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
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
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
by Juana Martinez-Neal
Really beautiful story about one's name, heritage, and telling/making your own story.


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
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
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
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
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


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!