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.
Last week in reading:
The Coming Week:
Once Upon an Eid is a lovely middle grade anthology. I was happy to finally get to read it.
The Best at It was even better than I expected. I read it with my ears and it had me laughing and it got a few tears. It's a middle grade book about a boy who thinks he can solve some of his problems (one of them is some bullying) if he was just the best at something. Rahul's also dealing with a possible mental health issue and wondering if he is gay.
A Wish After Dark is another middle grade. This one is a fantasy set in Thailand with a young man who has been growing up in the prison where his mother had died. Children have to stay there until they are thirteen or their parent is released so he's been there for a awhile. This book deals in many social issues including imprisonment, poverty, and more. It's so well written and I fell right into this world.
Cilla Lee-Jenkins Future Author Extraordinaire is super cute. Cilla shares the major happenings in her life as her family prepares to welcome a new sibling into their lives. Her mother is white and her father is Chinese American and the two sides of her family aren't antagonistic, but they don't have much to do with each other. That's a concern for Cilla among other things. It's a beginning level chapter book with plenty of humor and would work for fans of Ramona or Junie B.
How to Solve a Problem is a fantastic picture book. It is written by one of the worlds most skilled rock climbers who is still quite young. I started climbing more seriously early this spring and so I was really looking forward to this book. I took a few lessons and quickly learned that falling is something you do a LOT when you are climbing. And, a route up the rocks or wall is just a problem to solve. It's a great book for talking about how falling or mistakes are opportunities to learn and improve.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine was a book I picked up because too many of the books sitting around my house involve some trauma or are quite intense. I just wanted something a little lighter. Eleanor's particular way of looking at the world was just the right thing for the day I was reading. She is quite unique and it was nice to step into her life for just a bit as our lives her in the U.S. are not completely fine right now.
I'm still slowly working my way through Their Eyes Were Watching God. The Making Comics book has a lot of drawing prompts so that is also slow going. I'm reading The Black Flamingo with my ears so that one is for walking the dog and chores. I've only just begun The Four Agreements Companion Book and I'm about halfway through When Things Fall Apart. This last one is actually very helpful right now.
Reading Challenge Updates:
Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 260/500
These books sound great! I actually just bought a copy of Once Upon an Eid, and I've also seen praise for The Best At It and A Wish in the Dark. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like I could really use some Eleanor Oliphant about now. I'm currently enjoying the Scythe series, but I'll be looking for some light hearted adult reading very soon. I've had this one on my list for quite a while, so perhaps this summer would be a good time to grab a copy. I really hope you're enjoying Their Eyes Were Watching God. As I mentioned last week, it's one of hubby's favorite books. I had to fall into the unique writing/dialect, but once I did I thoroughly loved it. Your reading challenges numbers always amazing me. That's just WOW! No wonder I learn about so may titles from you... :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed A Wish in the Dark very much, the story & the different culture, those brave children! And, I just got How to Solve A Problem, now need to read it. It has received some great reviews. Thanks, Crystal!
ReplyDeleteYou hav convinced me that I need to read The Water Bears. I wish I had How to Solve a Problem when I was still teaching my own classroom. We used to go to an indoor climbing center in the first month of school and what we learned there provided inspiration for the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteTrent and I need to get How to Solve a Problem--it looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteOnce Upon an Eid is one that I own but haven't gotten to read yet--I really want to!
Happy reading this week :)