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.
If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf.
The Past Week:
Picture Books
I really loved How To. The illustrations were fantastic and the text is lovely. I also think it would be helpful when teachers are working on writing "how-to" texts with students. It isn't necessarily a model, but would be a good way to introduce or start discussion about telling or showing how to do something. Year of the Jungle is a bit of a memoir as Suzanne Collins tells the story of the year her father was away at war. The Very Inappropriate Word and Mr. Tiger Goes Wild both made me smile. They are definitely humorous.
Middle Grade
Fortunately, the Milk was quite amusing. I was a bit put off by some of the illustrations, but the story was cute. Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War is a novel in verse so I was inclined to like it from the start. I tend to like anything Helen Frost writes. She chose to write about a time in history when settlers and the Miami people were in conflict. It was well told and showed that in war, friendships can be tested. It was also a book about family and how family can go beyond being related by blood.
Young Adult
I read A Step From Heaven for the Printz challenge. I am so glad it won or I may have missed this fantastic book. This is a story of immigration, but it is also about family. The relationships were complex and they touched my heart. It got tears out of me. I read Jumped In for a review on Rich in Color. It is not a novel in verse, but it does feature a lot of poetry. I appreciated the characters and the well told story. There were a few tears here too.
Non-fiction
My students and I thought A Little Book of Sloth was fantastic. The photographs are adorable and the narrative was fun too. The Mighty Mars Rovers caught my attention especially since I watched the Curiosity landing in 2012. The photos are amazing and seeing how excited the scientists and engineers got was pretty cool too.
The Coming Week:
I am reading a middle grade book Written in Stone and I may still finish Interworld. I just checked out a ton of books, but I am not sure which ones will I will get to this week. Have fun reading!
