It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop hosted by Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. 

This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts. 

It has been quite a while since I have participated in #IMWAYR. Once I was out of the habit, it has been very difficult to get started again. This is me giving it another go and hoping for the best. :)

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at CrystalReading over on StoryGraph. I'm happy to have more friends there if you want to connect. 

Last week: 

The Blue House I Loved is a fantastic new picture book by Kao Kalia Yang illustrated by Jen Shin (out Feb. 10th). It's unique and I reviewed it here. It takes place in St. Paul so if you are interested in supporting an author in the Twin Cities right now, this is a good one to purchase. Also, here is an essay she wrote recently about recent events in MN and how they are affecting her and her family. 

I also reviewed a fun early reader, Rafi and Rosi Menu by Lulu Delacre, that celebrates Puerto Rican food here. It has recipes in the back and I am always a fan of pairing food and books. 

Another picture book that I read recently is The Library in the Woods by Calvin Alexander Ramsey illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. It won a Coretta Scott King Award for its illustrations and a CSK honor for the writing. It's historical fiction about an actual library in the woods that was for Black readers when they weren't yet allowed to go to the public library during segregation. It is a book I will add to my list of titles about censorship and literacy bans. I shared the book with fifth and sixth grade students this week and it had them engaged and thinking.

Another book that completely enthralled my students was The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio. The illustrations are phenomenal and like the Caldecott winner has one extra fold out that extends the reach of the book. It's about a young person who is grieving a loved one as Día de Muertos is beginning. 

There was an additional book that went over well with fifth grade -- Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer by Quartez Harris illustrated by Gordon C. James. The story is very compelling and there seem to be a lot of ways that students can connect with the young Baldwin.

At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom by Erin Estrada Kelly was a quite amazing middle grade narrative nonfiction book. Kelly has a gift of story. This was a gripping biography and Kelly managed to explain complex background information in a kid-friendly way which is not always easy. 

Currently Reading: 

I've started listening to Karuna Riazi's middle grade novel Sabrina Swept Away and am enjoying this storytelling focused fantasy. I'm also working my way through the Spanish edition of the third Wild Robot book - La misión de la robot salvaje. Next up will likely be VT Bidania's new book A Year Without Home which is by a Hmong American author who currently lives in St. Paul.