so much, Christina, for this wonderful visit!

Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste, Ilustrated Amber Ren

October 26, 2021 by Kellee

Looking for a Jumbie
Author: Tracey Baptiste
Illustrator: Amber Ren
Published September 21st, 2021 by Balzer + Bray

Summary: New York Times bestselling author Tracey Baptiste and acclaimed illustrator Amber Ren take readers on a fun, creepy, storytime-ready romp through a forest filled with creatures from Caribbean folklore.

I’m looking for a jumbie, I’m going to find a scary one.

But Mama says jumbies exist only in stories. So Naya sets out on a nighttime adventure to find out for herself.

No such thing, say the friends she makes along the way.

But Naya is sure that jumbies are real. Some have big mouths. Or thick fur. Or glowing skin. Or sharp teeth. Kind of like her new friends….

Looking for a Jumbie is a gentle, bouncy, and creepily fun read-aloud inspired by traditional Caribbean tales.

Praise:

“A vibrant and entertaining tale filled with mythical creatures from Caribbean stories that is perfect for Halloween and year-round.” -School Library Journal

“The illustrations are colorful and dreamlike, and Ren pays special attention to accentuating the features of characters. A nice addition to offerings on being afraid of the dark, monsters, or nighttime adventures.” –Booklist

About the Author: Tracey Baptiste is the New York Times bestselling author of the middle grade novels Minecraft: The Crash, The Jumbies, Rise of the Jumbies, and The Jumbie God’s Revenge. A former elementary school teacher, Tracey is now on the faculty at Lesley University’s creative writing MFA program. Raised in Trinidad until she was fifteen, she now lives with her family in New Jersey. You can visit her online at www.traceybaptiste.com.

About the Illustrator: Amber Ren is the illustrator of Because by Mo Willems, a New York Times bestseller. She is also a visual development artist, and her work has been featured in the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art’s first online exhibition, “ART in PLACE: Social Distancing in the Studio.” You can find her online at www.amber-ren.com.

Kellee’s Review: This book is equally compelling, spooky, and fun! Trent and I had a great time chanting the “I’m looking for a jumbie…” part of the story (great repetition & rhythm!) and meeting all of the jumbies that Naya meets along the way. The illustrations were also perfect for the story! I loved the way that Ren was able to bring such beautiful coloring in even in a story happening at night. After we were done, we went on a Google hunt to learn more about jumbies, and I introduced Trent to Baptiste’s middle grade Jumbies books too–he says he can’t wait to read them when he is older!

Ricki’s Review: This book feels like an instant classic to me—it is one that I will read and enjoy with my kids again and again. There are so many different ways to approach this text for kids, and it offers so much potential for classrooms. I love the ways in which the jumbies are made approachable for kids. It offered wonderful conversations in my family about fears and bedtime scary things. This is a book that belongs in every home. I think it will find a place in all readers’ hearts.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: What a great addition to lessons about mythology/folklore for young readers! Looking for a Jumbie is a perfect introduction to Caribbean folklore and can start a delve into more stories.

Discussion Questions:

Which Jumbie would you like to meet?
Why was Naya never scared of the Jumbies?
Was Mama right or wrong about the Jumbies?
How did the illustrator leave clues about the upcoming Jumbie?
What is the mood of the book? How did the illustrations add to the mood of the book?

Flagged Passages:

Activity Guide:

Read This If You Love: Folklore & Mythology; Magical Stories

Recommended For:

**Thank you to SparkPoint Studio for providing copies for review!!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 10/25/21

October 25, 2021 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

Happy reading!

Thursday: Inside Cat by Brendan Wenzel

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

Kellee

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson: I LOVE THIS BOOK! I loved the high school dynamics, friendship issues that are just so easy to identify with, the pure LOVE and romance, the fight against bigotry, and just about everything about the book! The narrator was also wonderful!
#noescape by Gretchen McNeil: Gretchen McNeil just knows how to write a twisted, messed up, edge of your seat, gruesome thriller! I have trouble putting her books down!
Lucky Caller by Emma Mills: Oppositely, Emma Mills knows how to write romances that make your heart fill with happiness and love for the characters!
Land of Cranes by Aida Salazar: I first struggled with reading this beautiful book, but by listening to it, I was able to hear the intricate verses and lyrical language. I am glad I didn’t give up on it!
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam: Oh man, this one broke my heart. Co-written by one of the ~~Central Park~~ Exonerated Five, Amal’s story just rips at your insides and makes you so sad for this young man who is targeted, judged, abused…. all because of time, place, and color of skin. The open-ending will make many a reader mad, but I definitely can guess why the authors did it. Also, don’t miss out on the Afterword.
With Trent:
- Is Was by Deborah Freeman: Lyrically and visually stunning!
- Seven Little Mice Go to the Beach by Haruo Yamashita, Illustrated by Kazuo Iwamura: What a sweet little book about team work and family!
- Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste, Illustrated by Amber Ren: Looking forward to reviewing this tomorrow!

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2021 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Hi! My book revisions are due in a week, so I am trying to focus on finishing them up!

Kellee

Reading: Where I End & You Begin by Preston Norton and Once Upon an Eid edited by S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed

Listening: Jackpot by Nic Stone

Trent reading: Grumpy Unicorn Hits the Road by Joey Spiotto and CatStronauts: Race to Mars by Drew Brockington

Tuesday: Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste, Illustrated by Amber Ren

Sunday: Student Voices: Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s Visit to Kellee’s School

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