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?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/14/20

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

• Chirp book recommendation reviewed by 5th grader Coco
• NERDS book recommendation reviewed by 5th grader Aakash

Middle Grade

It's been months and months since my last #IMWAYR, but I wanted to get back into the swing of posting, although I'm only the monthly-goal track rather than weekly.

My school has been virtual since early March, and this year's students are writing their first book reviews to share with each other and wider book-loving audiences. You can read the first two linked above in Recent Posts.

The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling is a quick-read seat-of-the-pants style adventure and survival novel. Nora is still processing the traumatic events of her birthday a year ago, but she and her father are determined to make a new start ... they just weren't quite anticipating how quickly things would escalate.

My students are huge fans of Dusti's cactus series (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus), and while this is a very different style of book, I know many, many students will love it. 

Twins by Varian Johnson and illustrated by Shannon Wright is an awesome addition to the graphic novel canon. If we were in-person right now, I know that I would never see this book on my shelves again. 

Twins Maureen and Francine are entering middle school and trying to balance their separate desires to be seen as their own person and to still be best friends. When they both decide to run for Class President, it brings their personal conflicts out into the open. 

This is a super-engaging and charming story about the realistic struggles of sisterhood and friendship. Author Varian Johnson is himself a twin, and brings that firsthand knowledge of how deep and how fragile twin-relationships can be, especially at this age. My student beta-reader declared this book "Great!"

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It's Monday! What are you reading? 04/27/20

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

• Book recommendation: Everlasting Nora reviewed by 5th grader Esme
• Amina's Voice reviewed by 5th grader Eli

Middle Grade

I am still here!

Our school has been virtual since March 13th, but we had two days notice about that decision, so I was able to send my students home with one book for book club discussions and as many from our classroom library as they could carry. But for me, I have barely been able to scrape together the time (and mental energy) to read at all. (The two-year old plays a big role here, so my picture book game is still rocking!) This is the first, and only, book I've read so far since everything began. But it's a winner.

When Stars are Scattered (2020) by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson. This incredibly moving graphic novel memoir is based on the life story of Omar Mohamed and his younger brother Hassan. The two boys were forced to flee Somalia when they were young, and when the book opens they have already been in a refugee camp in Kenya for years.

The story is well-told and engaging, and the artwork is fabulous. Victoria Jamieson is on the front lines of proving that graphic novels should be taken seriously (Newbery Honor for Roller Girl), and this one is an amazing addition. I cannot wait to share it with students, and it would be an excellent choice for a book club centered around the refugee experience.

I hope you all are well. Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 01/06/20

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

• Book recommendation: Wish by fifth grader Jasmine
• Book recommendation: Treasure Hunters series by fifth graders Eli and Caleb
• Book recommendation: Tumble and Blue by fifth grader Jillian
• #MockNewbery: Beverly, Right Here (spoilers)

Picture Books

The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Sarah Jacoby. This is the book-of-the-day under discussion for the Mock Newbery challenge hosted by Heavy Medal. You can read my full thoughts about the book here.

Middle Grade

Right before winter break's #IMWAYR board for my fifth graders.

The Line Tender is Kate Allen's debut book. It's another for the Mock Newbery challenge, and it is definitely a book that I would qualify as "Newbery bait" - dead mother before the book opens with another major upheaval in the main character's life as the key plot point. (No dead dogs, though there are several sharks.) It was a bit of a miss for me - too much sad and too over the top (especially the timing) that I couldn't get hooked on the character first. Still putting together my full thoughts for later in the week.


Happy Reading and Happy New Year!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/16/19 #IMWAYR

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

• Imhotep! Original song by Eli. Please listen, he'd love comments!
• Book recommendation: Twinchantment by fifth grader Anshika
• Book recommendation: A Series of Unfortunate Events by fifth grader Petra
• Book recommendation: Cleopatra in Space by fifth grader Paul

Picture Books

Room on Our Rock (2019) by Kate & Jol Temple and illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton. This powerful little picture book requires a little practice as a read aloud. It's a reverso poem, so you read the entire book front-to-back then again back-to-front. My students really enjoyed the process and the powerful change in perspective.

Middle Grade

This week's #IMWAYR board for my fifth graders.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise (2019) by Dan Gemeinhart. This book is making the rounds of my Mock Newbery student group, and it's a perennial favorite. I read it at the end of an emotional week and will admit to crying in several different spots. It reminded me a lot of Walk Two Moons (the road trip component is an obvious connection), which is one of my all-time favorite books. But there were a few things about the ending that interrupted the final flow of the book for me. Other thoughts about Coyote as a possible Newbery contender?

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/25/19

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

• Book Recommendation: Aru Shah #iLoveMG. Fifth-grader Varnika shares what she loves about this new series!

