It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday!  Here are some recent books I've read that I thought were worth sharing. For the roundup, visit Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers!

I have had Commonwealth by Ann Patchett on my stack since it was published. Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors (Bel Canto, one of my favorite books of all time). I loved this book. What is amazing to me is that all of her books seem so different at the beginning but then as you keep reading, they are all about relationships and family. I had a little bit of trouble getting into this one but am so glad I stuck with it because I LOVED it.

I am still not a huge graphic novel reader--they are still a bit of a challengeSnow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan is a brilliant book. Really, how someone takes a classic story and retells it in such a unique way is fascinating to me. I think upper elementary and middle school kids will love this one. So glad that I read it!
for me.

I always love to find a biography about a new-to-me person who made a he difference in the world. Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Viven Thomas is such an interesting story about his work as a research assistant and the huge impact he had on children's heart surgery.  Such important work and Thomas was rarely recognized for his contributions.

Chester and Gus by Cammie McGovern will be released in April of 2017.
I picked up an ARC at NCTE and one of my 3rd graders devoured it when I got back. She HIGHLY recommended it so I read it over break.  This story is told from Chester's perspective. Chester is a service dog (almost certified) that is adopted by Gus's family. Gus has autism and his parents hope the dog will help him. This is a great story and the dog is one I loved from the beginning. This is perfect for middle grade readers.
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR

Go to Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers
for the It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Round-Up!

I did a pretty good job on my TBR pile from last week. I finished 3 of the 5 and added one I hadn't planned on.

FINISHED 

SURPRISE ADDITION

My Goodreads review:

Ms. Bixby is A Year of Reading's 147th 100 Cool Teachers in Children's Literature.

She is the teacher we all want to be. Not exactly her. We don't all need to run out and put a pink stripe in our hair. But we all want to be the ones who really SEE our students; who really HEAR them; who really KNOW them...and make a different difference in each of their lives.

KEEP YOUR EYE OUT FOR THESE

I got a big envelope full of goodies from Enchanted Lion Books last week. Editor Claudia Bedrick does an amazing job bringing international books to the US market. All of these books are coming out this fall, and you'll want to watch for them. 

The Happy Hunter

A reprint from the 1960's, this book by Swiss author/illustrator Roger Duvoisin gives us a character with a mentality we need in today's world.

Chirri & Chirra

The first in a trilogy by a famous-in-Japan children's bookmaker.

A Most Mysterious Mouse

From Italy, a cat who dreams of the perfect mouse...and when that mouse finally appears, the cat's life is changed forever and for the better.

Have You Seen My Trumpet?

Have You Seen My Trumpet? comes to us from France. Fans of Michaël Escoffier's two other word play books in this series -- TAKE AWAY THE A and WHERE'S THE BABOON? -- will want to check this one out. After a few spreads, readers will get the pattern, but there's still a fun surprise waiting in the end!

What Color Is The Wind?

First published in France by Belgian author Anne Herbauts, this book explores a myriad of ways to describe wind. Depending on who the blind boy asks for a description, color might be a smell, the sun, or time. Even the book itself is part of the exploration. It is "Created through embossing, debossing, die-cuts, lamination, and a variety of surfaces..." The fact that it's a paperback is also part of the experience of explaining wind. 

This is a fascinating book you'll want to get your hands on...literally. 

The most amazing of all of the Enchanted Lion books was this one -- 

Pinocchio: The Origin Story by Allesandro Sanna.

Allesandro Sanna is the Italian author of The River, a visual memoir of his life on Italy's Po River. From Sanna's inspiration for this story, to the gorgeous and mysterious illustrations, this is a book to savor. It gives a new and deeper meaning to the idea of an origin story!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR

Go to Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers
for the It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Round-Up!


ADULT

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

I'm not a mystery reader. Never have been, probably never will be. When a student gave me this book (and the next two on CD) for an end-of-year present, my first impulse was to take the gift receipts and run for B/N to make an exchange. But I gave myself a stern talking-to about reading outside my comfort zone, and I read this book, including whole sections aloud to AJ as we guffawed over the bad writing. I was going to listen to the two CDs on the way to and from the Choice Literacy writing retreat, but I decided I better have more literary writing in my brain before I wrote for 2 days!

