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.

Past Week:

Newbery Challenge

Out of the Dust always manages to make me cry no matter how many times I encounter the story. The setting is stark, but so are the words. There are just enough to deliver the powerful story and they are well chosen. Bud, Not Buddy is another hard-hitting book filled with emotion, but fortunately there is also plenty of humor to lighten this tale. I have laughed my way through many times now. Every single one of these Newberys was a pleasure to read. All except one were re-reads and each carries a set of memories for me. I thought I had read A Year Down Yonder, but I had mixed it up with A Long Way to Chicago. I was happy to meet Grandma Dowdel once again. She is such a hoot and a has such a big heart. Altogether, this was a fantastic week with Newberys.

Non-fiction Books

The Impossible Rescue was a marvelous survival account. The temperature here has been in the teens and twenties this weekend, but I simply cannot fathom being outside covering over a thousand miles in the weather and conditions that they were facing. Amazing. 

I Have the Right to Be a Child is a nice piece that uses simple terminology to outline the basic rights of children as described in the Convention on the Rights of a Child that the UN adopted in 1989. This would be wonderful to use with children of any age, but it would be especially helpful to spark discussion with middle grade students. A summary of the Convention may be found here.

Picture Books

As a Shakespeare fan, I loved Shakespeare's Seasons. I am not sure if the casual child reader would enjoy it as much on their own. It is perfect though for sharing in the classroom as an introduction to Shakespeare and/or the seasons. I liked the windy day spread with "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!" from King Lear III.ii.1

I enjoyed sharing More Parts with my first grade students. Arnold humorously continues the fun storyline of a child worrying about losing parts. Perfect way to study idioms. I did like the original Parts a bit better though.

The Coming Week:

On the recommendation of a German friend, I started reading a book for adults* Measuring the World, a German bestseller about two geniuses that set out to measure the world. I am reading it with my ears as nerdybookclub members have taken to saying. I am listening as I fold laundry and knit. I have also started to read Crispin for the Newbery Challenge. I will likely finish a few more Newberys and some picture books in class at school. Have a great week of reading!

*amazing that I am reading something besides kidlit