It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.
It was originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, but Jen and Kellee put a Picture Book to YA spin on it.
What I Read This Week:
Picture Books
Once a week I volunteer at my local library. This
week I was assigned to shelf read the picture books looking for popular authors
who have multiple titles; I was to make a list so we could check to see what we
needed to order. The end result was a stack of books that I needed to check out!
Some of them were books I have been hearing about but not yet read, while
others were ones that simply caught my eye. There were 13 in all, but some of
my favorites were:
What
To Do If An Elephant Stands On Your Foot by Michelle Robinson, illustrated
by Peter H. Reynolds. I just love Peter H. Reynolds’ art work. When I first
started reading the story, I was afraid it was going to be a take on If You
Give A Mouse a Cookie, but was pleasantly surprised by the narrative twist.
Crow Call by
Lois Lowry, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Oh. My. Goodness. This book is
absolutely beautiful! Lois Lowry is an amazing storyteller, and Bagram
Ibatoulline’s illustrations are gorgeous. I am always in awe of artists whose
work is so realistic it looks like a photograph.
Happy
Birthday, Hamster by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Derek Anderson. Cynthia
Lord has long been a favorite author. This book is so much fun.
Kamishibai Man
by Allen Say. This caught my eye for two reasons: 1. Allen Say. 2. After
reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet I am interested in learning
more about the Japanese culture.
This is a beautiful story.
Young Adult
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
This is a book that I have long had on my TBR list
and the time just seemed right. Last week reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford got me
thinking about the American Identity and how the United States has treated
minority groups who proudly identify themselves as American. My husband was
reading Code Talker and as we discussed the books, it was clear that this would
be a good follow up for me. Code Talker tells the story of Ned Begay, a Navajo
Indian who becomes a Marine Code Talker in the Pacific theater of World War II.
After attending boarding school where he was told that everything Navajo is
bad, Ned, is eager to join the Marines when he learns that Navajos are being
specially recruited. Upon completing basic training, where the Navajos discover
they are better equipped to handle the physical demands, Ned begins training as
a Code Talker, and is delighted to discover that his sacred language, for which
he was previously punished for using, is now highly valued.
The Island of Lote by Emily Kinney
I have to confess that I have abandoned this one.
I’ve been trying to read it for quite some time. I met the author; she’s a
young gal from Maine. I enjoyed hearing her speak to our middle school
students. A few of the middle school students have read this book and enjoyed
it. I really wanted to like it, but just couldn’t get past some early events
that really go beyond what is realistic. I know that when reading fiction you
have to be willing to suspend your disbelief, but this was a bit too much to
ask. I do hope that Emily continues to write and that her writing matures. She
has a lot of talent and potential.
Graphic Novels
reMIND: Volume 2
by Jason Brubaker
I was thrilled to find this at my library on
Thursday. I read volume 1 earlier in the spring and fell in love with Jason
Brubaker’s drawing. My favorite, by far, is Victuals the cat. When I read
Volume 1 my first reaction was that the story was goofy, but suddenly I found
myself sucked into the story.
What I am Reading:
Professional Development
Real Revision by Kate Messner
The English Teacher's Companion, 4th Edition by
Jim Burke
Middle Grade
Doll Bones by
Holly Black
