Monday, October 15, 2018

It's Monday! What Am I Reading? 10.15.18

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts
 and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  
It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.


Took some time off from blogging a lot to enjoy a quick little trip to Disney.  Got to spend time with our friend, Kellee Moye :)



I thought I would get a lot read while on vacation.  That was silly.  Didn't even finish a book.  So not much to update you on in terms of middle grade, but did get back to a binge reading picture books this weekend!

Last Week's Adventures

This middle grade fiction will delight young and old readers (recommended 1st-5th grade).  Don't miss Garbage Island - amazing characters, setting and an exciting plot!  Be sure to enter the giveaway, open through Wednesday!

Picture Books

I Am Human: A Book of Empathy
I Am Human
written by Susan Verde
illustrated by Peter Reynolds
I absolutely love this mindfulness series.  The stories are beautiful, illustrations are gorgeous and the backmatter is so helpful for both caregivers and teachers.  I think this series will be timeless and something to use year after year after year.

I'm an Immigrant Too!
I'm an Immigrant too!
written by Mem Fox
illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
Written about Mem Fox's beloved homeland of Australia, it shares how many immigrants from other countries have made Australia their home.

Building Books
Building Books
written by Megan Wagner Lloyd
illustrated by Brianne Farley
What could be a love letter to reading.... A little girl loves building and a little boy loves reading.  When the librarian encourages them to try new things, I love that the little girl ends up falling in love with reading because she finds a book that interests her.  I'm not sure how I feel about the little boy learning to love to build things out of books, though.

Thank You, Omu!
Thank You, Omu!
by Oge Mora
A tale with Nigerian roots from the author/illustrator and a beautiful story about kindness and giving to others.

Crash, Splash, or Moo!
Crash, Splash, Moo!
by Bob Shea
This interactive book is probably best enjoyed with a young audience, not on your own.  My guess is young readers will delight in the antics of this story.

Little Brown
Little Brown
by Marla Frazee
This is a book I hate to sit and ponder about at first.  
After the first read I didn't know what I thought of it because of the open ending.
After I read it again and thought about it - all of these ideas came to me.  Great book to use for BHH framework thinking.  You could use it for perspective and thinking about the other side, or for tough questions because both sides ask some big ones.  You could use it for the beginning of the year and setting up your classroom community.  
Yeah, I like this one.

Santa Bruce
Santa Bruce
by Ryan T. Higgins
You know when there is a series, some of the books will be standouts, and others fall short.  I always hold my breath when I'm reading the next in a beloved series.  
I need to stop holding my breath with Ryan Higgins books because they are always fantastic.  They make kids laugh and they make grownups laugh.  This one is no different.  There's humor in it for everyone!

The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick
The Epic Adventures of Huggie and Stick
written by Drew Daywalt
illustrated by David Spencer
Another picture book that is perfect for older readers.  All readers, young and old, will get a laugh with this crazy adventure, but it's the older reader who will be able to get some of the humor, jokes and understand the implied meaning between the two characters perspective.  A fun book to use with map skills.

Benji, the Bad Day, and Me
Benji, the Bad Day, and Me
written by Sally J. Pla
illustrated by Ken Min
Such a heartprint book - a story about two brothers, one has had a no good rotten kind of day and the other has an implied disability.  The kindness of siblings is shown in this book and loving each other where you're at.  I appreciated the author's note at the end of the book that gives more understanding of the disability that is portrayed by the younger brother (autism).

Middle Grade/Young Adult

Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)
Thunderhead
by Neal Shusterman
I don't know why I thought I was going to get through this book quickly when life prevails over fun reading time.  I wish I had more fun reading time because there was not one time did I put the book down and be at a satisfying stopping point.  That didn't happen ever because now I have to wait for book 3!  If you have not read this series yet, you really need to change that.  It absolutely is a favorite!

Currently Reading

Scar Island
Scar Island
by Dan Gemeinhart
I get to have dinner with Dan this week (squeeeeeee) and this one has been on my TBR for too long.  Great excuse to get it read!

Hope you have a great reading week!

11 comments:

  1. I also had a crazy week, but I read a ton of books. Just no time to stop and think about them! Dan is one of my favorite writers. I'm reading an ARC of his newest -maybe he'll give you a copy :) . Love seeing the picture books and know you had a great vacation. Happy Monday!

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  2. There are some great picture books on your list. I loved Thank You, Omu! I enjoy a few books by Marla Frazee so I'm intrigued by Little Brown. I passed The Epic Adventures on to a friend before I had a chance to read it, but from my first glance at it I think I will end up agreeing that older students will appreciate it more.

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  3. I always bring soooo many books with me on vacation, and I don't get much reading done either! One of my students just finished Scythe (which I still haven't read) and is excited to move on to Book 2. I still haven't read any Dan Gemenheit books either! Must remedy that at some point... Of course I've got a stack of them on my shelf!

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  4. Vacation time always seems like a great time to read, but it rarely happens (especially when I have 5 children in tow - LOL). I have been excited to read the Arc of a Scythe series. I think I've checked out book #1 at least twice, but every time I think I'm ready to start -- I don't. I know book #3 is coming out in 2019 (WHEN IN 2019??) and so I'll probably do with this series what I did with Ember in the Ashes series -- wait until a couple weeks before the release date and quickly read books #1 and #2 so that I an start #3 without having to wait a long time. I understand the wait for #3 is killing everyone. LOL And I'm in the same position as you on Scar Island. I've been eagerly anticipating it for far too long. I think I read the first chapter when it was available as a teaser through Overdrive and I was ready to just sit down and read the whole thing right then (except that I was going to be on a wait list). So it sounds like it's time to bump that one back up. :) Thanks for the great booklist this week, Michele!!

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  5. It is so hard to wait for the next book, especially when the author leaves you in a difficult spot, like in Thunderhead. Thanks for sharing all of the books this week. Happy Reading!

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  6. Disney - So much fun! Building Books sounds wonderful and you are the second post we have read about Thank you, Omu! Getting both books right now!

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  7. It looks like you had a fun week!
    Little Brown is now on my list. It sounds like a book to pair up with I Hate Everyone.

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  8. Ahhh! Hi, Kellee! Hi, Michele! I got excited to see your picture together. You two rock.
    Also, adding I'm an Immigrant too! to my list. I am a sucker for ANY book about immigration, and this one sounds like it offers a good perspective for kids!

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  9. Glad you and Kellee had time away! Your thoughts on Little Brown intrigue me. I now must see if my library has it.

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  10. Santa Bruce is just a fun holiday book in this hilarious series. Bruce reminds me of Lou Grant! You've got another great list and I'm glad you had a fun trip.

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  11. There's a reason why I haven't started Scythe series yet - I am still waiting for the third book to come out, then I'd probly binge read everything! :) So many great books you have listed here. I've just added Little Brown and the Mem Fox title on my Goodreads to find list. :) Have a great reading week ahead of you!

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