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
- Free Webcast with Stephan Pastis - plus a giveaway! Candlewick is sponsoring a free web cast geared at teachers with author Stephan Pastis on Mon. Feb. 22nd. This post has the details about where to sign up - plus a chance to win all four Timmy Failure books!
- Book Club Discussion: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I am highlighting some of my favorite books to use for book club discussion groups with kids, including possible chapter breakdowns and big ideas.
- If You Like Harry Potter ... My students are sharing book recommendations, following the "If you like ... read this next ..." format.
Picture Books
Be a Friend (2016) by Selina Yoon. I was really eager to get my hands on this book after reading so many glowing reviews and teasers, but I'm just not sure it lives up to the hype. Dennis, who is a mime, lives life his own way but still feels lonely, until another student reaches out to him. I get the message (it's in the title, after all) but not sure how much kids will take away from it. This is definitely a book I want to try out with kids to see what they think.
Middle Grade
Waylon! One Awesome Thing (4/2016 ARC provided with Scholastic Book Orders) by Sara Pennypacker. Fans of Clementine, rejoice! Despite officially ending the Clementine series of books, Sara Pennypacker is back with a new series featuring other children in Clementine's class, now that they have moved on to fourth grade.
Waylon is a science guy, but he's not sure what that means for where he fits in with the rest of his class - especially now that the boys are forming "teams" and choosing sides. His sister is dealing with her own teenage issues, leaving Waylon feeling more and more alone. This is a series that will draw in readers of realistic fiction, lovers of science, and many more.
Happy Reading!
Waylon sounds good. I'll have to be on the lookout for it. Here is my week. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy! Will do.
DeleteI enjoyed Be a Friend because of its message of kindness and including others. The Ss at my school need that message shared as often as possible. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Jana, the message is key. I'll be interested to see whether students can transfer it to other situations too.
DeleteThanks for introducing Waylon, sounds like a fun connection for those who love the earlier books. I liked Be A Friend, read it to my granddaughter, six, & she understood the message. They do talk a lot about including others at her school, so perhaps that helped. I hope you share what you discover.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. I'll keep you posted!
DeleteIt's definitely something to think about - all the reviews and hype around children's books in general is created by adults, who aren't exactly the target audience of any children's book, so it's worth thinking about how kids will actually react to a book - there's sometimes quite a divide between the books that adults think children should like, and the books they actually do. I haven't read Be A Friend yet, but I'm always curious.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Jane. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole was one of those books for me. I didn't see the point at all, but my students last year couldn't get enough of it!
DeleteSalina's book made me swoon. I love the message and the illustrations. I've read it over and over...
ReplyDeleteMrs. Frisby was one of the first MG books I read which made me fall in love with kidlit - I would have to re-read that at one point. I think I paired it previously with The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick.
ReplyDeleteI have been mourning the end of Clementine--and now I see I didn't have to! SO excited to hear about this new series!! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete