It's Monday! What are you Reading?

Jen & Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts host a meme every Monday that invites people to share the children's and young adult books they have been reading over the past week and what they plan on reading the following week.

You may find more complete information about what I am reading at Goodreads.com or by clicking on the Goodreads widget along the side of my blog.

NaNoWriMo is finally over so my reading should pick up now. Four books in one week is way too few for my taste. I enjoyed writing and becoming a winner again, but I am excited to have more reading time again!

The Past Week

Newbery Challenge

Jumping back into the Dark is Rising series was a bit tricky, but still satisfying. I didn't remember all that I could have, but things still made sense for the most part. It is tricky when you have to read a random book out of a series on its own. The Grey King was high fantasy and definitely shifted me into a whole other time and place. Cooper brings the reader into this rather stark and forbidding landscape full of many hidden powers and it is all rather thrilling. I read the entire series as a child and loved every minute of it. I also found this great video of Susan Cooper talking about her writing. She has a fun sense of humor that peeks out every once in awhile. She is also a fellow book lover. She said that when she was a child, "I inhaled books like a vacuum cleaner." 

By the way, the biography page on her website has very interesting information and some wonderful photos.

Poetry

Donalyn Miller from The NerdyBookClub recommended Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems recently so I just had to get my hands on it. I found many favorites inside and was so excited to show it to our 5th grade unit just getting ready to start a poetry unit. This book is a perfect mentor text to use with students hesitant about writing poetry. I especially loved the one about the pencil. I think many people will find favorites inside. 

YA Fantasy

I got to read Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon. I started it after 11 at night and that was a grave mistake. The book pulled me in immediately and I couldn't not shake loose until about 1:00. I finished it up in the morning. I am glad it was a weekend. The main character, Ai Ling, is learning about herself and the rather unusual power she has to slip into a person to hear their thoughts and feel their pains. Very soon after the book begins, she is compelled to set out on a journey to find her father and has many adventures. I was not prepared for the wide variety of horrifying creatures that she encounters. Whew. I am glad that this series is a bit older so that the next one is already available and I will not have to wait for it.

Historical Fiction Picture Book

A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson is actually difficult to pin down. It is biography"ish" but isn't truly a biography as the author explains at the end. It's more historical fiction focused in on one person in a picture book. She has provided information within the framework of a story. I thoroughly enjoyed the old fashioned illustrations. 

For the Coming Week:

I will be reading as many books from the Nerdy Book Club Award Nominees list that I can possibly get to in the next two weeks. I can't wait to vote.