The Son by Philipp Meyer

The Goodreads blurb describes this book as "...an epic, multigenerational saga of power, blood, and land that follows the rise of one unforgettable Texas family from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the border raids of the early 1900s to the oil booms of the 20th century." I listened to it two summers ago, and for the life of me, I can't remember why I only gave it two stars! I liked it well enough to suggest it to my book club, and when I ran out of printed books while at Mom's, I found it in my Kindle archives (maybe it was a Kindle Daily Deal?). Re-reading it with my eyes rather than my ears has been a fabulous experiences. I can flip forward and back, double check the family tree, look up interesting words, and focus most of my attention on the storyline of Eli, in my opinion, the most compelling character. I'm not quite finished with it, and I love having book amnesia -- I remember there's a surprise at the ending, but not exactly what! 

YA

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Ok, I lied. I like SOME mysteries. Maybe not mystery SERIES. This book combines fascinating settings -- insane asylums in Boston and Ohio in the late 1800's -- with a doctor who is pioneering the science of criminal profiling. The main character, Grace, becomes his assistant from within the safety of the asylum. The myriad reasons people (women especially) were committed as insane is thought-provoking and disturbing.

MIDDLE GRADE

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner

This book is a fascinating combination of fantasy and grim reality. Yes, there is a wish-granting fish and the main character Charlie makes every possible blunder of wishing known to the genre. But things get serious when her big sister is institutionalized for heroin addiction. This is an important book that shows how addiction impacts an entire family and is a lifelong struggle, not something with an easy recovery.

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Here's another book with a light-hearted tone, but a serious message. This is a book about how hard it is to be different. It is a book about bullying. Joe has learning challenges and spends time each day in the resource center. Ravi has just moved to the US from India and no one can understand his "perfect" English. Dillon is a kleptomaniac bully who preys on the weaknesses of others. Luckily, by the end of the book, Joe and Ravi realize that they make a perfect team...and they put Dillon in his place! I love how the book is written in both Joe and Ravi's points of view, and the dual glossary at the end of the book.

MY TBR PILE FOR THE COMING WEEK

I'm late, but I'm going to join #cyberPD!

Have arc, will share...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?--Online Edition

Go to Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers for the It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Round-Up!

Stuff I've read online this week:

I continue to follow-up on the responses to Kate Messner and Phil Bildner being disinvited to scheduled school visits. Publishers Weekly shared this piece: Authors Respond to Disinvites from Schools.

I am always amazed that we are still talking about reading levels but there is a good, thoughtful piece at The Teacher Triathlete. You know how I feel about levels....

Our district Chief Academic Officer, Kim Miller, shared this piece in an email last week--Why Constant Learners All Embrace the 5-Hour Rule--Such an interesting thing to think about when it comes to creativity and learning.  

And if you don't read Pernile Ripp's blog regular, I would add it to your list of must read blogs. One of her recent posts I love is The Reading Rules We Would Never Follow as Adult Readers.

I've been thinking a lot about young children and the need to teach about social justice. A good piece from Edutopia is Teaching Young Children About Bias, Diversity and Social Justice.

Resilience is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure was an interesting new way to think of resilience.

My principal, Jen Schwanke had this great piece on her blog called Bring it to Life...Or Not?  Love the whole idea of this.

A long but interesting piece about race: White Fragility: Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People about Racism.  It is one I have to revisit as I think there are lots of important things to think about.

One of my favorite people, Ann Marie Corgill, shared this on Facebook--Not All Teachers Want to Be Administrators. It is always a hard thing for some people to understand. I loved this article as I do believe "I belong in the classroom."

An interesting piece I am thinking about from TeachThought--7 Shifts to Create a Classroom of the Future. Not sure I agree 100% but some good things to think about talk about.  

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It was nice to catch up on reading a bit over Spring Break. I read some great titles--even some adult fiction. I'd definitely recommend all of these! And I think they'd all be great additions to 4th-6th grade classroom libraries.

Middle Grade Fiction

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban. An incredible historical fiction story of a Japanese-American girl and her family who must live in a camp during the war. The character is one that will stay with me for a very long time and the story is a perfect one for middle grade readers whether they are familiar with this piece of our history or not.

Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt is an incredible story of grief and healing.  Jules is another character who will stay with me for a very long time. This my be my favorite book by this author! The relationships in the book reminded me a bit of her earlier book, Keeper, which I also loved.

Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern is a quiet story about a family going through challenging times.  This was another great character who finds courage in the midst of tragedy.

The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly was my first read of spring break. I read much of it on audio and it is a great audio.  This is the story of two sisters from the Philippines whose father has left them with their (not so nice) stepmother. This is an intense read as there is a great deal of sadness but the girls have hope and strength so it is a good read. It is one I think lots of 4th-6th graders will enjoy.


