Monday, April 2, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 4.02.18

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.



Last Week's Adventures
Last week was our Spring Break so I took a week off from blogging to enjoy time with family and time reading!


Picture Books

If the S in Moose Comes Loose
If the S in Moose Comes Loose
written by Peter Hermann
illustrated by Matthew Cordell
I liked the idea and I think there are some neat things with word chunks and making new words by manipulating sounds/letters.  But... I'm not sure if young readers will be able to follow.  I'm going to hold judgement until I can use this one with kids and see how they respond.  Thanks to Matthew Cordell's illustrations for helping me make a bit more sense of things!

They Say Blue
They Say Blue
by Jillian Tamaki
Absolutely beautiful illustrations.  I really enjoy Tamaki's work - it's unique and stands out to me.  
However, the story didn't work for me.  I don't think young readers will stick with it without adult conversation.  Again, another one to try out with readers before completely passing judgement.

Alma and How She Got Her Name
Alma and How She Got Her Name
by Juana Martinez-Neal
Really beautiful story about one's name, heritage, and telling/making your own story.

The Secrets of Ninja School
The Secrets of Ninja School 
by Deb Pilutti
I'm always on the lookout for books to use with teaching the Notice and Note signposts.  I'll be adding this one to my words of the wiser list!

Informational Texts

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin
written by Julia Finley Mosca
illustrated by Daniel Rieley
I really had never heard of Dr. Grandin's work before, so this was very interesting to me.  Dr. Grandin has autism and as a child this made certain things difficult for her.  It wasn't until she was on her aunt's farm, did she find what she was meant to do - she was a passionate speaker and advocate for animals.  
This was a really interesting story about someone I did not know much about.  I enjoyed the backmatter, especially the lengthy author's note.  I found it to be an interesting that the story was told in rhyme.  It works, but I'm not sure I liked it any better because of it.

Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles
Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles
written by Patricia Valdez
illustrated by Felicita Sala
I had not heard of Joan Procter before this book, but she led a very interesting life, albeit short (Joan passed away when she was only 34 years old due to chronic illness).  She certainly had a way with reptiles and was able to learn and educate so much about these creatures.

Middle Grade

Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
by Liesl Shurtliff
I have long been a fan of Liesl's books.  I find them to be so relatable to young readers - not just because they are based off some familiar fairy tales - but because these characters have traits that are just like their readers.  They feel so familiar and readers understand the characters' decisions.
Grump is probably my favorite in this series.  As always, you can find pieces of his story that come from the popular and usually Disney-fied stories that you know so well, yet Shurtliff brings in new ideas or pieces from the original stories that give readers a new perspective.  
I love the many themes that surround this book - identity, being torn between responsibilities/loyalties and the idea of can you control your fate?  This book will be well loved by readers everywhere!  
The book also takes a look at the way the word "fair" is used.  I think it was an important idea to discuss, especially in this day and time - what "fair" is the one you want to be known as?
Look for it May 29th!

Ghost Boys
Ghost Boys
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
I've read a lot of books lately about racial profiling, Black Lives Matter, and the injustice with police departments.  However, the books I've read are for the very high end of middle school and older.  But as we know, kids much younger than this are dealing with these situations everyday.  And as we know, kids can make a difference.  
Finally we have a book for middle grade readers.
It's such a powerful book and it's one that is going to spark a lot of conversations.  I think the best place for this book is a read aloud because kids are going to need to talk about this book in order to process it best.  I think having an adult as a facilitator and letting room for the kids to lead the discussion will have some amazing results.
Don't miss the author's note and dedication.  They are pretty powerful too.
Look for it April 17th.

Young Adult

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)
The Crooked Kingdom
by Leigh Bardugo
This was on my #mustread list because I had the first book (Six of Crows) on last year's list. I had already bought the book and knew I needed a push to get to this book.  I didn't love the first book.  Many people did, but I'm guessing it must have been the timing and maybe because it took me awhile to understand and appreciate the Grisha world.  All good now!  This book starts where the last one left off and it takes off with a bang and never really slows down.  Great for anyone who enjoys fantasy and adventure and suspense.  A long novel, but it sure didn't feel like it!


I have some other books to talk about but I will share them next week!

12 comments:

  1. I've heard great things about Alma. Grump is in my stack and I hope to get to it soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with you about THEY SAY BLUE. I enjoyed the illustrations but the story was just "meh."

    ReplyDelete
  3. I didn't know that Shurtliff has a new book coming. I have loved each of her books in this series. And, I did love Ghost Boys, though so very sad. I shared Alma today, too, a darling book! Thanks, Michele. Hope you enjoyed your break!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I picked up Grump at NCTE but haven't gotten to it yet. Now I'm quite eager! Also very much looking forward to Ghost Boys. I rarely preorder, but I have preordered that one.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree with you about Crooked Kingdom. I did like the first book, but enjoyed this one even more. I can't wait to get a hold of Grump.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So excited to hear that Grump is maybe your favourite! I can't wait to get my hands on this one!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love what you had to say about Ghost Boys. I agree that most of what I've read the last year or two have been for older kids. For the most part, we're skipping over the middle grades. This sounds so good! I'm going to add it to my TBR list right away. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I keep hoping my library will bring in They Say Blue since I am also a Jillian Tamaki fan.
    I'm glad to hear that there is a picture book biography of Dr. Temple Grandin. She really is an amazing woman. The movie of her life was pretty impressive too.
    The Crooked Kingdom was on my list last year and I carried it over to this year. I enjoyed the first and am looking forward to this one if I ever find time.....

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so excited about Ghost Boys, and your review made me even more excited! Thank you so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am glad that you enjoyed Crooked Kingdom - have you read the original grishaverse yet: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising? I think the duology would be appreciated more deeply by those who have been initially immersed in this trilogy first, as they provide a very extensive and rich background information of that universe, which I absolutely adored.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can't wait to read Alma. They Say Blue is my picture book of the month pick!

    ReplyDelete
  12. If the S in Moose Comes Loose and They Say Blue are both in my stack this week. We’re busy packing to go on vacation, but I’ll definitely try to read those two before we leave.

    ReplyDelete