It's Monday! What are you reading? #IMWAYR 08/16/21

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

• Student poem, Positivity not Negativity by 5th grader Dhyana
• The Girl who Stole an Elephant book review

Middle Grade

It's back to school season, so I wanted to get back into the swing of more regular blogging. Like everyone, my reading life has fluctuated quite a bit over the past year and a half, but I've recently had more success. Below are two of my most-recent favorites.

Sisters of the Neversea (2021) by Cynthia Leitich Smith (cover illustration by Floyd Cooper). This is a powerful and engaging retelling of the Peter Pan story. Wendy and Michael are joined in this version by their sister Lily (step-sister and half-sister, respectively) who brings a Native American perspective to the story and to the racist stereotypes perpetuated in the original. It also raises fascinating questions about what it means to remain perpetually a child ... and what exactly *does* happen to all those Lost Boys who keep growing up? Highly recommend for kids both with and without familiarity with the original.

Cleo Porter and the Body Electric (2020) by Jake Burt. While it may feel "too soon" for a post-pandemic dystopia science fiction series, this one was written before Covid and is more concerned with what life looks like after a segment of the population has walled themselves off completely from the world. I found it super exciting and enjoyable. A touch of City of Ember mixed with The Giver.

What have you been reading?