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.
Recent Posts
- Best Book List: Some Fantasy and Other Awesome Books. Fifth grader AG shares her favorite books of all time.
- Book Recommendation: The Thief Lord. Fifth grader DG shares why she loves this book with " tiny bit of magic and mystery ..."
- Book Recommendation: The Mad Wolf's Daughter. Read on to see why fifth grader LH gave this book five stars ...
I'm getting back into the blogging grove (or trying to)! I'm hoping to at least (re)commit to posting #IMWAYR posts once a a month, and I've been putting together book view and favorite book list posts that my fifth graders wrote this year.
Looking forward to a school year with no new preps (first time in over three years) and a sixteen-month old with a modicum of self-direction to give me a little space inside my own head. We'll see!
Middle Grade
The Bridge Home (2019) by Padma Venkatraman. This is the powerful story of two sisters, runaways to "the city" (Chennai, India), and the challenges they face there. The characters are immediately engaging and pull you into the story, and the writing is quick-paced and descriptive.
Blended (2019) by Sharon Draper. Sixth grade Isabella feels literally split in half by her divorced parents and her mixed-race heritage. This book draws you in and slowly builds in very thought-provoking subplots about divorce, racism, microaggressions, and even police shootings. Well-written, and I loved Isabella's voice and insights.
Young Adult / Adult
Laurie Halse Anderson's poetry memoir, Shout, is electric and a must-read.
Will I see any of you next week at Nerd Camp?
Happy Reading!
The Bridge Home and Blended have both done REALLY well in my library. Thanks for sharing your reader reviews-- always love to hear what they think!
ReplyDeleteI loved both of those MG novels. I should read Shout since I am writing a memoir in verse. I need all the mentor text I can get my hands on.
ReplyDeleteAll novels I want to read. If I only had more time!
ReplyDeleteOh my, you had an incredible reading week! I enjoyed all three of these books -- each have something very important to share to youth. I hope you have a wonderful reading week, Katie!
ReplyDeleteI loved The Bridge Home, but it was so very sad, too. Still need to read Blended & Shout, which I have. What wonderful books you shared, Katie! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have been reading so many great things about Shout AND The Bridge Home. Very exciting time truly in the field of children's literature. :) Miss you in #DiverseKidLit. :) Will you be attending NAGC this year?
ReplyDeleteProbably not this year. Where is it?
Delete