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 Week's Posts
- #DiverseKidLit: books with multiracial characters. Share a link or find the latest diverse book recommendations here.
Young Adult
When I Was the Greatest (2014) by Jason Reynolds [Coretta Scott King winner]. 15-year old Ali is just trying to lay low and hang out with his friend, Noodles, and his brother, Needles (who has Tourette syndrome), but sneaking into a grown up party gets them involved in some grown-up issues. This is a powerful story that takes many twists and turns you might not expect. (I would consider putting this in our middle school library. Certainly in any high school library. There is violence, some language, and an almost sex scene.)
Adult
Between the World and Me (2015) by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I happened to be (re)reading this book for book club, and it made for a fascinating pairing with When I Was the Greatest. What both books do a great job of demonstrating is how quickly things can go wrong if you are an African-American boy (whether Ali at the party or Ta-Nehisi on the street corner near the group of boys). Your body is not your own, and you are placed in many situations where the continuity of your life is tenuous. Lots of important fodder for discussion and reflection here.
Happy Reading! (PS I am traveling right now and will get to comments when I get back.)
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