Adult Fiction

I don't make much time to read adult fiction and I know I need to fit more into my reading life. But I did take some time to read Dietland by Sarai Walker which was highly recommended to me by a friend. This was a good read and one I'm glad I read.  I thought the storylines were good and the issues addressed were important ones.  It would be great for a book club book as I definitely wanted to talk to someone about it after I finished it!

Overall, a good week of reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Visit Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers for the round up!

I always love winter break reading. I either catch up on the last of the year's books or I read ahead to the upcoming books of the next year. Some years I do a combination of both but it is always one of my favorite reading times of the year.

This year I read some amazing books that are due out in 2016.  All are MUST READS for sure! I feel lucky to have started my 2016 with these books. They all tugged at my heart in very different ways and all are perfect for middle grade readers.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Due to be released February 2, 2016
This book, illustrated by Jon Klassen is one that I could not put down.  It is the story of a boy and his pet fox. It is a dog story and the story of a boy's journey and a story of loss and friendship.  It is the best of all of these things.

The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price by Jennifer Maschari

Due to be released February 23,  2016
This book was sent to me by the author (who lives in Ohio--lucky us!). What an amazing story of grief and healing.  Told in a story that reminded me a bit of Coraline, meeting Charlie and his sister Imogen as they work through their grief is an incredible read. The way the author puts the issues into a fantasy world is incredible and is perfect for middle grade readers.

When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
Due to be released January 5, 2016
Inge Maria is a character who will stay with me for a very long time.  She has recently lost her mother and moves in with her grandmother who she does not know well. She moves into a rather dull town but brings life to the town and brightens the lives of so many.  A great story with a great feisty character.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

I also read a 2015 book that I have been hearing a lot about. I am so glad that this was my first read of 2016. I am sorry I waited so long to read it.  I have already told so many people about it as I think it is a must-read.   This book is about two teenage boys dealing with issues of police brutality, racism, family and what it worth standing up for. The book is written by two authors and is brilliant. I would put this one next on your list of must reads and I plan to read more by these authors for sure.

It's Monday! What are you Reading? and Summer #Bookaday

(Visit Teach Mentor Texts for the It's Monday! What Are You Reading? round up.)

I love Donalyn Miller's idea of #Bookaday Challenge. Each summer, she puts out a challenge to herself and to others to read an average of a book-a-day over the summer.  I know I read a lot, but I also know that many of my teacher friends read far more than I do.  And summer is a good time for me to catch up. This summer was a busy one so I knew lots of my books would be short reads. I counted the days of summer and set my goal for 82 books.  I met that goal easily once I got started.  Last week, I was at 99 books. (For the most recent list, you can check out my goodreads account.) Here is how my numbers ended up last time I checked:

57 Picture Books
2 Wordless Picture Books
1 Poetry Books
16 Middle Grade Novels
2 Young Adult Novels
2 Adult Novels
16 Nonfiction Children's Books
3 Graphic Novels

Since Donalyn started this challenge years ago, I have realized how important summer and vacation reading are to me as a teacher and a reader. That extra time to read is critical and it takes far less time every day than I imagine it will.  Setting a goal of a book each day was overwhelming at first but I've discovered that it is very doable.  I have used the library lots and I spent many mornings reading a stack of new picture books.  It doesn't take long to get through a stack of picture books and discover a few gems. At the end of this summer #bookaday, I am reminded again of how important it is for me to read and keep up with new books, I believe strongly in the power of Teacher as Reader and always have.  I need to be a reader myself in order to teach reading, but I also need to read lots of children's books so that I have a menu of books to share with students each year.  (Lucky for me, I LOVE reading children's books as I believe they are the best books out there!) As I choose books and share books with students, I know that knowing 99 more books will help me be a better teacher. It is probably the most important work I do each summer.

Even with all of this summer reading, I still have a huge TBR stack. Seems like the more I read, the more I want to read! But I have so many more possibilities when I make choices about books to share with students in read aloud, mini lessons, conferences and small groups. I can't imagine going into the year without all these new titles in my head.

Some highlights from my summer #bookaday that I haven't blogged much about already:

Picture Books

Dad's First Day

Little Elliot, Big Family (coming October 6!)

To the Sea

Early Chapter Book

Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon

Nonfiction

Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova

Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall

Middle Grade Novels

All the Answers

Echo

Paper Things

Crenshaw

The Truth About Twinkie Pie

The Thing About Jellyfish

Graphic Novel

Sunny Side Up

Wordless Picture Book

Sidewalk Flowers