Sunday, August 16, 2015

It's Monday! What are you reading? 8-17-15


It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

School starts tomorrow. I am surprisingly chill about it given how completely unprepared I feel. Oh well. This isn't my first rodeo. Coming up on year nine. I got this.

Speaking of school, last week, I shared my #pb10for10 post: Ten picture books I read this summer that I can't wait to share with my 8th graders.

On my teaching blog, I also shared the story of my new tattoo.


Last week I finished reading:

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely 
Books save lives. And they change hearts and minds. This will be one of those books. We need to start talking about that which and WITH those who make us uncomfortable. This book is in your face enough to start conversations, but nuanced enough to make it more than a black vs. white, us vs. them issue.  


I finished reading with my ears:

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli  

Not a whole lot to say about this one. I liked it. It's a great addition to the canon of LGBT YA lit. But other than that, I probably won't remember that much about it in a week or two.  That having been said, it's undoubtedly just the right book for a whole lot of young people out there. 


Favorite picture book from last week:

Hoptoad by Jane Yolen, illustrated by  Karen Lee Schmidt
Sometimes you just need a good, fun book that teaches no lesson and imparts no moral. Hoptoad is one of those books.  


Since I finished reading All American Boys, I went back to reading:

The Truth Commission by Susan Juby 



Currently reading with my ears:

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen
Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway 

11 comments:

  1. I liked Emmy and Oliver and hope you do too. Have fun at work. I still have 2 weeks before I begin year 40. Here is my reading week. Happy reading!

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  2. I find your comments about Simon I am reading it now and having a hard time getting really into it. Hmm. . .

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  3. Hoptoad is not a Jane Yolen book that I know. A "good, fun book", sounds like kids will love it!

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  4. I cannot wait to read All American Boys. Jason Reynolds is awesome.

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  5. I'll be interested in your thoughts on Emmy and Oliver. Since I don't teach grade levels that read YA, I try to only read the really strong ones, need more time for the younger books!
    I can't wait for the Jason Reynolds book, though! Sounds like a do not miss!

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  6. Can't wait for that new Jason Reynolds title! Love his work so much.

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  7. Have All American Boys on reserve at library. Liked Molecules more than I thought I would!

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  8. So. Jealous.
    That is all.

    Happy reading this week! :)

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  9. I couldn't get into Simon at all. Currently reading Jason Reynold's Boy in the Black Suit.

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  10. Emmy and Oliver is on my Fall reading list. School starts soon for me, too - at year 12, I too can say, "I got this"...fingers crossed!

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  11. All American Boys sounds like a real interesting read. I look forward to finding that one in our libraries very soon. I've been reading so many great things about We are all made of molecules - looking forward to your review on this one. :)

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