It's Monday! What are you Reading? 4/2/12

It's Monday! What are you Reading? From Picture books to YA is a meme hosted by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Hop on over to their blog to see what others are reading this week!  

This week I read:

I really enjoyed all of these books. I don't know what took me so long to read The Bad Beginning, but now that I have I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I listened to this book on CD and it was narrated by Tim Curry. He did a FANTASTIC job! I think kids would love the voices he gives to each character, especially his very creepy interpretation of Count Olaf. I read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind on WeGiveBooks.org. It was a very inspirational story based on real events. Dead End in Norvelt was narrated by the author, Jack Gantos. This was great because he has a very funny voice and I enjoyed listening to him imitating his more youthful self. The Touble with May Amelia was very good, and I can't wait to get my hands on the original! (To see book trailers for the last two books, click here.)

This week I  will still be working on Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. I am also going to be starting Divergent by Veronica Roth. A could of friends and I decided to start a mini book club, and this will be our first read. Since reading the Hunger Games series, I am totally into this type of genre now and can't wait to start another highly recommended series. 

What have you been reading lately?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? 3/26/12

It's Monday! What are you Reading? From Picture books to YA is a meme hosted by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Hop on over to their blog to see what others are reading this week!  

Here are the books I read this week:

Here are the books I am working on:

I am reading Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, and listening to the audiobook of The Touble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm. This is Holm's follow up novel to Our Only May Amelia, which I have not yet read. However, from what I can tell, you do not necessarily need to read one before the other. Breadcrumbs would make and excellent read aloud from what I can tell. A mixture of realistic fiction and fantasy.

Both books that I am currently reading are very good so far, but I will tell you more about them when I finish!

What reading adventures did you take this past week, and which ones will you venture into next?

It's Monday! What are you Reading?3/1912

It's Monday! What are you Reading? From Picture books to YA is a meme hosted by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Hop on over to their blog to see what others are reading this week!

The picture books: 

The Lion's Share: A Tale of Cake and Eating It, Too by Matthew McElligott

Memiors of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian and Illustrated by Tim Bowers

Chapter Book:

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt is a follow-up novel (or in his words "a companion novel") to The Wednesday Wars. Both books take place during the Vietnam War, but feature different main characters. (One does not necessarily have to have read one before the other, but it helps for some background on Okay for Now's main character.) In this novel, the main character is Doug Swieteck. You may remember him as Holling's ill-mannered, trouble making (can we call him a friend?) classmate. Holling makes a cameo in the beginning, but shortly thereafter Doug and his family relocate to a new town.  What I really loved about this novel was the inside view we get of Doug's home life. Let's just say it is far from desirable and, in my opinion, it really makes Holling's life seem like a walk in the park. The story moves through Doug's first year in a new town, a new school, and even a new job. As you can imagine, it is not an easy acclimation. But, by the end of chapter one, you will come over to (and stay on) Doug's team.

Where The Wednesday Wars made references to Shakespeare, Okay for Now revolves around several paintings by John James Audubon. I have to admit, I think I liked it more than its predecessor. Schmidt tugs at your heartstrings (and your funny bone) throughout the novel. I think students will enjoy this as a read aloud, although it may be more appropriate for grades six and up.

Watch this video to hear Gary D. Schmidt talking more about Okay for Now: 

It's Monday, What are YOU Reading? 3/12/12

Check out the Picture Books and YA novels others are reading at TeachMentorTexts! 

Here are the picture books I read this week:

The Girl Who Spun Gold By Virginia Hamilton

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match (A Bilingual Picture Book) by Monica Brown

Freedom School, Yes! By Amy Littlesugar

The Faithful Friend by Robert D. San Souci

Big Jabe by Jerdine Nolen

George Washington's Birthday by Margaret McNamara

The novel I read this week was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. This is a Young Adult novel (which you will realize pretty immediately). The Fault in Our Stars was spectacular, to say the least. It is a funny, tear-jerkingly real and raw story about teenagers living with cancer. The main character, Hazel Grace, will grasp your attention immediately and hold it well beyond the last page of the book. Her friend, August, will do the same. This is a story that will be with me for a long time to come. 

Here's the trailer:









Annnnnd a really wonderful song inspired by the book (using quotes from the book, but no spoilers!)





I am about half way through Okay for Now  by Gary D. Schmidt (author of The Wednesday Wars) and will continue working on it this week. 

What great books did you read/ are you planning on reading?

It's Monday, What Are YOU Reading? 3/5/12

This week I am sharing two weeks worth of reading. I was very busy last week and did not gt around to posting (sorry!).

I have been reading a LOT of picture books. Both in my search for quality picture gooks for middle grade students, as well as in my attempt to accomplish the Caldecott Challenge. Here are the ones I have read over the past two weeks:

I also read two chapter books:

Inside Out and Back Again is the story of a Vietnamese family's journey to America as refugees from the Vietnam War. It tells the story of their highs and lows as they adjust to the way of life in the United States, through verse and the eyes of a young girl. Based on the author's own experience, Inside Out and Back Again is a wonderfully written story about strength, courage, and finding your place in a new world. 

Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder (a favorite Twitter author of mine) is the story of 12 year old Rebecca and her family coming to terms with looming possibility of divorce. When Rebecca's mother decides to pack up the kids and head for her home state of Atlanta, Rebecca is understandably resentful. She spends her first day sulking in the attic of her grandmother's house. There, she discovers a collection of bread boxes, but one in particular catches her eye. It isn't until later that she discovers it has the power to grant wishes...as long as they aren't bigger than a bread box. Rebecca also learns that for every wish you make, there is a consequence. I loved this book because of its realness, but also its qualities of mystery and fantasy. The kids are already lined up to read it!

It's Monday, What are YOU Reading? 2/13/12

Thanks to my public library, I read a LOT this week! I am so excited to share!

First there were the picture books (click each image and see some of the book trailers for more information):

(Although, I feel like The adventures of Hugo Cabret counts as both a picture book and a novel.)

And the novel: The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate

I absolutely adore gorillas. When my husband and I went to Disney World for our honeymoon, my favorite day was the day we spent at the Animal Kingdom park (which is also the resort we stayed in). I was in awe of the walk-through safari, and thoroughly embarassed my husband by my giddyness when we arrived at the gorilla enclosure. I stayed they and cooed over them for a good 20 minutes, and almost put up a five-year-old fit when he nudged me along. That is why I think I adored this book so much. 
Ivan is a silverback gorilla who has spent over 25 years in a cement floored "domain." His only view of the outside world is through a sunlight in the food-court of the mall where he resides. His friends are a stray dog named Bob, and a wise elephant named Stella. And then of course, there is Julia..the little girl of the caretaker. She and Ivan are kindred spirits in their love for drawing and painting. When a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, everything Ivan knows and believes begins to change. This was a heartbreaking and inspiring book about friendship, loss, and making things right. 








I loved all of these books and am slowly but surely working on reviews for them on Goodreads. Some were old, some were very new, but they were all fantastic!

This week, I am going to work on the following books:

So...what are YOU reading?