Sunday, May 12, 2013

It's Monday! What are you Reading?



Jen & Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts host a meme every Monday that invites people to share the children's and young adult books they have been reading over the past week and what they plan on reading the following week.

You may find more complete information about what I am reading at Goodreads or by clicking on the Goodreads widget along the side of my blog.

Picture Books


Of the picture books, I definitely enjoyed Buffalo Bird Girl and Dreaming Up the most. They were fantastic. I had read a very thorough review of Buffalo Bird Girl earlier in the year on Debbie Resse's site and was so glad to finally get to read it for myself. I really appreciated the mix of artwork and photographs to help tell her story. This is a very accessible biography and I will be adding it to our library. I reviewed Dreaming Up yesterday and loved it.

Middle Grade and YA



Hold Fast was a twisty mystery and I enjoyed the connections to Langston Hughes. It is also a good look into the issue of homelessness. It got a few tears out of me. 

Anna and the French Kiss was a mixture of things for me: annoying, funny, cute, annoying, sweet, and a little predictable. I was listening to it on audio and came close to giving up a few times since the main character was driving me up the wall with the poor me stuff. At about the second or third CD though she finally had a reality check and that changed. The predictability was also annoying, but the cute and sweet factors made up for a lot. I became more of a fan as it went along.

Vader's Little Princess was a nice shot of humor. Hole in My Life was sobering. I read it for the Printz Challenge, but also because Jack Gantos will be in town next week. Yay!

I think my favorite YA this week was The Crown of Embers. Elisa is awesome and I am enjoying seeing her grow.

The Coming Week:
I am finishing up the audio of Eli the Good (read by the author) and am starting to speak with a southern accent as a result. I have just started reading Shatter Me and have The Water Castle on deck. I will need to read something for my review on Rich in Color for Friday too. Stop by to see the new look if you have a moment and let us know what you think.

What will you be reading? Have a great week!




18 comments:

  1. I read and enjoyed Building Up a few months ago but I haven't found Lets Sing a Lullaby With The Brave Cowboy. That appeals to the Texan in me. Hold Fast is on my TBR list.

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    1. The Lullaby book is very cute. My youngsters are going to love it.

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  2. Hi there Crystal. These books are unfamiliar to me, thanks so much for the recommendation. I own a few Blue Balliett books but haven't had a chance to read them yet. :) Enjoy the rest of your reading week!

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  3. The cover for Buffalo Bird Girl has caught my eye . . . glad to hear it's great! Looking forward to Hold Fast, which I might try as a read aloud. My oldest (11yo) tried it but walked away because she was "confused".

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    1. I actually wondered about the difficulty level on Hold Fast. It is quite a complicated mystery. I was thinking it would work best as a read aloud at the elementary level rather than independent.

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  4. I felt the same with Anna and the French Kiss... Listened to it, fun quick audiobook but enjoyed other titles by the author a little more.
    Curious about Building Up.
    I couldn't put down Shatter Me when I read it, enjoy!
    Wow, enjoy seeing Jack Gantos!!

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    1. Good to know I am not alone on Anna. I had heard many people rave about it so I kept at it. I had a hard time leaving Shatter Me this morning to go to work. ;) Thanks!

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  5. After meeting Rae Carson at the Ohioana Book Festival this weekend, I have been inspired to finally start her series! I seriously need to work on Shatter Me. I am in serious danger of becoming the only person who hasn't read it! Have a great reading week! http://wp.me/pzUn5-1wd

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    1. I am really enjoying Rae Carson's series. I fall into the story and am fully immersed each time. That's the reason I picked up Shatter Me too. It seems everyone I know has already read it. Thanks!

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  6. Hold Fast is such a wonderful book. There are quite a few I don't know that you've listed, so I need to check them out. It looks like Shatter Me might be next.

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    1. I am flying through Shatter Me. Almost finished.

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  7. Hold Fast had such beautiful language! My boys love Hole In My Life every year, and I recently read it myself. Inspiring biography.
    I'm glad you ended up liking Anna and the French Kiss! That's one of my favorite light reads. I want to read Lola and the Boy Next Door when Isla and the Happily Ever After comes out.
    The Girl of Fire and Thorns is one of my favorite series! I have an ARC of The Bitter Kingdom, and it. is. amazing.
    Happy reading this week! Hope you enjoy Shatter Me!

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    1. Thanks! I cannot wait for The Bitter Kingdom! Glad to know it is worth the wait.

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  8. I loved The Water Castle! Enjoy. A wonderful middle grade read. I really want to read The Girl of Fire and Thorns - seeing you move on to book 2 is an important reminder to get to it!

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    1. Thanks Carrie! My teen even thought Water Castle looks good. She said she might read it too.

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