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 want to see more of my reading, visit my Goodreads shelves here. The lists of the books in the images below may be found at Goodreads.

Picture Books at School

After finishing the book study with Jennifer LaGarde about her book with Darren Hudgins, Developing Digital Detectives, I have been revamping my lessons with 5th and 6th grade. We've been talking about emotions that media can inspire so some of the books we've been reading are: Little Brown by Marla Frazee, A Place Inside of Me by Zetta Elliott illustrated by Noa Denmon (author reading here), When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson illustrated by Julie Flett (author reading here), and Let's Go/ haw êkwa! by Julie Flett. 

At one of my schools, we've also been getting ready for our author visit that's happening this week. Nikki Shannon Smith is coming to our school so we've been reading a lot of her books like Our Beautiful Colors and excerpts from her early chapter Azaleah Lane series (trailer here) and her newest novel for middle grade readers, Stranded (trailer here). 

With TK/K I read a book I heard about in Jennifer LaGarde's book sessions, How to Tantrum Like a Champion. That one seemed a little on the nose for election week, but it finally arrived through inter-library loan so it was in the plan book for the day after the election.

My Reading the Past Few Weeks at Home

I've read a few rom-coms for adults this past week for relaxation and The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates for reflection. 

I've also spent time in the library and book store reading newish picture books. Here are some of the noteworthy ones: Leo's First Vote by Christina Soontornvat illustrated by Isabel Roxas which was bittersweet following the election, Built to Last by Minh L>ê illustrated by Dan Santat that had tears dripping as I thought of what they have done together over the years now, and Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice by Kari Lavelle illustrated by Bryan Collier. Finally, I read George Takei and Michelle Lee's My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story. That is one that hits locally. The grandparents of one of the students at one of my schools were in the same camp. They are reading the book in the child's classroom since I had just gotten a copy from First Book recently.

My Reading Plans

I am supposed to read Moonglow by Michael Chabon for a book club, but I am not excited about it so I'm not sure if I will. I have a YA book checked out, I Hope This Doesn't Find You and my start that one, but we will see. Have a great week with lots of reading. :)