It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

If you go to my Goodreads account, you can see what I have read recently & click on the books to learn more.

On the Blog:

Interview with Author Kim Sagwa (Rich in Color)

Last week in books:

I read Yes No Maybe So for the Rich in Color March book discussion. It's a really great YA that gives a look into activism along with a sweet relationship. I got a copy of Feast of Peas by Kashmira Sheth from the publisher. It's a fun and humorous picture book I'll be reviewing soon. Curses and Kisses is another ALC (Advanced Listening Copy) that I got from Libro.fm for teachers. I wanted to read it because its' by Sandhya Menon, but didn't realize precisely what it was. I know it's problematic, but Beauty and the Beast was always my favorite fairy tale. I loved it because it was the only story I knew that wasn't love strictly because of how someone looks. Anyway, this is the first book in a YA series that consists of modern retellings. This has many similarities, but is also its own unique tale. I laughed aloud many times and had many smiles. It's light and perfect reading for relaxing. Let's Make Ramen! is a very fun graphic novel cookbook. I tried one recipe and it was yummy. It begins with a history of ramen and is extremely thorough in the different components. "All the Real Indians Died Off": And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans is by the Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, the same author of An Indigenous History of the United States. It digs into the many stereotypes and myths about Native people.

The Coming Week:

I am still reading new Eric Gansworth memoir Apple (ARC from Edelweiss) and am listening to The Gravity of Us via Libro.fm. I just got approved for American as Paneer Pie so I may start that one too. Have a great week.

Reading Challenge Updates: 

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 95/500

Diversity on the Shelf 2020 - 63/250
Chapter Books 2020 - 32/200

#MustReadin2020 - 12/36
#YARC2020 - 13/55

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

If you go to my Goodreads account, you can see what I have read recently & click on the books to learn more.

On the Blog:

Review: Before the Sword

Last week in books:

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors was a fun retelling. Almost American Girl is a great YA graphic novel memoir. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You was available as an ALC, Advance Listening Copy, through Libro.fm's free audiobooks for Educators/Librarians deal. It's amazing and I will likely be listening to it again and will for sure be sharing it with other teachers. I read How to Be Good for book club. It's a slightly bizarre book and as it is Nick Hornby there are a few amusing moments, but it wasn't my favorite. Wow, Three Women was not what I was expecting at all. I read it because it's one of the February books on The Stacks podcast. It's nonfiction and is looking at desire through the eyes and experiences of three women. It's like a reality show on the page and it is not holding anything back. It is definitely an adult book. How to Be an Antiracist was much like Stamped, but it was also a bit of a memoir along with the history. These are both important and helpful books. Finally, I read the nonfiction picture book Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom. She was so awesome and persistent.

The Coming Week:

I just started the new Eric Gansworth memoir Apple (ARC from Edelweiss) and am also listening to All the Real Indians Died Off and am in the middle of the Let's Make Ramen! graphic novel cookbook. Have a great week!

Reading Challenge Updates: 

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 90/500

Diversity on the Shelf 2020 - 58/250
Chapter Books 2020 - 29/200

#MustReadin2020 - 12/36
#YARC2020 - 13/55

Review: Before the Sword

Title: Before the Sword
Author: Grace Lin
Publisher: Disney Press
Pages: 384
Availability: On shelves now
Review copy: Digital ARC via Netgalley

Summary:  A novel filled with adventure and wonder set before the upcoming Walt Disney Studios Mulan film.

Review: What prepared Mulan to be a mighty warrior as she is seen in the many stories about her? Grace Lin has offered an exciting and adventurous tale that shows how Mulan discovered her strengths. It's a book about identity and figuring out the balance of honoring family and yet also being true to one's own needs and dreams.

Mulan knows how a young woman is expected to think and behave according to her mother and others in her community, but she also knows that her instincts and wishes don't always match up with that.

Grace Lin is a storyteller and she is able to include stories within stories again as she did in her Where the Mountain Meets the Moon books. There are often stories to explain the current predicament that Mulan is facing or to explain who it is she must face or beseech. I love this aspect of the book. The author is great at including little clues here and there that can enable the reader to have moments of realization when they can see the connections between characters and stories.

For fans of Grace's earlier works, this book will be a delight. For those unfamiliar with her books, this will be a fun adventure to give Mulan a little back story. I know I'll be purchasing it for my school library.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

If you go to my Goodreads account, you can see what I have read recently & click on the books to learn more.