Picture Books

Freedom Soup (Dec. 2019) by Tami Charles and illustrated by Jacqueline Alcantara. Freedom Soup tells the background of this Haitian recipe and its connection to the liberation of Haiti and their celebration of independence day, dating back to New Years Day of 1804. In the story, Ti Gran and the narrator work through the recipe and the history together. A copy of the recipe and author's note complete the book. This is a charming addition to any food or recipe-based book lists! (An advanced copy of this book was provided by Candlewick. All thoughts are my own.)

Middle Grade

The #IMWAYR board in my fifth grade classroom is continuing to be a big hit! I have a student who has self-appointed herself the board keeper. She updates the day each morning and cleans the whole board each Friday. The kids love seeing what others are reading and posting updates.

The Toll (2019) by Neal Shusterman, book #3 in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy. It's finally here! I cannot count the number of months since I preordered this book or the number of times former students of mine have asked when it was coming out. And despite all the hype, the conclusion to this trilogy did not disappoint. Shusterman is a *masterful* storyteller and weaves together so many different plot lines (and timelines early on), it's incredible. Read the series. That is all.

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 09/16/17

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

• #PB10for10: Inclusive picture books for the first weeks of school. A round up of my all-time favorites (and many of which I've already shared with this year's fifth graders).

• Fifth grader book recommendation: Number the Stars

• Best Book List: fantasy by fifth grader Ezra

• Probably every book I read in fifth grade that you should read too

Middle Grade

I decided to dedicate a white board in my room to our own #IMWAYR, and I love it! The kids enjoy seeing what others are reading, and it's been an easy way to initiate book conversations. My plan was for it to be a once-a-week thing, but they kept wanting to keep it current and changed Monday to whatever day of the week it was.

I've read several new books over the past month, most of which are now available. Click over to the full posts to read more!

Friend or Fiction is the third novel from Abby Cooper, and it debuts on October 8th, 2019. Click here to read my full review post.

Hena Khan's newest middle grade novel More to the Story debuted earlier this month. Click here for my full review post.

The Okay Witch is a new graphic novel by Emma Steinkellner debuting on September 3rd, 2019. Click here to read my full review post.

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 07/01/19

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!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/03/18

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

• #DiverseKidLit for December. Share a link or find the latest diverse book recommendations here! 

Picture Books

We'll be doing a Mock Caldecott again this year, so I have been doing my best to try and catch up on possible picture book contenders for this year. These are a few I had time to browse from our school library's display.

A House That Once Was (2018) by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Lane Smith. This is a soft and quiet kind of book, and my fifth graders instantly settled down as the read aloud began. There are some really interesting things going on here, artistically, especially between the two art styles of the "real" and the imagined sections of the book. Lovely.

Teddy's Favorite Toy (2018) by Christian Trimmer and illustrated by Madeline Valentine. I love that this is a book about a boy and his favorite doll - and that it is NOT a story about any issues with him being a boy with a favorite doll. What I loved less was the weird break into unrealistic at the end as his mom (literally) swoops in to the rescue. Some of my students felt that this was too much like Knuffle Bunny and too predictable of a story.

Middle Grade

The Bigfoot Files (2018) by Lindsay Eager. Class president and all-around-perfect student Miranda is hiding a secret at home: her mother is obsessed with finding evidence of Bigfoot and other legendary creatures, often pulling Miranda from school to accompany her on wild jaunts around the country following elusive leads. Miranda has had enough and decides to plan once last adventure to prove to her mother than there's nothing out there to find.

I absolutely adored Linday Eager's debut book, Hour of the Bees, and it's subtle blend of magical realism and lavish descriptions. I'm not sure it worked as well here, especially for a book premised on whether an unrealistic creature is possible or not. I found this book far less satisfying. (An advanced review copy of this book was provided by Candlewick. All thoughts are my own.)

What books are on your ALA award lists?

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/05/18 #IMWAYR

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

• #DiverseKidLit for November. Share a link or find the latest diverse book recommendations here! (The October link goes live on Saturday.)
• #classroombookaday week4: poetry and gratitude

Picture Books

Margaret and the Moon: how Margaret Hamilton saved the first lunar landing by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Lucy Kinsley. Our school was lucky enough to have Dean Robbins as a guest author for our book fair last year, and he shared some great stories behind the creation of this book. With Halloween approaching, we had decided our seventh-month old would make an adorable astronaut, so I was trying to brainstorm an appropriate costume to match: Margaret!

Margaret (left) is standing next to a stack of the code she wrote for the Apollo lander's computer, whereas I am standing (right) next to a pile of my classroom's dictionaries, Harry Potter collection, Hugo Cabret, and The Mysterious Benedict Society series. Ha!

Middle Grade

Ghost by Jason Reynolds, read by Guy Lockard. We took a break from picture book read alouds and book clubs to do a novel-length read aloud this past month. As a strong believer in the need for diverse and inclusive books, I am always exposing my students to different voices through stories, but this time I also decided to literally expose them to different voices by listening to the audiobook version of Ghost.

