Monday, April 24, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 04/24/17


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 2 Week's Posts


Young Adult



All the Bright Places (2015) by Jennifer Niven. After winning the Young Adult category of March Book Madness, there has been much talk around this book in my room. (The only one of my students who has read it declared it the best book ever.)

At the top of the school's bell tower, Finch and Violet unexpectedly meet each other in the middle of their separate suicide attempts. What follows is a story in their two voices about how they both ended up in the tower as well as how they are drawn together following this experience. My main concern is that in certain ways the book romanticizes suicide (despite the author's best efforts to show its negative impacts on those left behind, as well as providing resources in the Author's Note for those seeking help). I'm conflicted about this one.


Saints (2013) by Gene Luen Yang. Saints is technically the second book in this two-book graphic novel set that tells the story of the Boxer Rebellion in China from two different sides of the conflict. This was a fascinating look at how individual folks become embroiled in wider conflicts and how small decisions and moments can change a life.

After our recent book discussion on American Born Chinese, I was overwhelmed by student requests for this book as well, so it may be some time before I get my hands on Boxers!

Happy Reading!

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing the way Boxers and Saints go together. I love fining out that there was some purposeful design to the cover or to the spines of the book, such as Hogwarts coming together if you put together the spines of a certain printing of the Harry Potter series.

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    1. It's especially cool because they are two different sides of the same story - and two different sides of the two different faces. The same but different.

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  2. I haven't read Boxers and Saints yet, and like you I don't know when I'll get a chance to, as they're always checked out. A good problem to have, though! :)

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    1. A great problem! They are both pretty quick reads though, so you could likely sneak it off someone's hold shelf and finish it pretty quickly ...

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  3. I abandoned All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven because it was too intense and emotionally exhausting for me. On top of this, having a bipolar friend and a bipolar family member, means reading differently. When I discovered that there would be a suicide, I couldn't read more.

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  4. Wow! These books sound amazing and will have to read them this summer.

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  5. I loved Boxers & Saints. I am a fan of Gene Luen Yang. He's the one who won me over to graphic novels. I read Textbook AKR recently and had many moments like yours. She will be missed.

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    1. I think my students were surprised at how much "meat" there was in American Born Chinese; we had some incredible discussions!

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  6. I read All the Bright Places two years back, I think, and remembered feeling how raw this is. By and large, I enjoyed it, but I do get the romanticized part that you refer to here.

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    1. Thanks for sharing, Myra. I have a student this year who Finch reminded me of, but I wonder what message a child who identifies with that character would get after reading that book.

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  7. All the Bright Places holds a special place in my heart. <3

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