It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

School's Out for Summer! That means I will need to change the way I am doing this posting. I have been writing everything I read, but now that school is out, there are simply too many titles to list. So first, I will point you to my Goodreads link on the right side of this page if your curiosity drives you in that direction. There you would be able to see everything. I will keep posting anything related to a book challenge like the Newberys or Caldecotts, but otherwise, only the best of the best will make it to my Monday post.

Newbery Challenge: I finished Rabbit Hill which was like home cooking - comfortable and not terribly exciting, but great if that is what you are craving. Strawberry Girl was a little better in that the characters were way more interesting to me, but the dialect was a bit much to take after awhile. It was quite entertaining overall. The next one was slightly bizarre and a little more random. Miss Hickory had a unique fantasy farm thing going on that was a lot more creative and unexpected than Rabbit Hill, but I just kept thinking that it was more than a little strange and not necessarily in a good way. The chapters didn't always have much to do with each other, but at least it wasn't boring - and best of all it was short.

Middle Grade Chapter Books: Capture the Flag by Kate Messner had my attention and I am not really a mystery fan at this point in my reading life. I really enjoyed the fun and adventure of several kids working together trying to solve a crime at the airport.

Tween Novel: I absolutely loved Bluefish by Pat Schmatz. A lot of people have it pegged as YA, but I think tweens could enjoy it too. Schmatz did an excellent job with the characters. It felt like I knew them.

Young Adult Fantasy: I finally got to Finnikin of the Rock and unfortunately, I didn't get enough sleep that night since I stayed up until after 2:00 finishing this one. In the beginning, I wasn't sure if I would make it through as some things just seemed too muddy and the story was being told in such small bits and pieces, but eventually it didn't matter anymore. Great fantasy.

Poetry: I found Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems and had a great time with Emma and her sister Jess. I was a big sister and could totally relate.

Picture Books: Colby Sharp had praised Boy and Bot so highly that it was a must read. LOVED it! Had to share it with my 14 yr. old too. She cracked up. It's definitely a keeper. Another fun one was C.R. Mudgeon. It's fun and fabulous watching the staid grump adjust to his positively perky new neighbor. Finally, The Art of Miss Chew was another wonderful Patricia Polacco book that highlights an awesome teacher.

Non-fiction: Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle was a beautiful book and very illuminating about ocean life. Her childhood seemed very much like that of Jane Goodall in that she spent a lot of time outside exploring and observing nature. It might be good to look at Me...Jane and this book together.

I have a humongous pile of books in our home office just waiting for the coming week. Thinking about all of the reading ahead of me, I get a little giddy. I am such a book nerd and I adore summer Bookaday. So for next week, I am starting The 21 Balloons for the Newbery Challenge and may also finish King of the Wind. I started to re-read Wonder yesterday. I am reading carefully and making notes so I can post quotes around the school for the fall. I picked up Same Sun Here today and am excited to finally get to it. There are several re-reads in my pile including A Monster Calls and The One and Only Ivan. Who knows where the week will take me? I am just excited to be on the summer book adventure. Happy reading.