On the Blog:

Review: Pippa Park Raises Her Game

Last week in books:

Grace Lin's Mulan prequel Before the Sword was reminiscent of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and was an entertaining adventure. Exit West  is a surreal look at refugees and immigration. The story is very unique and is definitely thought provoking. I read it because it was a book on The Stacks podcast. Several of the picture books were award winners. The Book Rescuer, The End of Something Wonderful, and Love and the Rocking Chair, The President Sang Amazing Grace, Muslim Girls Rise were some of my favorites.

The Coming Week:

I'm reading How to Be an Antiracist, Let's Make Ramen and I'm listening to"All the Real Indians Died Off." I also need to read How to Be Good for book club. Have a great week.

Reading Challenge Updates: 

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 82/500

Diversity on the Shelf 2020 - 53/250
Chapter Books 2020 - 24/200

#MustReadin2020 - 9/36
#YARC2020 - 11/55

Review: Pippa Park Raises Her Game

Title: Pippa Park Raises Her Game
Author: Erin Yun
Publisher: Fabled Films Press
Pages: 288
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic, Sports
Availability: February 4, 2020
Review copy: Digital ARC via Edelweiss

Summary: A Contemporary Reimagining of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens for Middle Graders

Life is full of great expectations for Korean American Pippa Park. It seems like everyone, from her family to the other kids at school, has a plan for how her life should look. So when Pippa gets a mysterious basketball scholarship to Lakeview Private, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself by following the “Rules of Cool.”

At Lakeview, Pippa juggles old and new friends, an unrequited crush, and the pressure to perform academically and athletically while keeping her past and her family’s laundromat a secret from her elite new classmates. But when Pippa begins to receive a string of hateful, anonymous messages via social media, her carefully built persona is threatened.

As things begin to spiral out of control, Pippa discovers the real reason she was admitted to Lakeview and wonders if she can keep her old and new lives separate, or if she should even try.

Bonus Content: Discussion Questions, Author Q&A, and Korean Language Glossary and Pronunciation Guide

Review: I'm not a sports fan so realistic sports novels aren't usually my first pick. I have to admit sports are a bit of a reading gap for me. Many times though, the stories are great and I end up wondering why I don't read more of them. Pippa Park is one of those books. Basketball isn't why I picked it up, but it also didn't make me stop reading. When a character is passionate and enthusiastic about any one thing, it makes me want to stick with them and see where they go with it. Pippa runs into many roadblocks, but she does not stop pursuing her dreams.

Strangely enough, I didn't go into this knowing about the Great Expectations connection. That let me see that even if readers are unfamiliar (I imagine not many middle grade readers are), they will still be able to follow and enjoy the story. For those who do know the original, there may be times when things are obviously echoing the first telling of the story starting right off with her name and economic challenges.

Many readers will likely be able to empathize with Pippa as she bends over backwards trying to keep up appearances and trying to fit in at her new school. They will also have opportunities for laughter even as Pippa does her balancing act between academics, basketball, working at the laundromat, making and maintaining friendships, and basically trying to remake herself.

It's a cute and fun read about a girl trying to figure out how to fit in and be herself in both her school and her family. She doesn't want to let down her family, but their wishes for her don't always match Pippa's dreams. Added to typical issues of growing up are the specific issues that come up for immigrants.

Recommendation: If you're looking for more sports related realistic fiction with a dash of comedy, this would be a great pick. Pippa is charming and the story is entertaining and just unique enough to keep readers flipping the pages. This will do especially well with fans of K-dramas and K-Pop though some of the references are a little dated. Quite a few of the shows and music mentioned were popular just after current middle schoolers were born. I believe fans will still be excited to see mention of Korean media even if they may not know the specific titles.

Extras:
Author book summary - video
Q&A with Erin Yun

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

If you go to my Goodreads account, you can see what I have read recently & click on the books to learn more.

On the Blog:

Review: Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott

Last week in books:

Many of these were awesome - Pachinko, White Bird, Say Her Name and the others were also quite good. I wouldn't wave you off any of them. I am short on time though, so can't really give specific reviews.

The Coming Week:

I'm still reading Three Women. I am starting a Nick Hornby book that seems suspiciously like a re-read for me. It's for book club and I'm hosting, so I best read it regardless. If I already read it, it must have been a long time ago.

Reading Challenge Updates: 

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 65/500

Diversity on the Shelf 2020 - 41/250
Chapter Books 2020 - 22/200

#MustReadin2020 - 8/36
#YARC2020 - 9/55