Sunday, July 20, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from pictures books through YA by Jen of Teacher 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.

Picture Books

5 Positive Picture Books for Ramadan | The Logonauts

This week I reviewed 5 Positive Picture Books for Ramadan. These five stories (three realistic fiction, one poetry, and one folktale) introduce their readers to the holy month of Ramadan and its significance in Islam through approachable texts and characters. Several of the books are set either in America or in an unidentified country, which increases their worldwide applicability. Read the full review here: 5 Positive Picture Books for Ramadan.


My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) by Peter Brown. This one has definitely been making the rounds of "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" and I got off the library wait list for it this past week. I am looking forward to sharing this book with my students in the spring when we study "Perspective and Point-of-View." The story is told purely from Bobby's POV, and I think discussing the teacher's POV and her changing perspective about Bobby during the story could provoke some lively conversation. (* Update: here's a link to an article by Peter Brown called Regarding Monster Teachers about his experiences that led to this book.)

Middle Grade


A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. This charming novel follows the story of Felicity Juniper Pickle as her wandering family returns to her mother's hometown that once had a history of everyday magic. The story contains echoes of both the Litmus Lozenge from Because of Winn-Dixie and the unexpected talents of Savvy and the Quirks but holds its own as Felicity learns about the past and how it still impacts the present. I love the idea of "seeing" words and how Felicity's word collecting helps her write poetry. I will be keeping an eye out to add this one to the classroom library. (HT Book Egg.)

Professional Books


I joined in for the second week of #CyberPD of Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild. I really enjoyed her first book, The Book Whisperer, and have taken a lot of her ideas and suggestions to heart. You can read my thoughts about Chapters 3-4 of Reading in the Wild here.

Happy Reading!

15 comments:

  1. I loved Reading in the Wild so good - and I really loved the cover, gorgeous colours and I love just to run my hand over it. All by the by, what's inside I use too!

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    1. Thanks, Kathryn! I do think it is true how even as teachers we judge a book by its cover! I think it is interesting to compare the two previous covers for Book Whisperer.

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  2. I've read and learned from Reading in the Wild. I got my copy autographed when I met Donnalyn at nErDcampMI recently. I also recently read and loved A Snicker of Magic. Come see my week. Happy reading!

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    1. How cool, Kathy! I only found out about nErDcamp afterwards but hope to attend on in the future.

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  3. I thought My Teacher is a Monster was hilarious - and you're right - perfect for point of view! LOVED A Snicker of Magic. Natalie Lloyd is wonderful to Skype with! And of course, Reading in the Wild is a must-read.

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    1. Thanks, Holly! I have not yet done an author visit over Skype, but it is something I would like to try in the future. Did Natalie Lloyd Skype with your whole class then? Would love to hear more about it!

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  4. Can't wait to get my hands on the new Peter Brown--one of my favorite author/illustrators. A Snicker of Magic really snuck up on me--I wasn't that engaged for the first 60 or so pages, kept wondering why everybody loves this book so much, but then it got to me and I think it will end up in my top 10 of the year.

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    1. Very cool, Elisabeth. I think you have a great example of when "sticking with a book" paid off!

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  5. Enjoyed A Snicker of Magic this week, too. Made me hungry for ice-cream!

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  6. I bought A Snicker of Magic for my classroom library, but I haven't actually read it yet. Sounds like I should find it on the shelf and read it this summer!

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    1. Definitely, Julie! Then you'll be even better poised to find exactly the right reader in your room who needs it next.

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  7. I loved Snicker of Magic! Can't wait to read it to my class this year! And of course I LOVED Donalyn Miller's book! Great choices!

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    1. Thanks so much, Megan! Do you plan to use "A Snicker of Magic" as a read aloud? You will have fun sharing all those great words together.

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  8. Really fell in love big time with Snicker of Magic and particularly enjoyed Felicity Pickle's voice, and I liked the mother's character the least. Thank you for sharing the Ramadan titles - new to me! And I am collecting multicultural titles for my higher-degree course, so I shall definitely be on the lookout for these, thank you so much for sharing.

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