They loved it. Everyone got hugely invested in the story, and there was much yelling and groaning at any poor decisions. There was a moment of silence after the cliffhanger ending, then an immediate clamoring for the rest of the series. We happened to finish on the day that Lu (the fourth and final book in the series) was published, so my avid readers are racing each other to see who gets it first.

I teach two classes of fifth grade, so with the other class we shared Gertie's Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley. My students delighted in Gertie's quest to be "the best fifth grader ever," and again, this was a story with much yelling and groaning at some poor decisions. Nearly every time we ended there was begging for "just one more chapter" or at least "just the next sentence" when we hit a particularly cliffhanger-y stopping point. There was much discussion and speculation when we were finished about whether there would possibly be a sequel someday.

What are your favorite read alouds for middle graders?

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 10/01/18 #IMWAYR

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

• #DiverseKidLit for September. Share a link or find the latest diverse book recommendations here! (The October link goes live on Saturday.)
• #classroombookaday The First Weeks of School
• Poetry and Empathy, week 3

Young Adult

Tradition (2018) by Brendan Kiely. I got to sit at Brendan Kiely's table during the Children's Book Award Luncheon at NCTE last year and received an advanced copy of this book. But there is no more timely moment than now to share my review.

Tradition is told in two perspectives: high seniors Jules and Jamie who both attend the prestigious Fulbrook Academy. Jules is sick of the "old boys club" attitude of her classmates and ex-boyfriend, while Jamie has just arrived as a recruit for the hockey team, and his lower socio-economic status puts him at odds with his new teammates. Through their voices Brendan Kiely opens his readers' eyes to issues of privilege, sexism, rape culture, and more. This is a powerful and important read that should be required reading for all high school and college students.

Picture Books

The Day War Came (2018) by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Rebecca Cobb. This book is a searing look at the impact of war, racism, and prejudice on children who become refugees. It began as a stand-alone poem and says so much with very few words. One to add to my text set of powerful books about refugees and immigrants.

This year in fifth grade I have instituted a regular #classroombookaday read aloud time! I'm trying to post weekly about the titles we are sharing together. You can read my reviews on each week's post:

• #classroombookaday The First Weeks of School
• Poetry and Empathy, week 3 (pictured above)

What are your favorite picture books for middle graders?

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 09/03/18 #IMWAYR

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

• #DiverseKidLit for September. Share a link or find the latest diverse book recommendations here!

Board Books

Tooth (2018) by Leslie Patricelli comes out tomorrow. This is an adorable addition to her wide-range of toddler- and baby-centric stories. Tooth conveys the mystery, confusion, and excitement of the arrival of those first shiny white chompers, as well as some useful reminders about how teeth work and what to do for them. Super cute book!

As my son has been drooling enough for teething for at least two months at this point, this was a particularly timely arrival! (An advanced review copy of the book was provided by Candlewick. All thoughts are my own.)

Picture Books

The Stuff of Stars (2018) by Marion Dane Bauer and illustrated by Ekua Holmes also comes out tomorrow. I normally don't start thinking about my Mock Caldecott list until well into December, but after this book I think I'll just hang up my library card and call it. This. book. is. gorgeous! (Read my full review here.)

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 07/09/18

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

• #DiverseKidLit for July. Share a link or find the latest diverse book recommendations here!

Picture Books

A Seed is the Start (2018) by Melissa Stewart. This is a great new picture book from Melissa Stewart featuring amazing photographs from National Geographic that will be a mainstay in many Science classrooms. Read my full review here.

Middle Grade

Breakout (2018) is the latest from Kate Messner. This is an interesting and engaging book told in a unique format (actually, many, many formats). Read my full review here.

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 06/04/18

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

• #DiverseKidLit for June. Share a link or find the latest diverse book recommendations here!

I'm back! So I failed a bit in my goal to share an #IMWAYR post once a month since the baby has been born, but that's ok too. Maternity leave has definitely cut into my reading (especially my easily going-to-the-library time to check out new books and picture books), but I am certainly learning quite a bit more about the world of board books.

Board Books

Baby Loves Quarks! by Ruth Spiro and illustrated by Irene Chan. This was the first autographed book I bought for my baby, way back last summer at Nerd Camp #nerdcampMI. I had met and chatted with Ruth Spiro the previous year at Nerd Camp and was excited to add this title to my collection. The Baby Loves Science series introduces actual science topics in unique and informative ways for the youngest of readers (Coding, Thermodynamics, Gravity, and more). Plus the illustrations feature a variety of diverse babies as subjects. Who wouldn't want to get out their building blocks after learning about quarks?

Middle Grade

The Parker Inheritance (2018) by Varian Johnson. This is an engaging mystery / quest book with a historical (and Civil Rights) component. Read my full review about this must-read book here.

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed is a middle grade novel set in modern Pakistan that wrestles with issues about economic exploitation and indentured servitude. Read my full review about this great new #ownvoices story here.

The Unicorn Rescue Society (series) by Adam Gidwitz and illustrated by Hatem Aly. Read my full review about this great new series here.

Happy Reading!