Monday, June 27, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/27/16


It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.



Last Weeks' Posts

  • Kid Lit Blog Hop for June. The monthly #KidLitBlogHop also went live last week. Check in and share any kid lit related posts and reviews.


Middle Grade



Land of Forgotten Girls (2016) by Erin Entrada Kelly. This charming story shares the power but also the risks of imagination. Older sister Sol (Soledad) uses her creativity to sooth younger sister M- when life with step-mom Vea gets rough. But when M- experiences her own flight of fancy, Sol needs to find a way to embrace their realities.


Secret of the Andes (1952) by Ann Nolan Clark [Newbery Award Winner]. This book is on the reading list I inherited for seventh grade English and is another to check off my #Nerdbery list. Set in modern Peru, the book follows young llama-herder Cusi as he learns more about life outside Hidden Valley and how the 400-year old conquest of the Inca by the Spanish still lives through the lives of people today. I thought this was an OK if fairly predictable read. I'm curious to know more about the author and her background with the region and the cultural history...

I'm on the lookout for great books / poems / short stories about and by Latin American authors, as I have a lot of flexibility for adopting new texts. Any advice appreciated!

Happy Reading!

13 comments:

  1. The Dreamer by Pam Muzoz Ryan and Peter Sis gives a glimpse of a young Pablo Neruda growing up. It blends biography, fiction, poetry, art, magical realism and questions that invite you to ponder. Most of the other Latin American writers I know are for adults, but I loved THe Dreamer.

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    1. Thanks, Kay! I had that one on my TBR stack last summer but never got around to it. Will do.

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  2. I thought of one more--Tree Girl by Ben Mikealson

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    1. That's a new one to me; will definitely investigate. Thanks!

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    2. Tree Girl is very intense

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  3. What about the picture book about Pablo Neruda? It is a wonderful way to spark students' interest in his work - https://www.amazon.com/Pablo-Neruda-People-Monica-Brown/dp/080509198X/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1467052236&sr=8-14&keywords=pablo+neruda

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    1. I love that one! I've shared it with my third graders, but I am looking forward to delving more into some of his poetry with middle school.

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  4. Margarita Engle has many verse novels out that touch on Latin American history. Like Kay, I love Pam Munoz Ryan's work, too. You might like this blog, lots shared in that area: https://latinosinkidlit.com.

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  5. It can be fascinating to reread previous years' award winners - they're like a window into the past.

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    1. Agreed. Some of those early Newberys are a bit of a chore. Most of my #Nerdbery gaps are the older books.

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  6. Sounds like you had a good reading week. I haven't read either of those books yet.

    As for middle-grade books about Latin America, one of the best I have read recently was The Lightning Queen. It was amazing on audio! It's set in Mexico and is about a group we don't often find in literature - native Mexicans. Really excellent all around. Here's my review:

    http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2016/05/middle-grade-review-lightning-queen.html

    Enjoy your books this week -

    Sue

    http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2016/05/middle-grade-review-lightning-queen.html

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  7. I can't wait to read Land of Forgotten Girls. It is high on my list!

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