It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.
The Past Week: This was an excellent week of reading. I enjoyed every single book I completed.
Picture Books
Kate Messner's Sea Monster is once again cute and engaging. Beautiful Oops is a fantastic way to show how accidents and mistakes can inspire creativity. Brief Thief is just flat out hilarious. Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great is so true. People are sometimes jealous and negative about others who are talented. In those times, we forget that we all have different talents.
Middle Grade
I checked this audio book out because I had a road trip and I had read most of the others that were available. I had no idea what it was about. Mimi's family has just lost their mother in an accident. The story is a look at the grief process in their family. It was touching, but I appreciated that it didn't feel like the author was trying to manipulate the reader with emotions. Mimi and her family muddled their way through their pain. I was excited to find out that there is a sequel because I wanted to spend more time with them.
Graphic Novel
I enjoyed learning about these three amazing women. The format was honestly a bit tricky for me. I lost the flow sometimes and didn't always follow closely enough to keep track of who was who. I would be reading along and realize that we switched to another person when I wasn't paying attention. I think this is because I still don't give the illustrations the time that I should when I am reading a graphic novel.
I found Stronger than Steel pretty fascinating. I have to admit though that some of the science around DNA and the chemistry went over my head. I let it. When I think to hard about things like that my head hurts. I get it in a big theoretical manner, but it reminds me of the Dr. Who explanation of time being "a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey-wimey...stuff." I can't look at it too closely and I found the book educational in spite of not understanding every single bit.
The Coming Week:
I am on the second CD of On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells. I am very close to abandoning though. I have not really been captured by the story so I am not sure if I will stick to it. I am also reading InterWorld, but am again not enthralled. Maybe that is why I didn't finish them this week.
I want to get started reading some books for #bookbootcamp which is historical fiction this week. I will likely start at least one of the following: Beholding Bee, Duke, The Lightning Dreamer, P.S. Be Eleven, or Paperboy.
What will you be reading? Have a great week!
Beautiful Oops! is fun. Be sure to check out his Arlo Needs Glasses. And you'll enjoy his new book coming out later this month- A Little Bit of Oomph!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think that was the first book I had read by Saltzberg.
DeleteYou are the second person who has posted about Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great and The Brief Thief. I'm going to have to find these books! Beautiful Oops sounds like a book we can all use from time to time. I'm sorry you are not enjoying On the Blue Comet. I read it last year and I loved it. I read P.S. Be Eleven a few weeks ago. I can't wait to hear what you think.
ReplyDeleteI think my trouble with The Blue Comet is that it is audio. I tend to be less connected with those. I may have to abandon the audio & try it the old-fashioned way.
DeleteThe best thing about On the Blue Comet was the pictures, so I can see that listening to it would lose a lot. It was beautiful, but a bit slow for middle grade.
ReplyDeleteI will give it a shot in hardcover. :)
DeletePrimates formatting was a little tricky for me as well...
ReplyDeleteGlad to know it wasn't just me. ;)
DeleteI love the concept behind Beautiful Oops...that mistakes can be works of art. And Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great was one of my favorites last week. The kind of laugh-out-loud book that makes for a great read-aloud.
ReplyDeleteMaria @novalibrarymom.com
Yes, I love finding books that celebrate creativity and those that are celebrating "mistakes."
DeleteI liked Beautiful Oops a lot. It's great to share with my gifted students, some of whom are perfectionists! I need to read Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great and Brief Thief!
ReplyDeleteI think we all need to be a little more forgiving of our mistakes and look at them more as opportunities.
DeleteThanks for your honest thoughts about PRIMATES. I just got it in the mail, so I am eager to read it, so it was good to read your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI think you will enjoy it.
DeleteI know what you mean about novels that manipulate the emotions of the reader - the reading sounds forced and the words are contrived rather than authentic. I should find Brief Thief soon. It does seem like a laugh-out-loud kind of book. :) Thanks for sharing all these titles.
ReplyDelete