It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 5.07.18

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

May releases - chapter books and graphic novels

May releases - picture books

Read about the magic of an author visit here

Pushing our 3rd graders thinking with NFPBs

Love this sequel - don't miss The Explorers series


Picture Books


A Campfire Tail
written by Sarah Glenn Marsh
illustrated by Ana Gómez
Very cute story about a girl who tries to do the right thing by volunteering to help the new camper - but when he turns out to be different than expected and when the going gets tough - she learns a lesson in what it means to be a true friend.


Help Find Frank
by Anne Bollman
I'm excited to share this book with readers - there is so much to do with it!  We find out right away, Frank the Bulldog (thanks, Beth!) is missing!  First we learn more about Frank and the things he does.  Pay attention to these clues, they will be important later!  Next, we "interview" people in the order they have seen Frank.  We find out what direction he was headed in, and since we have a map we can practice our directions!  Then it turns into a Waldo picture - lots to observe and a checklist to go through to find the hidden objects.  We repeat this a few more time, using the clues we learned about Frank earlier in the book to help us along the way.  Of course, at the end we get a happy ending!  Kids will really like the interactive parts of this book.


Lost in the Library
written by Josh Funk
illustrated by Stevie Lewis
I'm so glad to have received an early copy of this beautiful book.  It's one I'll be adding to my collection this fall (8.28).  We have some pretty infamous library lions in Chicago, but Patience and Fortitude are pretty well known themselves.  Thanks to them (and Josh Funk and Stevie Lewis), we get a tour of the library, ending in a pretty fabulous area!


Moon
by Alison Oliver
This is one of those books that I needed at exactly the right time.
You know that feeling of being completely overbooked?  That's Moon - always busy.  But one night she feels the outdoors calling her and she finds a wolf.  From the wolf she learns inner peace, but allowing herself time to call to the wild.  After that she is a changed person and even though she returns home to her busy life, she keeps some of those wolfy lessons with her.


Max Explains Everything: Grocery Store Expert
written by Stacy McAnulty
illustrated by Deborah Hocking
The first in a new series, young readers will enjoy going on a grocery store trip with expert, Max.

Middle Grade


Amal Unbound
by Aisha Saeed
I'm pretty sure you've heard of this book already.  It has already seen great publicity and it's been chosen as a 2018 Global Read Aloud book.  It is worthy of all the praise it's received and I can't wait for more people to read it.
I think this is going to be a great book to read for Global Read Aloud because it's going to invite a lot of conversation.  I think it has global ties with other picture books and articles, as well.  
This book publishes on Tuesday, be sure to get your copy!

Young Adult


After the Shot Drops
by Randy Ribay
Wow, the YA I'm reading right now is ON FIRE!!!  If this is not already in your TBR pile, rectify that right now!
Told in alternating chapters between Bunny and Nasir - Bunny has recently transferred to a private school, mostly to improve his future, but also to play for a better high school basketball team.  Bunny is the one all of the recruiters are watching and he gets a lot of attention.  But it makes Nasir, his best friend, completely resent him since it feels like Bunny left without even saying goodbye.  Nasir ends up hanging out with his kind of relative/cousin Wallace who is up to no good.  Before you can blink, Wallace is up to his ears in trouble and Nasir needs assistance in helping Wallace out.  
This book had me falling for the characters, wanting to help them all out and when things go wrong, I was ready to throw the book into the pool - literally, I was at my daughter's swim practice.
Do not miss this story.  So.  Good.

Currently Reading

I've got two books going - Sarah Maas' A Court of Frost and Starlight and Kelly Yang's upcoming Front Desk.  I am loving both of them for very different reasons!
After I finish those books, I'll get going on my April mustread, Cress.  I'll need to start May's book very soon!
Happy Reading!